Mindego Hill, Borel Hill

After roasting in the East Bay, I decided to get some peaks on the peninsula in the hopes they'd be cooler for exercise. I found a nice loop over two Nifty Ninety summits, Mindego Hill and Borel Hill. I started at the parking lot on Alpine Road, just after the intersection with Skyline Blvd. The gate was closed when I arrived, but as I was getting ready the ranger arrived and opened it, so I was the first car in the lot!

Trail along Alpine Road.

 I started by running by the small pond, then up the hill. Near the top I found a locked gate with a sign indicating private property. Not sure why the trail there exists, but I just bushwhacked around it up to Alpine Road, then back to the trail. This is where the views started getting good.

Fog rolling in off the ocean.

 There were excellent views to the west, and I could see up and down the ridge, especially once I got farther out.

Mindego Hill on the right.

 The approach to Mindego Hill is quite nice. You drop down the hill to a ridge, then traverse across and up. Mindego is one of the nicest peaks I've gone to while doing this list. I passed a few hikers also heading out to the summit, where I stopped for some pictures.

Borel Hill in the background.

 I then retraced my steps back along the ridge to the next trail that would take me around to Borel Hill.

Lots of fog rolling in.

 Walking up the hill I saw a rabbit, which was nice enough to stay still long enough for me to get some pictures.

 There were then some nice shady climbs back up towards Borel Hill. This section of the preserve appeared much more popular, as I started passing lots of groups. The summit of the hill is fairly close to the highway, and it doesn't have the same remote feeling that Mindego did, but the views were 360.

Summit of Borel Hill.

 After weaving my way through all the bikers and hikers, I stopped for some pictures at the top before heading the last short bit to the car.

Loma Prieta and Mt Umunhum in the distance.

Overall this was a very nice loop, and I would recommend both summits to anyone looking for a nice hike.