Crystal Springs Trail

May 31, 2021

Crystal Springs segment forms the 6.7 mile southern section of the Crystal Springs Regional Trail system. I had done the Sawyer Camp segment back in 2018. On this warm Memorial Day, Jaya & I decided to make a trip to Pulgas Water Temple and hike a portion of the Crystal Springs Trail.

The Crystal Springs segment runs parallel to Canada Road. We parked at the junction of Edgewood Road & Canada Road. There is plenty of roadside parking available there, and this area is popular more with bicyclists than hikers & joggers.

The single track dirt trail on the west side of Canada Road is hard to miss, running right by the stone wall border of the San Francisco Water Department. 

From the junction of Edgewood Rd & Canada Rd, head north by the Crystal Springs Trail. The left side of the trail is fenced, the property beyond it belonging to SF Water Department. The gentle ups and downs in the dirt trail is easy to negotiate, as it heads north towards Crystal Springs Reservoir.

The trail is predominantly exposed, with a handful of Oak trees providing occasional shade. About a mile into the trek, you will find the historic Filoli gardens to the left. Filoli is a short form for FIght, LOve, LIve. The popular 16-acre park requires a reservation and admission ticket to visit.

About 1/2 a mile north of Filoli you will come to the entrance to Pulgas Water Temple. This stone structure inspired by classic Greek and Roman architecture commemorates the achievement to bring Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water to San Francisco. 

Pulgas Water Temple is a beautiful, serene location to stop by and spend some time. The area is very popular with people taking photographs, celebrating graduation, quinceanera and even wedding. Behind the tall columns of the stone structure, you can see Hetch Hetchy water being pumped to the city. 

After spending a short while at the water temple, and enjoying a fresh sip of the Hetch Hetchy water, we headed south to Edgewood Road where we had parked our car.

From Edgewood Rd junction, the easy out and back hike to Pulgas Water temple is ~4 miles. Crystal Springs Trail goes further north all the way until the reservoir (Hwy 92 / Canada Road junction).

Here is the complete album of photographs from our Crystal Springs Trail hike to Pulgas Water Temple.