Piers Gate

February 26, 2020

Stanford Dish Trail is an ever popular hiking spot with Bay Area residents, especially those in South Bay. I have hiked the trail couple of times from the Stanford gate. I had been meaning to do a proper hike from Piers Gate location and finally got around to it today.

Piers Gate can be accessed from the roadside parking area at the junction of Alpine Road and Piers Lane. There is parking for about 30 cars in that lot. 

You will approach “The Dish” from the back. It is about a mile hike from Piers Gate to the Dish by a well paved black top trail that climbs gradually up the hills. On the way, the trail crosses a cattle gate. There was a group of young cows today by the gate, carefully observing the hikers. 

The view of the expansive and rolling green hills was particularly pleasing today sporting a near springlike weather pattern.

Once you are past the dish, you will join the popular loop that is about 3.3 miles long. I did this loop again in the counter clockwise fashion as I felt that the views of Stanford and the bay are be nicer in this direction.There is not a whole lot to add in description of this section that what I have already done in my previous visits to this spot. 

Even though we were a month away from spring and the weather reminded me of a classic spring day. The early appearance of California poppy flowers seemed to corroborate my thoughts! 

Completing the loop by a combination of jogging and fast walking, I was doing a decent 4+ mph today. Back at dish, I made my way to Piers Gate, the mile long stretch being essentially downhill or flat that only helped me improve my solo hike time. 

At the cattle gate, there was a young cow which pretty much stayed on the trail even as I went past it. There is hardly any shade in this hike save the small stretch that goes through the eucalyptus grove close to the entrance.

The 5.5 mile hike involved an elevation gain of about 800 feet. 

Here is the complete album of photographs from the Piers gate hike.