San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
Spring: •• Summer: • Fall: •• Winter: ••
This trail has to take its place among the best-kept secrets of the Bay Area. It is run by San Mateo County Parks, but effectively cuts a swath through San Francisco Watershed Land (which is otherwise inaccessible). Ranging from Cañada Road to the edges of Belmont, the Sheep Camp Trail crisscrosses a few habitats - mixed woodland, grassland, chaparral, and suburban neighborhoods. Most notably, it crosses I-280; this has the advantage of supplying some great views, but the disadvantage of constant road noise.
There are three logical starting points (and four marked gates) for this system of trails. The east terminus of the trail occurs in Belmont, along St. James Road, just prior to residential houses on that street. From here, enter the well-marked gate facing west. Once inside the gate, if you proceed south (hugging the backyard fence line of the houses), you will be on the network of trails known as the Crystal Springs Cross-Country track, maintained by the College of San Mateo. You can use these trails so long as there is not a race in progress; please yield to runners when they are practicing, as this is their trail first. The running trails are extensive - over two full miles. However, the habitat they cover is virtually unchanging scrub and chaparral, unlikely to yield species you would be unable to see on the main Sheep Camp Trail. During fall migration, though, the chance of vagrant sparrows and grassland birds, as well as hawks migrating overhead, might induce a birder to spend more time on the Running Trails. The Running Trails can also be easily accessed from Hallmark Park, a local playground-and-tennis-court park to the south.
If you follow the main Sheep Camp Trail from the gate at St. James Road in Belmont, you'll be heading down hill, on a fairly wide path that is largely, but inconsistently, paved. This area can produce the expected chaparral birds, such as White- and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrow, California Scrub-Jay, Wrentit, and birds of prey. As you come to the bend to the south in the trail, spectacular views of the Bay Area open up: Crystal Springs Reservoir in front of you, and the Santa Cruz mountains and foothills of the peninsula to the south. However, the noise from I-280 makes birding more difficult along this stretch.
At the base of the hill, you will come to another gate; this connects to the road under I-280 and opens the Vista Point area to you. You can easily access this area from I-280; this is the first Vista Point pull-off south of the intersection with SR92 if you are traveling south on I-280. For those traveling north, there are three pull-offs for Vista Points between Edgewood and SR92: this is the third, and the only one that descends rather than ascends as an exit. The author of this entry often pulls over here on her commute, and hikes one half or the other of the Sheep Camp Trail for exercise. The only legal place to park is on the east side of the I-280 underpass, on the shoulder adjacent to the gate (but do NOT block the gate).
On the west side of I-280, there are two options. One is to drive (or hike) to the Vista Point. There are conifers here, as well as spectacular views. There are no trails from this area, though. The other option is to continue west along the Sheep Camp Trail; there is another gate here. This section of the trail begins in grassland, then descends into a mixed oak woodland. This area offers the best sustained birding on this trail. Hutton's Vireo, Townsend's Warbler, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Oak Titmouse, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Acorn Woodpecker, and other local birds can be found here in season. This area can also be reached by parking at the fourth gate for this trail, located along Cañada Road, just north of the Water Temple. The parking area is not easy to see, especially coming from the north.
Sheep Camp Trail is unlikely to become a premier birding site in the county: the habitat is too sparse, and the human impact on the area too great, to yield a surfeit of great discoveries. But this area combines gorgeous scenery with an easy walk, and can be conveniently cut into halves, quarters, or whatever other size you wish your hike to be.
One last note - there is a trail that winds through the Belmont neighborhoods from the St. James Road gate, east to Water Dog Lake (see separate entry in this guide for that destination). This trail is part of the City of Belmont parks.
Ducks can sometimes be seen in the reservoir, or as fly-overs; they are not included on this list. California Quail, Wild Turkey, Rock Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, White-throated Swift, Anna's Hummingbird, Killdeer, Western Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Caspian Tern, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Acorn Woodpecker (uncommon at this location), Red-breasted Sapsucker (fall-spring), Downy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Olive-sided Flycatcher (migration), Western Wood-Pewee, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe (fall-spring), Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Hutton's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bushtit, Wrentit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Pygmy Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bewick's Wren, European Starling, California Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Finch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow (fall-spring), Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler (fall-spring), Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler (fall-spring), Wilson's Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Thayer's Gull (2014), Bald Eagle (2019), Western Kingbird (2017)
Because of the multiple points of access to this trail system, directions will be parsed out below for each of the four gates.
East Gate, on St. James Road, Belmont. Take SR 92 to Ralston Avenue. Go southeast on Ralston, then take a right on Hallmark. Take a right on Wemberly Drive, then a left where it ends, onto St. James Road. The gate is on your right, just before houses spring up on that side.
Central Gates, east and west off of I-280. From I-280, take the third Vista Point after Edgewood if traveling north, and the first Vista Point after the junction with SR92 if traveling south. The gates are at the respective ends of the road to either side of the underpass.
West Gate, on Cañada Road. This is on the east side of the street, just north of the Water Temple, if traveling north. If traveling south on Cañada Road, the parking area and gate are more difficult to see. The hint this author gives herself is to start looking to the left once I can no longer see the reservoir! If you pass the Water Temple, you've gone too far.
There are no fees associated with these locations.
Official hours are sunrise to sunset.
The usual Bay Area cautions apply: rattlesnakes, ticks, and Mountain Lions all have a right and tradition of using this habitat; however, they are scarce here. Poison oak and stinging nettle can be found, too: learn these plants. The biggest risks, though center around personal safety: to paraphrase Bambi's mother, your most dangerous enemy here may be MAN. The ease of access to the freeway, and the lack of foot traffic in the area, makes the possibility of crime higher here than at most sites. Not a reason to avoid it, but a reason to carry your cell phone with you.
None. The Vista Point has some garbage cans, and places to sit down if you want to snack.
Contact San Mateo County Parks at 650-363-4020 for more information about this trail.
"Sheep Camp Trail" is a hotspot in eBird, with data in 26 of 48 time quadrants. Fill it out to help us learn more about this trail.
There will one day be a BioBlitz at this site, and when that happens, the zone is already mapped here.
Author: Jennifer Rycenga, Uploaded: