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Mixed Woodlands, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, March 2009 (Jennifer Rycenga)
NOTICE: The important eastern boundary of this park will be closed for much of 2022, while Mid-pen performs necessary repairs and safeties for pedestrians, cyclists, and to guard against erosion and creek damage. Project information.
This delightful Open Space Preserve is one of the smaller OSPs in the county, and also one of the more underexplored. Its reputation apparently suffers in comparison to its larger and more dramatic neighbors: Russian Ridge OSP and Monte Bello OSP (Santa Clara County).
There are three prime areas in the park. One focuses on the northern part of the park, starting with Crazy Pete's Road. In the center of the park, Clouds Rest Road leads to the Meadow Trail. Forming the preserve's eastern boundary is Alpine Road. This two-mile section of this formerly public road has been closed to traffic for decades now; officially it is managed and maintained by the county, but it functions as part of Coal Creek's ecosystem.
Unusual birds for the county seen in Coal Creek include Lawrence's Goldfinch and Northern Pygmy Owl. Given the wide-open expanses of the preserve, it is a prime raptor viewing site; Golden Eagle has been sighted here. Perhaps the most unusual bird sighting was in June 2006, when Garth Harwood watched a Townsend's Solitaire fly from Monte Bello to Coal Creek.
Birds to expect in Coal Creek include Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, California Scrub-Jay, Bewick's Wren, California Quail, Hutton's Vireo, Common Raven, Spotted Towhee, Anna's Hummingbird and Band-tailed Pigeon. Orange-crowned Warblers are abundant in the preserve during spring, along with more modest numbers of Wilson's Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Lazuli Bunting.
Some of the best birding occurs along Alpine Road, where there are extensive riparian zones, and a large enough mix of oaks among other trees to bring in most of the oak-reliant species, like Oak Titmouse, Acorn Woodpecker, Hutton's Vireo, and more. It is possible to reach Alpine Road for hiking from either Page Mill Road, or from the end of Alpine Road in Portola Valley.
California Quail, Wild Turkey, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Great Horned Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Olive-sided Flycatcher (migration), Ash-throated Flycatcher (migration), Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, American Kestrel, Merlin, California Scrub-Jay, Steller's Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Warbling Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, Cassin's Vireo (migration), Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, House Wren (uncommon), Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush (fall-winter), California Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Wrentit, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler (uncommon), Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Western Tanager (migration), Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, House Finch, Purple Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Golden Eagle, Black Swift (migration), Townsend's Solitaire (2017), Tennessee Warbler (2017), Lawrence's Goldfinch (numerous years), Evening Grosbeak (2010, 2013)
Coal Creek Open Space Preserve is located on SR35, Skyline Boulevard, just north of the intersection of SR35 with Page Mill Road from the east and Alpine Road to the west. The main hiking entrance can be accessed by parking at the Vista Point on the east side of Skyline Boulevard, then walking north to the entrance along Clouds Rest Road. There is another entrance further north along SR 35, but parking is severely limited.
To use the language of Wikipedia, this description is a stub! If you have visited this park more thoroughly, and have good records of what you saw and experienced, please consider revising this article.
Red Markers: Parking Area or Trail Head
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There are no fees connected with Coal Creek Open Space Preserve.
The park is open officially in daylight only, closing a half-hour after sunset.
This is Mountain Lion territory, but the chances of seeing one are slim; read the warning signs, though, to remind yourself of how to react should you encounter one of our forever feral Big cats! There are ticks, and poison oak, too. Mountain bicyclists use this park extensively, so be on the alert for fast-moving people.
There are no facilities at Coal Creek Open Space Preserve. The nearest restrooms are at the main parking area for Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. The stores and restaurants at the corner of SR 35 and SR 84 are the nearest source of sustenance; they become hyper-crowded on weekends.
Accessibility information is currently not available for this location.
The Midpeninsula Region Open Space District can be contacted at 650-691-1200 during regular business hours. The 24-hour dispatch number for an MROSD ranger is 650-968-4411.
Coal Creek OSP is a hotspot in eBird. The information page can be accessed here, with data in twenty of forty-eight quadrants, representing 88 species. The quality of the habitat here should provoke more birders to visit and record their sightings in eBird!
The contiguous Monte Bello Open Space Preserve (located entirely in Santa Clara County) receives regular visits from many of the Bay Area's finest birders. Check recent postings on the South Bay Birders email list, and the eBird listings from Monte Bello, to prepare yourself for what could be possible at Coal Creek (see Townsend's Solitaire story above).
The place marker for Coal Creek OSP in iNaturalist aches for more data. Help relieve this misery - join the iNaturalist community!
Sequoia Audubon Society has sponsored two field trips to Coal Creek OSP, both in the 2010s.
Acorn Woodpecker, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, September, 2016 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Acrobatic Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, March 2009 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Grasslands habitat, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, March 2009 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Anna's Hummingbird, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, March 2009 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Alpine Road, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, March 2009 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Author: Jennifer Rycenga
Uploaded:
March 30, 2009
Last Update:
May 19, 2022 1:24pm
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