Friday, June 06, 2008

A Hike to Stanford Dish in the Foothills





Photos: Visual Art Services, SU




Now, that its summer and the weather outside is glorious, there are weekends when we decide to do short hikes in and around the county parks etc. in the Santa Clara valley area. Last weekend, K and I went to the Stanford dish area located close to the I-280 and foothills. The Foothills are primarily a habitat conservation area whose trails are open to the public for taking hikes, jogging and of course to breathe in the beautiful panoramas of the peninsula. The dish is located on Stanford University property academic reserve private property and is free to the public.

The Stanford Dish is a radio telescope that was built in 1961 and is a 150-foot diameter Dish, that is still actively used for research and teaching purposes around the Stanford community. It is operated and maintained by the SRI International and owned by the US government. It is actively used to scan distant planets and galaxies.

The hike is approximately 3.5 miles around the loop and begins with a steep-ish 20 minute hike that is a sure test to your knees. Be prepared to get sore tender glutes the next day. It is absolutely a great work-out during summer time and it took us roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes to walk around the dish. The trail is paved and goes up and down. Cool hay art called "Making hay" statues greet you at the entrance to the hike and good views of Stanford's Hoover tower, Dumbarton Bridge, SF etc. can be obtained as you trudge up and down the hills.

I never realized how much I miss open spaces and furry woodland creatures (tons of squirrels cross ur path), we even saw a bunny rabbit, until coming here. What was amazing is there are folks who jog this entire dish area, you can also see different kinds of people, students, families with kids being pushed up the hill on their strollers, old people who are fit and agile to take this intense hike.

The Dish is not just used for academic programs alone, but, is also used for environmental restoration by the Stanford Conservation Biology program (to study the type of brown native grass that grows here) and for habitat conservation purposes, as well.

If you live in the Bay area and would like to get some good workout, a hike around the dish will surely shake some muscles and burn that fat.

Have a great weekend....

15 comments:

Spillay said...

Mitr. I love the great outdoors too!! Enjoy the warm weather and everything that comes with it :) .

Also, I really like the photo of the hay statue.... :)

Uma said...

hey, I am coming over there to burn some fat! love all the pics.

A-kay said...

K and I loved this hike as well - we went there almost 2 months back and after that, we try to (and kept it up so far) to go for a hike every weekend. The amount of trails around the bay area is just amazing!

Bavani said...

I really need to burn off some of that hehe - we too try to go hiking, but on simpler ones since my hubby has to carry our daughter on his back and she is getting heavier :)
Looks like you guys are enjoying the rays - hope the weather gets better here soon too :(

Cham said...

He he i am living near Dum Bridge and never knew how to burn my fat! Seems pretty cool and fun. Great for my son too :)

Sachita said...

Mitr,
This is such a regular outing for me when my brother visits. In all my trips there, I have never seen it gloom so much:)
Nice pics.

Thanks for book-tag, if not for you I wouldn't even on the blog map:)

mitr_bayarea said...

spillay- yes, we have to make the most of the nice weather, when we can.

uma- hehe...

A-kay- absolutely true, we've just started exploring different trails and parks every weekend.

bavani-can imagine its still cold in Boise, yes, must be hard to carry the kid along on some strenuous hikes.

Cham- yes, you get good views of the dumbarton bridge on this hike.

Sachita- thanks to courtesy of SU for the pics, they looked so good. As for you blogging, no thanks to me, your quest to write on profound topics should continue.

Jayashree said...

Here in summer it takes a lot to get me off my butt....I just wait until its evening and relatively less hot before I take a stroll.

Sapna Anu B.George said...

Enjoyed this hiking with you....great snaps too

mitr_bayarea said...

sapna- thanks...

Kavitha Jay said...

Now that the sun is out and shining..i want the snow to come back ;)

btw first time here :)

mitr_bayarea said...

Kavitha-

welcome to my blog, no, I am not ready for the snow yet.

na_an said...

yes...hiking is a good way to make the most of the lovely days nowadays..probably take my FIL sometime...:-)

Lakshmi said...

very interesting trek..and pictures as well

lakshmi

mitr_bayarea said...

Na_an- this is a strenous hike, so take care when taking your father in law.

backpakker-thanks..