The wait is over! A new mountain peak is opening for public access in the Bay Area for the first time in years. Mount Umunhum, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is opening with a series of celebrations and full public opening on September 18, 2017
“The view from the top is shockingly great,” exclaimed Bern Smith, the recently retired trail director for Ridge Trail. On a clear day, from its 3,486-foot peak, visitors can admire 360-degree views for nearly 150 miles from the new visitor observation platform.
Enjoy a 3.2 mile hike or ride on the Mt. Umunhum Trail from Bald Mountain parking area, then a 0.2 mile stair hike to the summit (see map, page 3). On the way up, explore the diverse geologic features of this inspiring landscape and observe the plant and animal life thriving in the challenging weather conditions of Mount Umunhum.
A total of 5.3 miles of new Ridge Trail is being dedicated, including a stretch extending south from existing Ridge Trail in Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, along Barlow Road Trail, envisioned as part of a future grand southern loop.
By opening Mount Umunhum to the public, a new chapter begins, telling “…stories of the Native Americans who lived there for centuries, of the Air Force personnel who scanned the skies during the cold war and of the settlers who tried to eke out a living in that harsh environment,” says MROSD General Manager Steve Abbors.
Now you too can visit and explore the iconic peak, whose name translates as “resting place of the hummingbirds” in the native Amah Mutsun tribal language.
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