Mt. Isabel

Fri, Mar 24, 2006

With: Steve Sywyk

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Mt. Isabel is the second highest peak in Santa Clara County, located about two miles south of the highest point, Copernicus Peak. From the latter, Mt Isabel looks like it could be a bit of a bushwhack, and though I had noticed it some years ago, never gave it much thought. David A. from SummitPost put up a page about this peak and what do you know - there's a road going to the top. The route starts as a trail at the eastern end of Joseph Grant Park, along the Mt. Hamilton Rd. The Smith Creek Fire Station is immediately adjacent to the TH, and the first half mile includes a creek crossing (we had to take our shoes off and walk across) before it ends at private property. The remaining 2.5 miles passes through private property, following the west ridge up to the summit. My friend Steve joined me for this easy outing, taking about four hours roundtrip with a nice rest atop. Skies were overcast, preparing for rain later in the day, but the temperature was excellent for hiking. The hills were vivid green with all the recent rains, but only a few tiny wildflowers had begun to emerge. Overall it was a very enjoyable outing, with good views provided at the summit. Not unexpectedly, we were the only ones to sign into the register since David and his friends had placed it a month earlier.
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For more information see these SummitPost pages: Mt. Isabel
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This page last updated: Sat Apr 7 17:05:07 2007
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