Apr
11
Dawn on the Steven's Creek Trail, looking towards San Francisco Bay
Continuing on a western US customer-visit swing that began in Albuquerque, I had the opportunity to spend two days in the heart of Silicon Valley, based out of the centrally-located Mountain View, California. Located about 3/4 of the way from San Francisco to San Jose, just off of US101 and adjacent to Palo Alto (of Stanford University renown), this is one of the more expensive living areas in the country. The median house value in 2009 was close to $800,000, and these houses are roughly 1/3 the size of our much-less expensive home in suburban Cleveland. With companies such as Google and LinkedIn headquartered in Mountain View, the city is a hub in the tech industry, and it turns whatever tax revenue it collects from such corporations and their employees into a great suburban environment for runners.
Located near the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, Mountain View has a Mediterranean climate, with a pretty small range between winter (57° F / 14° C) and summer (79° / 26° C) temperatures, making it terrific to run in year-round. This trip provided typical March conditions, with predawn temperatures in the mid-40′s (roughly 8º C); we were fortunate to miss the torrential downpours experienced the previous weekend, and things had dried up by the Tuesday of our arrival.
Map of the Stevens Creek Trail (click for full-sized PDF)
I used to visit Mountain View once per quarter, as the private-equity firm that owned the company I worked for was based in Palo Alto. Thus, I was familiar with the running routes available as I always made it a habit to run when I traveled, even if I wasn’t doing so otherwise. The first route that came back to mind was the Steven’s Creek Trail, which is perfect for avoiding the busy city streets and highways any time of day, as it is adequately equipped with bridges and tunnels (if you don’t mind dealing with some steps and ramps), providing for a non-stop running experience. This is a paved, all-purpose trail that by my recollection originates in Mountain View and ends at Shoreline Park right on the bay, which provides for additional trails like the Bay Area trail (in a constant state of future political promises). At the eastern end of the trail, you are at sea level, and Mountain View is roughly 150 feet (45 meters) higher. The trail has, since my last visit, been extended westward from my typical Yuba Drive starting point, but I didn’t take the opportunity to explore this new reach.
Just after dawn on the Stevens Creek Trail near Yuba Drive
While not truly a “nature” run as you are never far from the sounds of traffic, the route manages to be scenic nonetheless – particularly if you enjoy airfields (namely, Moffett Federal Airfield) and corporate headquarters – you pass within sight of a few of Google’s buildings. Particularly in the budding spring of mid-March, the greenery provides a refreshing change to the constantly-interrupted sidewalks of the densely packed Silicon Valley region. It’s the type of environment that easily turns your planned-6 into an actual-9-mile run.
The next day, I opted to explore Mountain View proper by taking the main strip of El Camino Real (W or E – they look the same, so take your pick) into the downtown area and running a basic loop. The predawn timing made traffic and lights less of a burden but didn’t eliminate it as a factor entirely. Other than the particularly small yards of these $800,000 homes, Mountain View itself didn’t offer much unique to see; if you really must see the downtown, then be sure to hit Castro Street between California and El Camino Real. On the plus side, there are plenty of densely packed criss-crossing streets to explore if you find yourself there for several days. It is an easy suburb to traverse by foot, and a longer run can take you to the campus of Stanford, especially if you stay closer to the northern end of town.
If you really need a map to help, here it is.
So that’s it in a nutshell – if you are thinking of running in Mountain View or any neighboring communities like Los Altos, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, or Menlo Park, it is easy enough to do so, no matter what time of year. But it’s even better if you can make your way to a trail system like Steven’s Creek to avoid the hassles of the city streets. If you can’t do that, at least get out predawn.
