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Waterdog Lake Park Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.2 (110)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Bay Area
  4. …Belmont
  5. Waterdog Lake Open Space
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“Surprisingly technical singletrack for suburban Silicon Valley. ”

John Harris
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Map Key

7.4

Miles

12.0

KM

75%

Singletrack

705' 215 m

High

326' 99 m

Low

1,087' 331 m

Up

1,083' 330 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

23%

Max Grade (13°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

Open sunrise to sunset. Trail are multi-use, but you're not likely to see horses here. Dogs are permitted on leash.

Overview

Waterdog Open Space consists of steep sided Chaparral surrounding a small lake, nestled in suburban Silicon Valley. But don't let that fool you, this is a surprisingly technical trail system if you stay off the fire road.

Need to Know

Watch out for Poison Oak. Recommend tick spray in early Spring.

Description

This 6.8 mile loop covers most of the trails in the park and almost all of the singletrack. The trail is often narrow and traverses steep sided chaparral. It's laid out for bike riding so while it's sometimes steep, it's always rideable. There are a few steep loose, rutted sections and narrow wooden bridges that may intimidate the less experienced rider, but they can be easily avoided.

The loop takes an hour or less if you're fit and don't stop, more than an hour if you stop or are not familiar with the route. Once you have it dialed in this can be a rip-snortingly fast ride. Have fun!

Contacts

Land Manager: City of Belmont, CA - Parks, Recreation and Athletic Fields

Shared By:

John Harris with improvements by Mike Anciaux and 2 others
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.2 from 110 votes

#1

in Waterdog Lake Open Space

#153

Overall
  4.2 from 110 votes
5 Star
39%
4 Star
43%
3 Star
15%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Waterdog Lake Open Space

#20

in California

#153

Overall
126 Views Last Month
45,617 Since Apr 29, 2013
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
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32%
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42%
1%
Add a Photo

Photos

Good video showing the trails of Water Dog.
Sep 9, 2019 near San Carlos, CA
Water Dog Lake Open Space - Finch Trail - Rambler Trail
Aug 28, 2018 near San Carlos, CA
On Rambler Trail, random abandoned car as a singletrack feature. Another cool easter egg in the park.
Aug 24, 2020 near San Carlos, CA
Taking a break after climbing the switchbacks
Aug 15, 2015 near San Carlos, CA
At the top of Chaparral, coming from John Brooks Trail.
Jan 17, 2021 near San Carlos, CA
On Rambler Trail, random abandoned car as a singletrack feature. Another cool easter egg in the park.
Aug 24, 2020 near San Carlos, CA

5 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 42 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

May 31, 2024
Steve F
Trail is awesome. Lots of decent climbs and pleasantly challenging. 7.5mi
Jan 28, 2024
Karen Chaltikian
Muddy in places but not too bad. Be ready to slow down on wet corners. 7.2mi — 1h 31m
Jan 27, 2024
Kai A
Aug 6, 2023
Karen Chaltikian
watch for hikers, dogs and poison oaks. don't miss labor of love 7mi — 1h 11m
Apr 26, 2023
David H
Nov 15, 2022
Ricardo J
Jul 30, 2022
Melvin yu
Jun 29, 2022
Michael Miles
Dry AF so climbing in the dry conditions presents a challenge. — 12h 08m

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