Hiker Takes on Monumental Goal
Published January 11, 2026
If Los Altos resident Judy Cooks could be any other animal, she would choose an Anna’s Hummingbird. “I would be able to visit all the wildflowers while I zoom around,” she said.
Cooks may not be this jewel of a bird, but she reflects her ideal animal’s zippy, wide-ranging attitude. Last year her exploratory spirit and sense of curiosity resulted in visits to each of Midpen’s 25 open preserves.
Her year-long goal began, unknowingly, when she and a hiking friend joined a docent-led guided activity in January of 2025. Midpen offers an average of 80 of these free, open-to-all outings every season. Though the majority center on hiking, there are opportunities to trail ride on mountain bikes or participate in other activities like qigong or nature journaling, too. Cooks’ intention was simple: As a Bay Area local, nature enthusiast, and photographer, she wanted to get better acquainted with the different open spaces around her home.
As she put it, “I enjoy guided hikes with interpretation and exploring new places.”
One hike led to another.
“In the summer,” she said, “I realized I had been to half of Midpen’s preserves, so I thought I would try to hit all 25 open to the public before the end of 2025.” About half of her excursions involved attending a guided activity while the other half were taken with family and friends.
Cooks accomplished her goal on a mid-October “Explorer Hike” (offered every first and third Wednesdays in various preserves) called “Fall Along the Fault” in the oak-studded Los Trancos Preserve. Looking back, her project was not without challenges, such as fitting the hikes into her schedule, remembering to sign up for the few that required reservations, and driving up the windy roads toward Skyline Boulevard where many of the activities take place.
Yet these issues were slight compared to the joys and surprises of the natural world as experienced from the trail. Some of Cooks’ highlights throughout the year? “Hiking in the fog, light rain, and summer heat,” she said, continuing, “seeing the sun set at Turtle Rock on the spring and autumnal equinoxes, hiking with my dogs at two preserves.” Becoming part of a community of docents— whom she described as “awesome and so knowledgeable”—and fellow participants, even if only for the duration of a guided hike, was an aspect Cooks appreciated as well.
She recalled one guided activity during which participants measured the temperature of a madrone (Arbutus menziesii). They learned this tree is not colder than other species even though its smooth trunk feels especially cool to the touch, a quality lending it the nickname, “the refrigerator tree.” On another she discovered that tanoaks (Lithocarpus densiflorus) are not a type of oak tree (again, despite their common name) and that there are aquifers in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
As a hiker who got acquainted with all four seasons in the open space, which preserve is Cooks’ wintertime favorite? Rancho San Antonio. “Especially after the rains have come,” she advised. “I like to check out the level of the water in the pond along the Rogue Valley Trail, watch for the California newts, and listen to the water running down the Wildcat Trail.”
Cooks considered her own year enjoying the preserves in the context of the larger collective good, noting that having grown up in the Bay Area, she has witnessed a lot of residential and commercial building over the decades. As she put it, “It’s important to preserve these open spaces so everyone is able to have close access to green spaces.”
“My first memories of nature include seeing a ‘loveliness’ of ladybugs on a log and tadpoles swimming in a pond, pulling the fluff off cattails, wading through creeks in the summer, and climbing up boulders,” she said. “All of these took place in public lands.”
Like Cooks, you too can emulate a hummingbird exploring Midpen’s 25 preserves! Pick up a Preserve Guide or visit Where To Go | Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District to learn about the 250+ miles of trails you can explore, and stay tuned for a fun new way to connect with each preserve in the coming months.