The 79-acre Hawthorns area of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve was protected from development when it was gifted to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in 2011. Since then, staff have been working to restore native grasslands, improve community wildland fire safety and protect historic features on the property. A multiyear public process began in 2021 to explore the feasibility of introducing ecologically sensitive public access to the undeveloped portion of the property.
Midpen is looking for Interested Area Representatives to join the Hawthorns Public Access Working Group. Working group members will collaborate with Midpen staff, District Ward Stakeholders, and elected official liaisons on a plan to introduce ecologically sensitive public access to the site in a manner consistent with Midpen vision and goals.
The Working Group would evaluate the following public access components:
- Parking area and driveway location(s)
- Trailhead location(s) and internal trail system
- Trail connections with surrounding Town trails and pathways
- Opportunities for regional trail connections
- Proposed trail uses within the Hawthorns Area
Project Vision and Goals
The Hawthorns Area offers picturesque views of rolling oak grasslands and the Santa Cruz Mountains, provides important wildlife refuge, and reflects the region’s natural, agricultural, and social history. The District will protect and manage natural, scenic, cultural, and open space resources at the Hawthorns Area and provide ecologically sensitive public access consistent with the District’s mission and the allowable uses outlined in the property’s conservation easement.
| Goals | |
|---|---|
| Natural Resources | Protect and restore native habitat and manage for ecological resiliency of aquatic and terrestrial habitat, wildlife connectivity, and other natural resources. |
| Public Access | Open the Hawthorns Area to low-intensity public access, provide an internal trail system, and provide multi-modal access to the property. |
| Local and Regional Connectivity | Connect to adjacent public trails and explore opportunities for trail connections to regional open space lands. |
| Natural and Cultural History | Interpret the rich natural, cultural, and historic features and pursue partnerships to manage the property’s natural and cultural history. |
| Aesthetics | Highlight scenic viewpoints and design recreational amenities while protecting scenic viewsheds. |
| Operations and Maintenance | Manage the property for safe public access in a fiscally sustainable manner that promotes ongoing public support and appreciation with ongoing public engagement and consistent with the District’s Good Neighbor Policy. |
There will be multiple opportunities throughout development of the Hawthorns Area Plan for public input. To stay informed, please sign up using the comment card below to receive updates. Additional information will be provided on this webpage as the project proceeds.
| Public Meeting Timeline | |
| March 23, 2022 | Public Meeting: Midpen board of directors reviewed and approved the vision and goals. (Staff report, meeting minutes) |
| March 21, 2023 | Public meeting: Deliverables from Existing Conditions phase and proposed Public Access Working Group composition and formation process presented to Planning & Natural Resources Committee. (Staff report, meeting minutes) |
| April 26, 2023 | Public meeting: Midpen board of directors approved deliverables for Existing Conditions phase and Public Access Working Group composition and formation process. (Staff report, presentation) |
Hawthorns Area Plan Q&A
As a part of the Hawthorns Area Planning process, Midpen has collected many questions during our public engagement process. Click below to read the answers to these questions and to learn more about the Hawthorns project.
Stay informed!
Hawthorns Area Virtual Site Tour
Join Midpen staff for a virtual tour of the Hawthorns Area of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve, a 79-acre property located in the Town of Portola Valley. Although the Hawthorns Area is currently closed to the public, Midpen has initiated a planning process to open this to the public. Learn more about this beautiful landscape!
Restoration
The Hawthorns Area includes rolling grassland, oak woodland and year-round flows in Los Trancos Creek that support a diverse community of native plants and wildlife. To protect the natural environment, Midpen removed debris and old vehicles from the property. Midpen staff also partnered with Grassroots Ecology to restore the property's native grasslands, including carefully timed mowing to reduce the spread of non-native yellow star thistle and removal of non-native, highly flammable French broom.
Working closely with the Woodside Fire Protection District fire marshal, Midpen also completed significant vegetation management on the property to improve community wildland fire safety, including creating a new shaded fuel break, emergency vehicle staging area and disked fire lines.
Hawthorns Historic Complex
The property was originally developed in the late 1880s as a summer estate. For more information, please visit the Hawthorns Historic Complex page.
Funded by Measure AA
