Ah! California! The perfect antidote to the cold. Blue skies, warm weather! NO SNOW! It positively makes you want to get outside, breathe in the fresh air, feel the early morning chill on your bare skin and get moving. And there is no more enchanting place to be than walking around the Dish at Stanford University.

High on the hills west of the campus between the University and Highway 280 is the Stanford radio telescope, affectionately known as the Dish. Over 150-feet in diameter, built in 1966, the Dish is still used for a number of space-related research projects. The area around the Dish, which is also used for environmental and ecology-related Stanford projects includes a paved trail open to the community. It is a favorite with walkers and runners and should not be missed.

There are three entrances. The most heavily utilized is the Stanford Gate, at the intersection of Junipero Serra Boulevard and Stanford Ave. As you hike up the first incline, the backs of your calves begin to understand what lies ahead. A few hundred yards up, you have to decide whether to hike clockwise or counterclockwise around the trail. Going clockwise immediately puts you on a very steep long incline. However, the ground levels out once you reach the top, and the rest of your walk will be on rolling hills and downhill sections. As you reach the bottom, be sure to take the right fork or you will find yourself outside the grounds and walking back along the road.  Going counterclockwise will have you walking up and down a gentle hill until you reach the top and start down the steep incline back to the gate. This is the easier circuit but certainly not without its own challenging moments.

As you walk you are surrounded by wildlife. Western bluebirds flit from branch to branch, their bright blue plumage in sharp contrast against the hollow, twisted tree trunks. White kites hover in mid-air before swooping down to capture an unsuspecting rodent. Hawks and turkey vultures perch on treetops scanning the grounds for lunch. Squirrels scamper through the grass or perch on the fences. In the spring, hundreds of baby squirrels venture out of their burrows to explore. Herds of deer graze on the hillside. Prominent signs warn you that mountain lions and coyotes have been known to prowl the area.

Spectacular views abound from 600 feet above the surrounding countryside. On a very clear day, you can see as far as San Francisco, including the ribbon of the Oakland Bay Bridge spanning the Bay. Silicon Valley, the Santa Cruz mountains and the Peninsula open up before you. The colors are vivid against the cerulean blue sky.

People of all ages enjoy this area — Stanford students and white-haired grandmothers, mothers with strollers, children, men, women — most run or walk to the beat inside their headphones. Others use this as a social opportunity, conversing with their partners as they stride along. It takes no more than an hour to complete the circuit. But don’t be surprised if you pass the same faces once or twice as devotees go around for a second or maybe even third loop.

A tour around the Dish provides a unique opportunity to see the Peninsula from a different perspective and to be invigorated by this fantastic California weather.

IF YOU GO
The Dish is located at 2390 Stanford Ave at Junipero Serra Blvd in Palo Alto. The Dish is open only during daylight hours. No dogs or bicycles allowed. There are NO bathrooms.