Borel Hill–Ipiwa Viewpoint, 7 sights is a 7.7-mile out-and-back in Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve near Vista Verde, CA. The route passes Borel Hill, Ridge Viewpoint, Alpine Pond and Ipiwa Viewpoint before reaching Horseshoe Lake at the turnaround, 3.8 miles in. It climbs 1,255 ft. It scores 28/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.
Elevation
0 mi2,047 – 2,539 ft8.3 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Unnamed 37.33271, -122.21604
Nearest town Vista Verde, CA
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Borel Hill–Ipiwa Viewpoint, 7 sights
7.7 mi · ▲ 1,255 ft · 3 hr 12 min
Elevation 2,049–2,541 ft
Out & Back · Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve
Trailhead: 37.33271, -122.21604
Weather Aug 3: Clear, high 85°F / low 60° · precip 0% · wind 7 mph · sunrise 6:16 AM · sunset 8:16 PM
No dogs on part of this route
- Start at the trailhead, heading SE.
- 450 ftTurn left onto Badger's Byway Trail, heading NE.
- 0.3 miTurn left onto Ridge Trail, heading SE.
- 1.2 miPass Borel Hill.
- 50 ftPass Ridge Viewpoint.
- 0.2 miBear left, heading E.
- 0.5 miPass Alpine Pond.
- 150 ftContinue straight onto Ipiwa Trail, heading SE.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto Sunny Jim Trail, heading SW.
- 350 ftTurn right onto Ipiwa Trail, heading S.
- 0.5 miPass Ipiwa Viewpoint.
- 200 ftContinue straight onto Sunny Jim Trail, heading E.
- 0.7 miPass Horseshoe Lake.
- 400 ftReach Borel Hill, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.8 miContinue straight onto Ipiwa Trail, heading SW.
- 0.5 miTurn left onto Sunny Jim Trail, heading NW.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Ipiwa Trail, heading NE.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Ridge Trail, heading NE.
- 0.5 miBear left, heading S.
- 1.4 miTurn right onto Badger's Byway Trail, heading NW.
- 0.3 miTurn right, heading NW.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
17% dirt83% unspecified
Weather
ClearTemperature 85°F60°
Precip0%Wind7 mphUV8Humidity30%
Hourly temperature
85°60°
Sunrise 6:16 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:16 PM
Tue
77°59°
Wed
74°50°
Thu
89°49°
Fri
95°56°
Sat
92°52°
Sun
85°48°
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is right at the trailhead, so there is no walk out. Be there by 7:56 PM to have the sun's last 20 minutes of sky before it sets at 8:16 PM. Your car is right there — dark at 8:45 PM.
Good to know
- No dogs on part of this route
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Ridge Viewpoint & Badger's Byway Trail via Ridge Trail 2.1 mi · ▲ 140 ft
- Alder Spring Trail–Badger's Byway Trail, 3 sights 2.8 mi · ▲ 482 ft
- Ancient Oaks Trail–Badger's Byway Trail, 3 sights 4.6 mi · ▲ 622 ft
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Hikes near Vista Verde, California