The Dish – Stanford Foothills

Nice trail for an evening hike, with just enough hills to get your heart rate going! My coworker told me about this place so I decided to check it out today after work. Parking was a bit challenging considering all that is available is a strip of parking spots that were full at 5:30pm on a Wednesday evening. I ended up making a U-​turn (which is prohibited) but figured I would be safe since it wasn’t a busy weekend.
The trail entrance is visible from the Main Street (corner of Junipero Serra/​Stanford Ave). The first hill is a bit brutal, but once you pass that part it’s a good mix of flat paved trail and smaller hills.
Saw lots of squirrels, two coyotes, a deer on the hillside, white cranes, and the best sighting was some male turkeys that were blocking the paved trail so that the female turkeys and their 20+ babies could cross the road! Everyone had to stop because they were a little pissed at anyone that wanted to go by, but as soon as the babies crossed the road, they moved on and left us all alone!
Towards the end of the trail, I thought I went the right way, but I ended up at the bottom of a hill at a gate that led to the Main Street. I thought I was right at Stanford Ave, but must have done something wrong, and ended up having to walk a mile down Junipero Serra to my car parked at Stanford Ave. Not sure how that happened because I followed the trail, but the slight detour I had to take wasn’t bad. I think it only added another 10 min to my hike.
All in, great evening hike. When I got home after about a 20 min drive, my body was stiff!

Getting in my 10,000 steps!
Nice rolling hills for a good incline to get that heart rate up, and then sloping declines to give you a little break. This is a great outdoor loop, perfect for a Vitamin D fix and quick calorie burn. The loop is paved, but you can walk along the side of the pavement if you’re a jogger and looking for something a little easier on your knees. The only real downfalls are the lack of any hydration stations anywhere nearby, and also the lack of shade. So don’t forget your water and your SPF!

This 4.0 loop trail is great for a moderately easy hike with views of the Palo Alto area. There are only a few uphill portions near the beginning and end of the loop, and the wide, paved roads make the trail easy to hike. There is no shade on this trail, so make sure to bring a hat and water for your trip!

Quite a nice hike! We took a 40-​minute round trip bike ride here in order to check out the hike. There is both car parking and bike racks at the entrance which is super convenient. The hike itself is 3.5 miles and takes about an hour. There are some small rolling hills to climb but nothing too strenuous. I would be careful about coming here in the middle of the day, though, because the sun can get very not and there is almost no shade cover — you are exposed the entire time. In addition, make sure you bring water! There is only one drinking fountain where you can refill your bottle along the entire hike.
You can decide whether to go left or right after the initial climb (the Stanford dish is closer if you go to the left initially) — we decided to go to the right in order to save the sight for closer to the end. The hike is quite nice, and there are some good views of the University and the bay. However, I thought that a lot of the scenery was quite similar — lots of grass and fields.

What a workout! I was only walking this paved pathway, but I can feel the intensity if I actually ran it haha. It’s about a 3.5 mile loop, but it felt longer with all the hills. It would be a great place to train for a marathon or something. There’s no shade so bring your sunglasses or a hat. The trail is pretty wide and when I went on the weekend, there wasn’t so many people that it was crowded. I’m assuming it’s called The Dish because there’s a giant dish at some point of the trail.
Ovearll, the view was decent, but I don’t think it was a particularly exciting hike. There wasn’t too much around except grass and the paved path that you’re on. 4 stars though because it’s a good workout.

Nice set of wide, well graded and well marked walking trails in the foothills. I only wanted to walk about 3 miles but I wasn’t paying attention and missed our first turnaround and we ended up doing the full loop plus some back-​tracking for 7 miles all together. It was fine though, because it’s an easy walk.

It’s my 3^rd visit and I enjoy this trail much better than rancho San Antonio because it’s not as dusty and not as crowded on the weekends. There’s concrete pavement and no dogs allowed, which is absolutely great!!! The worst thing is seeing huge gobs of dog poop all over the trail and smelling awful in the hot sun, or worse, stepping on it. Right now it’s beautiful and green, the trail is clean with no garbage around to ruin the serenity of the place. I’m glad they have these rules, people should respect these sorts of things but some just don’t and ruin the experience for others. Today was very hot at 86. Plan to go earlier if you want to do some running because the heat can get to you. We went at 10am n it was warming up fast even then. Love the dish trail!

This is my go to place if I want to hit 10k steps on my Fitbit! :)
The first uphill from the gate can be a bitch but don’t give up. It’s just trying to make you quit… BUT DON’T! This is a great cardio/​fat burner hill for you. It normally takes me almost an hour to finish the whole loop and as per my reliable Fitbit, 4miles if I’m doing my chi-​running on it.
Parking is easy.
Gate closes at 730pm.
Dogs not allowed as well as Negative Attitude! :)
Get out of the couch and hit this one up! Promise, you’ll be happy!

For a Sunday morning, the parking was easy to find, and the trail was not too crowded. This wide trail is well paved, easy-​moderate in difficulty, gently rolling, with several exits to the main road should you wish to cut it short. Nice 360° views from the top. Good place for an athletic brisk pace, a training run, or a casual chatty stroll with friends.

A lot has changed over the years. There were major renovation projects, re-​pavements, and other work completed in and around the Dish area. The parking along Stanford Ave. has been completely revamped and is even more regulated now.
Unless you come early in the morning before the crowds, all spots will be taken. That’s a downside. But this is one of the very few decent places around for a quick hike, if you live nearby.
I wouldn’t especially come here if I had to drive from afar, though. And it gets pretty hot on a summer afternoon, not your typical park-​like setting, but rather all paved loop around the dish. When people come from all over with strollers in tow, it always makes me wonder if they know what they are doing, especially so on a hot day, because their babies/​toddlers will be cooking in there in 100 °F and up, under black canvas and covers… Please people, make wise choices.
You can get started up the steeper hill and then it mellows down to a stroll, or you can get going towards the mellow path to complete the loop in the opposite direction, going down the incline in the end. I prefer going up upfront, and the challenge is to make the shortest time possible and get outta there! I’ve seen people making multiple loops though (laps through the loop? Looping their laps?)

The trail combined with the views is an easy 5 stars. Minus a star for the parking sitch which was out of control on a Monday at 4pm – I repeat, a Monday at 4pm. Maybe that’s a busy time there, or maybe it’s always busy. I took the risk and parked at a nearby elementary despite the mixed signals on the signage there… one sign said No Dish Parking parking before 4pm, another said No Dish Parking before 4:30pm, and the last one said No Dish Parking At All. So I was a bit confused before parking my car closest to the 4pm sign, just in case, and walking to the trailhead.
The loop is roughly 4 miles, paved the entire way, with a few ups and downs along the way. We walked the entire way, chatting and whatnot, though I would like to run it someday. You know, when I’m in better shape. Whenever that happens. I’ll let you know.
Palo Alto residents (and Stanford students alike) are lucky to have this nearby.

This is a moderate 4 mile loop trail that’s completely paved. I only call it moderate because there are rolling hills that (depending on which way you walk the loop) sometimes seem to never end.
It’s always super clean, the walkers/​runners are always extremely friendly, and the view of the dish, Stanford and the Bay cannot be beat.
There’s water and a restroom partway through and you’ll see a ton of polka dotted squirrels along.
Super straight-​forward hike that I recommend before you go buy cupcakes at Sprinkles.

If you’re looking for a relatively easy trail to hike/​jog, this place is for you. It’s about 3.5 miles with alternating inclines and declines. Some parts of the hill are moderately steep, but not much of a challenge for those people in shape. The trails are mainly paved, so there is no route to go off trail. This is a great place for the entire family to workout. Many families take their children as the the trail is not too rigorous. There is a lot of green all around. It’s the perfect place for a quick photo shoot with natural landscape.
Parking can be difficult to find during the holidays. They have reverse-​angle parking and some parallel parking. The place closes at sunset, which is about 5pm around this time of year. Remember to use the restroom before arriving as there is none available at the site. No dogs are allowed.
I would highly recommend this place as an easy hike/​stroll. It’s a neat way of adding steps for you Fitbit users.

Only come here a lot by default. There aren’t many better options for a semi-​strenuous hike. I guess Rancho San Antonio is supposed to be solid, but I’m not looking to dodge bugs, snakes and whatever else is lurking on that trail. It’s just not fun for me.
The initial hill and incline you have to go up is a great start, but then the trail really mellows out and is mostly just a walking trail. I guess it could be considered challenging if you are grossly out of shape. Some people love the view. To be honest, it’s not that great to me.
Parking is a gigantic mess when it’s nice here, because people come out of the woodwork and you’ll be lucky to find a spot. I prefer to come earlier in the mornings when it’s less busy and have been able to find easy parking, but when I return to my car, it’s completely jammed and most people are leaving their cars at the elementary school up the road.
Maybe it’s a small sample size, but everybody mostly minds their own business here. I don’t see many pleasantries ever being exchanged. Also, they have warnings for coyotes and mountain lions, but I haven’t seen any. And, believe me, I’m always looking.

THE VIEWS! Go for the views. Challenging to run as the hills are no joke. I wouldn’t recommend running here if you haven’t for six months. Two miles will feel like four.
Other positives: tons of people around, hills will give you a great workout, decent amount of parking, people at the front desk can help you out if you need it!
Not so positive: bathrooms? I didn’t see any.

Easy stroll
Route: 3.5 miles
Took us about 1 hour and 15 mins
We arrived around 9:30am, and parking wasn’t too bad.
Apparently, there are two routes: (1) easy (2) Medium aka more uphill
We opted for the medium route and it wasn’t too bad.
Note: No bathrooms and not much shade; the view is OK. This is a good trail for a quick easy stroll/​hike.

The Dish provides a good walk/​hike in a 3.5mile loop (just a little over a 5K). The high elevation is decent but doable for those of all athletic abilities, and it is never too much all at once. If you are running, or have bad knees, I suggest traveling clockwise around the loop to go uphill on the longer steeper slope and protect your knees by traveling downward at letter of a decline.
There are no dogs allowed, so if you love your furry friend you may want to go somewhere else. Plenty of parking off of Stanford, but they do fill up quickly during peak times (weekends and evenings after work).
The views and scenery are beautiful and there is an abundance of wildlife… but no restrooms… so be cautious with how long you hike or you may find yourself in some trouble! If this site would have had restrooms, it would have given it 5 stars.

LOTS OF INCLINE & decline especially the first hill at the stanford ave entrance (don’t sprint up this hill and waste your energy too quick)
i like how the map tells you the distance of miles to each checkpoint! i haven’t made it all the way around yet but there’s less incline if you go towards the reservoir side versus towards the dish
the scenery? many grass hills. the path? a completely paved road that you must stay on
rules are you must leave by sundown, right now they lock the gate at 730 which means it opens from the inside but not from the outside since you must be out by 8pm
NOTE: park on the dirt off the road on stanford ave

Nice paved circuit for a beginner to hiking or long distance walking — some steep inclines provide a nice change of pace and a some nice views as well. Don’t expect solitude, as it’s well trafficked, but you can have a private conversation without too much interruption (forget about a place to sit, though… Maybe a bench would be nice). I also thought some distance markers would help as we quickly lost track of where we were.
The property is beautiful and it’s overall a great experience to walk around. Parking is difficult.

Beautiful scenery here! Wouldn’t present much of a challenge unless you run or walk really fast. Slopes are pretty gentle.
You can spot deers and cows here so it’s a pretty good place to bring the kids. The trail close at 8pm so be sure to arrive at 5/​6pm if you want to complete the trail.