16 min
The Oljon Trail (pronounced "ol-hon") is the newest addition to the preserve's trail network, having opened in July 2014. Pick up this trail from the new parking lot at CM00 or CM03 gate. Oljon initially appears to be a fire road, but don't despair- it quickly turns into narrow singletrack. The descent utilizes multiple wooden bridges and numerous switchbacks to meet Steam Donkey Trail roughly at its mid-point.<br><br>The Oljon Trail allows you to avoid the half mile of travel on Skyline Boulevard to get to the beginning of Steam Donkey Trail. While you miss almost half of Steam Donkey Trail when you use this shortcut, the trade-off is worthwhile: that part of Steam Donkey Trail is arguably its less interesting half and, this way, you also skip one of the two steep bits of climbing on that trail. Note: bikes are allowed on the Oljon Trail.