Stanford Dish Loop Trail

Stanford Dish Loop Trail is a 3.7 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Stanford, California that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for walking and running and is accessible year-round.

Length3.7 miElevation gain534 ftRoute typeLoop

Description

Waypoints (9)

Facilities

As of December 2020, this loop can only be hiked one-way due to COVID-19 restrictions. For more information, please see https://dish.stanford.edu/ The Stanford Dish loop is a popular route for Stanford University students as well as Silicon Valley professionals. The area is named after the large radio telescope that can not be missed. Its steep paved trail is suitable for running, walking, and hiking. Bicycles are not allowed. Opening hours vary depending on the month of the year: January: 6:30 AM-5:30 PM February: 6:30 AM-6 PM March: 6 AM-6:30 PM April - August: 6 AM-8 PM September: 6:30 AM-7:30 PM October: 6:30 AM-6:30 PM November - December: 6:30 AM-5:30 PM The route periodically closes for Red Flag Warnings. To see current information, please see https://dish.stanford.edu/ Accessibility: The trail is completely paved, smooth, and is typically at least five feet wide. The grade is estimated at 5% or less but the path is hilly and there are two areas where the grade is very steep and exceeds 12% (at 0.2 miles and 2.5 miles). Wheelchair/mobility equipment or stroller users may require assistance due to the steep sections or this full route may not be possible for equipment users.

Stanford Avenue street-side parking

There is lots of space for street side parking on Stanford Avenue, but it can fill up quickly, especially on sunny days, so you may have to park several hundred yards away. U-turns are prohibited on Stanford Ave. This rule is frequently enforced, so to avoid a ticket don't make a U-turn when you see a parking spot at the opposite side of the street. A good parking strategy is to approach the Dish on Junipero Serra Blvd, and turn into Stanford Ave (away from the Dish entrance). When you find a spot on the right-hand side of the street, take it. If there are no spots on the right-hand side, but you see spots on the left-hand side, make a right onto Raimundo Way, and turn around, then make a left on Stanford Ave and snatch your parking spot. When parking make sure to watch out for bicyclists.

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Stanford Avenue Entrance

Enter the Dish area here and don't forget to greet the friendly guard. Many joggers stop here to stretch. To start the Dish trail simply follow the paved trail leading up the hill.

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Junction (near Stanford Avenue entrance)

Turn left here the follow the Dish loop in clockwise direction. Where the trail enters a short tree-lined section it will become quite steep for a short while.

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Highest point

After a sustained climb you've reached the highest point of the Dish loop. Several ups and downs are still to come, but it's mostly down. Enjoy the views on Stanford, the foothills and the San Francisco Bay. On clear days you can even see San Francisco's skyline from here.

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Junction (near the actual Dish)

Continue straight on here, unless you want to add another mile or 2 on the backside of the Dish, which is an out and back variant.

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The Dish

The Stanford Dish is a radio telescope and a major landmark that is clearly visible from Stanford University and from Highway 280. The 150-foot diameter dish was built in 1966 by the Stanford Research Institute. The cost to construct the telescope was $4.5 million, and was funded by the United States Air Force, with the original purpose of studying the chemical composition of the atmosphere. Later on, the Dish was used to communicate with satellites and spacecraft. With its unique Bistatic range radio communications, where the transmitter and receiver are separate units, the powerful radar antenna was well-suited for communicating with spacecraft in regions where conventional radio signals may be disrupted. At one point, the Dish transmitted signals to each of the Voyager crafts that NASA dispatched into the outer reaches of the solar system. It has also been used to remotely recalibrate ailing satellites orbiting the Earth. (Source: Wikipedia)

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Junction (near the Campus Loop entrance)

Take a right here to loop back to the start. There are a couple of ups and downs still waiting for you, but most of the hills are behind you now.

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Water fountain

This is the only drink water available in the Dish area. To access it, take the downward sloping side trail to the left. The water fountain is located on your right, just below the main trail.

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Home stretch

After a short and steep downhill section you are on the home stretch. From here only a final short climb will follow towards the very end. You'll pass about a dozen houses on the left of the trail, with gardens extending toward the Dish trail, some of who have a gates to dish trail. Sounds like a great place to live? Prices of these houses vary between $1.3 million and $ 3 million.

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There is some parking available along Stanford Avenue and on the weekends some park at Nixon Elementary School.

Weather

UV Index

Daylight

Reviews (1,780)

Photos (840)

Recordings (1,922)

Completed (3,210)

Kavitha Srinivasan

March 8, 2021

HikingGreat!

Excellent trail with great views! Parking is a nightmare. We parked 0.5miles away from the gate.

Hongtao Mu

March 7, 2021

Hiking

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Mark Throndson

March 7, 2021

Hiking

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Rajesh Raghunathan

March 7, 2021

Hiking

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Rob Siu

March 6, 2021

Hiking

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Bilal Shahid

March 6, 2021

Hiking

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Kelsey Smith

March 3, 2021

HikingGreat!

M Jenson

March 2, 2021

Hiking

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陽子樽本

February 28, 2021

Walking

Good scene

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Frieder Bluemle

February 28, 2021

Hiking

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Shane Blackley

February 28, 2021

WalkingFeeGreat!No shade

The security guards are friendly and lead to a safe, paved trail for couples or families. Be sure to either get there early or with plenty of time because parking is limited. my wife and I will definitely be back!

Ujjwal Gulecha

February 27, 2021

Hiking

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Almas Rizvi

February 27, 2021

Hiking

Parking bit difficult to find closeby. Had to walk 20 min to get here.

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Brittany Dahlin

February 27, 2021

WalkingClosed

Make sure you know when the trail closes down bc they will straight up kick you off and make your finish your walk on the highway. I don’t know why the security guy at the entrance wasn’t saying anything to any of us walking in a half hour before close. It’s also one way so you can’t just turn around on your trail and return the way you came. I am not sure what the purpose of security is if not to keep your safe.

Kaustubh Gondkar

February 20, 2021

Hiking

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Raghav Bash

February 20, 2021

Hiking

A perfect trail to build endurance or enjoy a casual stroll. Beautiful sunset views of the South Bay, especially the Stanford campus and Portola Valley.

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Bilal Shahid