Hiking season begins at Deer Creek Hills Preserve

February brings the return of hiking season to the Deer Creek Hills Preserve, one of Sacramento County's natural gems, managed by the Sacramento Valley Conservancy.

Deer Creek Hills Preserve is located off Latrobe Road in the Sloughhouse region of Sacramento County, north of Rancho Murieta. It’s a working cattle ranch that covers 4,500 acres of blue oak woodlands, seasonal creeks and grasslands. The preserve is open to the public on a very limited basis, so the hikes are one way residents can see and enjoy the county's oak woodlands in their natural state.

The self-guided hikes may be taken between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays, starting Feb. 4, through May, then resuming in October-November. Interested hikers must pre-register by 6 p.m. Friday and fill out a liability waiver before arriving. Admission is capped, but more than 70 tickets were still available for this Saturday as of Thursday morning.

SVC requests a $10 donation per hiker. (A season pass is available for $75.) Parking at the trailhead is free. Vehicles must cross Crevis Creek, so 4-wheel drive and other high-clearance vehicles are recommended during wet weather. Or park alongside Latrobe Road and walk the mile to the trailhead.

The preserve has three trail options:

• North Pond Loop — approximately 3 miles, mostly shaded. Can be started no later than 11:30am
• Two Ponds Loop — 4.5 miles, mostly in open skies. Can be started no later than 11:00am
• Barn Pond Loop — 6 miles, mixture of open skies and shaded woodland. Can be started no later than 10am.