Chew's Ridge -- An easy class 1 (all road) CA-2000
prominence point.
This hike was a nice consistent up-hill trudge. The path
is a dirt road which goes all the way to the lookout tower
at the top, so it's easy to follow. The dirt road is the
southern extension of Tassajara Road past the Zen Mountain
Center. Paved road stops at the ZMC, so that's where I
parked. The route has very little up-and-down in it, climbing
from 1745' to 5045' (3300 feet). The roundtrip has slightly
over 4000 feet of gain, which means 350 feet of extra
uphill occurred on each leg of the trip.
Hiking conditions were mixed on this early April day. The day started overcast and foggy. For most of the ascent, the conditions remained the same. Above the 4000' elevation line, scattered snow was still visible. The lookout tower area was cold and windy. By mid-afternoon, on descent, the sun had started to come out and temperatures were moderate (mid 60's).
Overall, a one heart rating for the excitement of plodding
in the snow trying to find the topo marked 5045 point.
Raw danger and injuries received 0 each!