The Foothills

Two-thirds of Stanford's 8,180 acres are open space, most of which lies in the foothills that stretch westward toward the mountain range that separates the Santa Clara Valley from the Pacific Ocean. A popular respite for students, the foothills habitat conservation area is open to people wanting to jog and hike on trails that pass oak chaparral, grazing land for cattle and beautiful panoramas of Stanford and the San Francisco Bay region (on a clear day the skyscrapers of San Francisco are visible).

A radio telescope commonly known as "The Dish" is the most prominent landmark in the foothills. Built in 1961, the 150-foot-diameter Dish, which SRI International operates and maintains and the U.S. government owns, is still in use today to scan distant planets and galaxies.

Information on current hours and closures for the Dish is available on the “Foothills Hotline” at (650) 926-0275.

Photo: Visual Art Services