#43 Hill 88 via Rodeo Beach

Last Thursday I hiked up to Hill 88 in the Marin Headlands. It was about 2.3 miles straight up, and I was exhilarated and empowered by the 1,000 foot climb. Hill 88 offers incredible view of the ocean, ships entering the Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge, and the huge green valleys of Marin.

I started by parking on Rodeo Beach and walking up the coastal trail.


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The views quickly become incredible.

There's a bunch of old WWII relics left in these hills, including Battery Townsley, which is now little more than a pretty man-made pond and an awesome echo chamber.

Before I reached the summit of Hill 88, the green rolling hills of the Marin Headlands opened up before me. They are quite spectacular at this time of year! The wildflowers aren't out in full force yet, but green hills are good enough.

I had been visiting San Francisco regularly for three years before I moved here, and coincidentally I had never visited during the rainy season. I had driven up in the summer multiple times, and I had come during the holidays, but whenever I came the hills were always covered in dry, ugly, brown grass. So I thought they were always that way; I had no idea about the wildflowers and greenery that accompany spring!

At the top of Hill 88, some of the WWII relics are just as interesting as the view. I liked how former windows in rooms without ceilings framed the landscape.

From Hill 88 you are rewarded for your efforts with amazing 360 views of the ocean, the rolling hills, and even the city of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Unfortunately, my camera was too crappy to take very good pictures of the bridge or of the incredible creature I saw on my way down: a golden eagle!

On the walk down I came around a corner in the trail and was suddenly only about 15 feet away from a stunning golden eagle who was perched on a post surveying its domain. It allowed me to watch it quietly until I got too close, and then it flew away.

I had timed my hike so that by the time I was almost back down the sun was setting. I watched people surf in the twilight on Rodeo Beach until it grew too dark.

Following is a picture of the peak of Hill 88 as seen from below.

And here is a picture of the view from the very top:

#61 A Change of Pace

On Friday afternoon Heather and I headed out into the boonies to do an easy 6-mile hike.

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We made our way to Round Valley Regional Park, old farmland which was donated to the parks district about 12 years ago. It still seems like farmland, with lots of cows and rolling green hills. We were smart to come during the rainy season, as the hills were green and the creek was flowing. And we were lucky that it hadn't rained too recently, as the trails can clearly get extremely muddy.

The preserve is home to an endangered species of kit fox, as well as to golden eagles and burrowing owls. We didn't see any of these fabulous creatures, but we did see lots of chubby squirrels, which the aforementioned species like to eat. We also saw many cows, some of which were pretty funny.

This bovine was way up on the top of the hill, mooing loudly so all will know she's KING OF THE HILL.

Rolling hills!

 Old stuff!

Sibling!

More old stuff!

Cows!

And we also loved the birds with a yellow belly that make robot sounds, and we saw a pretty blue bird.

This trip was OK, but not as exciting as the forest. I think it's a great option for people who live in the area.

And I would really like to be able NOT to put extra frames on my images!

#54 Stream Trail to West Ridge Trail, Redwoods Regional Park

We've had some rain lately in the Bay Area, but luckily it never seems to stay rainy for too long. This most recent Friday my sister and I decided we would hike, rain or shine, but thankfully it was all shine.

In order to coerce my sister into joining me I told her we would do a medium length hike near her in the East Bay. The Stream Trail / West Ridge Trail loop in Redwoods Regional Park is just east of Oakland up near Chabot Observatory.

The loop suggested basically consists of the high road and the low road. We started by descending down onto the Stream Trail, which, as you might have guessed, has a stream running along with it. Since we've had a bit of rain lately the stream was flowing nicely.

There were some giant formations of weird foam building up along some of the heavier flowing areas. I had fun throwing a few sticks into them, and they seemed to have little effect. Ew!

I'm so glad that my sister Heather is back in the area. She is my favorite hiking bud! We can talk, be silly, or just walk quietly in step, and it's like we're back playing around in the woods like when we were kids.

Heather and the Stream Trail.

The Stream Trail runs through some amazing redwoods. Unfortunately, all of the trees here were cut down in the mid-1800s, and the trees present now are all second-growth clones growing out of the stumps of the originals. They are still huge. I wonder how large they will grow in my lifetime, I'd love to see them in 50 years. The following picture gives you a slight sense of the scale of these 150-year-old trees, although I don't come close to capturing them in one frame with my iPhone camera.

A nice place to have a sit.

The original trees in this grove were so tall they were used by ships coming into the bay as guides! From 16 miles away! But what a terrible waste the logging was, as I imagine that many of the homes the trees were used to build were destroyed when much of San Francisco burned to the ground in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake.

Heather and I were really enjoying the slow descent through the forest, and we missed our turn for the Fern trail which would have connected our loop onto the returning West Ridge Trail. We went an additional mile or so before we decided to take the Orchard Trail up to the high road.

I have to say, it was a little grueling to walk straight up for more than half a mile, but I definitely feel accomplished for having done it. Once we made it to the West Ridge trail it was pretty easy-going, with some expansive views of the hills and bay at times. I think the views are disappearing as the trees grow, however. It was a pretty trail, with lots of light.

This hike was about seven miles with a pretty steep climb, so I don't know if I would describe it as easy, as the author of the hiking book did. We did add a couple of miles on and possibly some additional elevation.

I'd come back to this area, perhaps for a picnic. And I'd definitely like to check out Chabot itself sometime soon.

#22 Bear Valley to Arch Rock, Point Reyes

Walking up to Arch Rock

If you live in SF you know how great the weather has been lately. 70 in February? Yes, please. I am not taking this for granted, and for the record, winter here is much nicer and more temperate than in Tucson.

Because I currently set my own schedule, I have the luxury of taking a Monday to do a hike. I decided to do the Bear Valley Trail to Arch Rock at Point Reyes National Seashore, which is a very popular and crowded hike during the weekends.


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On this Monday, however, the trail wasn't too crowded. There were some runners and some people on horseback, and some people walking like me. The entire trip is 8.2 miles, but there's lots to enjoy on the trail without going all the way to Arch Rock, and I saw a few elderly people clearly enjoying the lovely forest, meadow, and creek.

I enjoyed how the shadows of the trees met the trail in a perpendicular fashion.

I would characterize the Bear Valley Trail as an olfactory delight. (This may be a nerdy way to describe it, but I know no one is reading this anyway!) Every breath was delicious and different. Sometimes I smelled something sweet, perhaps heralding spring. Other times I just inhaled the strong musky scent of the muddy earth and plant life. 

You will find a unique scent in the dark places where the pine needle carpet is so thick nothing else will grow.

I thought I could smell the ocean spray from Arch Rock, and a strong and strange molasses smell accosted me as I ascended to the tip. The view really does unfold dramatically.

view to the left

view to the right

The view straight ahead was all sun and sea, and I could barely look that way. I wanted to see a sea lion, but try as I might, I couldn't see one! I did make friends with this little bird. He wanted some food, but all I had was love.

looking back

the beach below

I read an account of another person who did this trail, and they saw deer fighting and an elephant seal! I may have not seen any megafauna, but I did have my bird friend. I also saw a lizard and butterflies, as well as the first spring flowers.

This was a lovely hike. I'm glad I got a chance to do it when it wasn't too crowded; I went about three miles without seeing another person. I could tell by the smiles of the people that I did pass that we could all agree we were extremely lucky to be here at Point Reyes on such a beautiful day.

#74 San Pedro Valley County Park, Pacifica

Have you ever been to Hawaii? I went for the first time this July to Oahu to visit my fabulous friends Ry and Beth. They were really great, and took the time to show me lots of the natural sites. Hawaii was unlike anything I had seen previously; it has a stunning natural beauty. And if you visit San Pedro Valley County Park in Pacifica and do the Brook Falls Loop, you will be reminded of Hawaii and feel the same awe and appreciation of the natural world that Hawaii evokes.


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On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I drove down to Pacifica to do this hike and see if I could catch a glimpse of the 175 foot waterfall there. It only flows in winter, which is the rainy season here in the Bay Area. The hike consists of a 3 mile loop up and around a little mountain.

The park starts off at a pretty picnic area in a valley.

It then proceeds up through a mix of eucalyptus and probably native trees.

The first leg up the mountain was the sunny side.
After about 20 minutes of hiking up through this pretty forest, the scene opens up.

It was strikingly beautiful at the top, with hills looming tall and close.

Unfortunately, the waterfall wasn't flowing very much, although I could hear some splashing. The waterfall is the central crack in the picture above. Apparently it needs a really good rain to flow.

As I proceeded on I was treated to a most excellent surprise. The bushes that you can see in the bottom of the picture above are covered in flowers and positively infested with hummingbirds! I love hummingbirds!

Hummingbirds are very territorial, so when I started to walk through their bushes I could hear their piercing little cheeps from all directions, and one male started flying near my head to check me out. He had a gorgeous ruby-throat, and he's in the picture below. See if you can spot him.

I spent a little while enjoying the hummingbirds, and then proceeded up a bit more to the foggy side of the mountain. A mist started to materialize, and then it thickened, and I could just barely feel it on my face. Lovely. What a sense of adventure as I ran down through the misty eucalyptus.

I really enjoyed this brief hike. It took about an hour. I liked it so much that I in fact came back a few days later and brought a friend. On that day it wasn't foggy, and I could see fabulous views looking out over the town of Pacifica and over the magnificent Pacific itself.

After my hike on the first day I checked out the beach and the pier. There were LOTS of people surfing, perhaps 50. And people were out on the pier fishing. It was exciting to walk way out above the powerful surf.

I would definitely recommend this hike to anyone looking to get out of the city for a bit and experience some natural beauty. It's only about 20 minutes outside of SF!

#77 El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve

It's been almost two weeks since the last time I got out to do a hike, and high time! I spent most of New Year's weekend laying around at Chez Commanda while watching Star Trek and eating ice cream. On Sunday I applied for jobs and then decided to go to the gym, but when I got to my car, Alack! The battery was dead. My neighbor jumped it for me, and it started right up, so then I drove down 280 for a while to charge it up.

Since I didn't get to go to the gym yesterday, and since I had discovered where highway 280 is, I decided it was definitely time for another hike from my book. I decided to head down the peninsula and check out the El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve.

I did the Tafoni and Fir Trail loop as suggested. This allows one to visit all the highlights of the area, including the awesome Tafoni formation, a pretty vista point, chaparral, a creek, and giant redwoods.

I had a dream about mountain lions last night, and then saw this sign at the trailhead. Unfortunately, I didn't see any mountain lions to FIGHT BACK against.

The trail gets off to a pretty start:

It's readily apparent that many of these trails are a favorite of mountain bikers. This makes the trail extra muddy at times, so I was glad I had worn my trail sneakers. Some of the fire road trails are great for running as well, but others would be too precarious.

I was intrigued by the steam coming off of this stump.

Next, I made my way on to the tafoni.

Tafoni is sandstone that has eroded in a cool way to form lattice-like structures and other neat formations. The second image on the wikipedia page I linked to is a picture of the tafoni I visited today. It's a lot sexier in that pic than in my iPhone pics below. The tafoni was huge! <3 Geology <3

After the tafoni I continued down the trail until I got to the creek trail. The roundtrip total for this hike is around 5–7 miles (the book and the trail map seem to differ). The creek trail was very pretty, and there are lots of beautiful redwoods. I couldn't really see the creek, however.

At this point it was about 3 in the afternoon and I had had only 350 calories and very little water. I had been hoping to find a convenience store on my way, but there is nothing out that way. One of the things I love about San Francisco is how easy it is to quickly get out of the city and feel like you're in the country. But today that worked against me as I hiked for 3 hours without food. So for a lot of the Creek Trail I was thinking about what I would eat when I was done. Don't get me wrong though, the creek trail had its charms.

I love chaparral, and was excited to finally start climbing up into it, knowing that this meant I was closer to food. And to the vista point! I could finally see the ocean! Or was it the sky? The horizon was very difficult to discern.

After the wonderful view I quickly descended down and found my way back to my car. I had a great time on the hike, and it was very beautiful. How excellent is it to be able to enjoy a green, lovely forest in the middle of winter? The temperature was about 50 degrees, the sun was out in parts, and the forest was largely my own. Gorgeous. I would definitely return to show a friend the tafoni and the view.

And don't worry, I got to eat, finally. I hit up Rainbow Pizza and Tasty Treats in the Crystal something plaza in San Mateo. Yum! I still need more water though. I always do.

#63 Hayward Regional Shoreline

Last Tuesday I had to move my car for street cleaning, so I whipped out my handy Bay Area hiking guide and decided to head over to the Cogswell Marsh Trail at the Hayward Regional Shoreline.

This trail features miles of flat trail perfect for jogging, biking, or walking with a stroller.

Starting point:


View Hayward Area Recreation & Park District: Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center in a larger map

I'd say it took me about 30 minutes to drive out there from the Mission. The trail starts at the Hayward Interpretive Center, which I didn't get to visit because it is only open on weekends.

Hayward Regional Shoreline is home to over 400 acres of restored wetlands, which is important habitat for endangered species of birds. This area is known for birds, and it didn't fail to disappoint, even in the middle of December.

I saw lots of snowy egrets, which flew away when I walked down the trail.
I saw a bunch of cute little marsh wrens.
I saw lots of cool ducks, including some pretty white and brown ones.
A field of Canada geese stared at me intently when I crossed in front of their field.

From the interpretive center, there is pretty much only one way to go. After 1.2 miles you come to a fork. Go left to cross over the footbridge and keep the city in your sights. This will eventually loop back around to the original fork. If you complete this loop and head back, it's 3.6 miles roundtrip.

About halfway through the loop I was pleased to see another cute footbridge branching out in a different direction. I ran across it and continued up onto a plateau, which gave me some nice views of the surrounding area. I probably added another mile or two on by exploring up there, and it was well worth it.

This was where I walked the gauntlet of Canada geese and saw a giant hare. I also noticed a cool little dock down far below me, but I had taken the wrong trail branch to reach it. Next time!

I really enjoyed this trail. It was easy and pretty. I enjoyed walking right along the water and seeing the ground squirrels and birds. Pretty much the whole way I was treated to a nice view of San Francisco. Even though the trail starts right at the base of the bridge next to the highway, you leave that fairly quickly and I definitely got what I was looking for: the sense of adventure, play, and rejuvenation I get from being out of doors.

I would come back to this trail, except I'm not going to soon. I've got 100 more to check out!

In the future I'd like to post more quickly after the hike, so that I have more of a story to tell and some left over exhilaration. And I'd also like to include pictures! When I went on the Cogswell Marsh Trail I hadn't yet conceived of creating this blog. But next time: pictures for sure!