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!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Let's hike!
Hello universe,
This is my first blog! I'm hoping that some fellow outdoor adventurers in the Bay Area will find the information about my local hikes amusing or informational.
I moved to San Francisco in July of 2010. While I love the city, I also love getting outside of it. I can't believe the attitude of some of my friends here in the city.
"I haven't left the city in months."
"We don't visit the East Bay, they visit us."
"Emeryville is much too far."
"It's too cold to go outside."
"You went where??"
Yes, my friends have actually said these things. And these are friends with vehicles. It can be hard for someone without a car to get out of the city and to a pretty hiking location easily, but if you do have access to a vehicle there are many gorgeous places to hike within a 30 minute drive. And take a car-less friend with you!
I have a great book that I "borrowed" from my sister by Foghorn Outdoors entitled 101 Great Hikes of the San Francisco Bay Area. So far I have been very impressed by Foghorn's thorough information and suggestions. I've already hiked a few of the trails, and have decided it would be a great mission to do them all. Some of them are pretty strenuous, so completing this project will be good motivation to work up to those.
I also tend to pick a spot I like and go there regularly. Hiking a specific trail through the seasons can give you a special relationship to it and a better understanding of the ecosystem. However, I think it will be great to keep trying new locations, so this will force me into that habit.
I grew up in the forest of Connecticut, but was living in Tucson for 5.5 years prior to moving to the Bay. As a former desert rat, I'm excited to explore locations with water and trees. And as a redhead, I'm excited about less intense sun exposure. As far as I'm concerned, the climate in the Bay Area is perfect for year-round outdoors exploration.
Join me as I explore the Bay, north, south, east, and west!
This is my first blog! I'm hoping that some fellow outdoor adventurers in the Bay Area will find the information about my local hikes amusing or informational.
I moved to San Francisco in July of 2010. While I love the city, I also love getting outside of it. I can't believe the attitude of some of my friends here in the city.
"I haven't left the city in months."
"We don't visit the East Bay, they visit us."
"Emeryville is much too far."
"It's too cold to go outside."
"You went where??"
Yes, my friends have actually said these things. And these are friends with vehicles. It can be hard for someone without a car to get out of the city and to a pretty hiking location easily, but if you do have access to a vehicle there are many gorgeous places to hike within a 30 minute drive. And take a car-less friend with you!
I have a great book that I "borrowed" from my sister by Foghorn Outdoors entitled 101 Great Hikes of the San Francisco Bay Area. So far I have been very impressed by Foghorn's thorough information and suggestions. I've already hiked a few of the trails, and have decided it would be a great mission to do them all. Some of them are pretty strenuous, so completing this project will be good motivation to work up to those.
I also tend to pick a spot I like and go there regularly. Hiking a specific trail through the seasons can give you a special relationship to it and a better understanding of the ecosystem. However, I think it will be great to keep trying new locations, so this will force me into that habit.
I grew up in the forest of Connecticut, but was living in Tucson for 5.5 years prior to moving to the Bay. As a former desert rat, I'm excited to explore locations with water and trees. And as a redhead, I'm excited about less intense sun exposure. As far as I'm concerned, the climate in the Bay Area is perfect for year-round outdoors exploration.
Join me as I explore the Bay, north, south, east, and west!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)