#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.


View Larger Map

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.