threaded | unthreaded | newest first

Upcoming Hikes All Around the Bay

topic posted Thu, March 27, 2008 - 11:08 AM by 
Here we go again!

Easy, Medium and Hard hikes all over the Bay Area!
These are low-to-no-pressure groups--folks can run ahead with their stopwatches and headphones, dawdle and snack endlessly, take pictures, meditate, ruminate, trot, saunter, chat, not-chat...you-name-it. We just get there and enjoy the place however we each see fit, in a manner that won't hinder anyone else from doing the same.

*Let us know if you're coming so we know to look for you! That is, if you do not RSVP we may change plans and you won't know; so PLEASE RSVP if you intend to come and we'll make darn sure to keep you apprised of any and all scheduling and route adjustments!!

We'll also be happy get you a ride if you need one. :)

--------------------------------
**Note: 2 Easy Wildflower Hikes!
--------------------------------

Saturday, March 29
Mount Tamalpais (Marin Headlands)
6 mile East Peak Loop plus West Point Inn
www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471...ochure.pdf
Mountain Home Inn, Hogback, HookooEekoo, Temelpa, Fern Creek, Old Railroad, West Point Inn, Matt Davis, Hogback, Mountain Home Inn...
It's calling. We must return!

April 19, 2008
**Chimney Rock (Point Reyes, southwestern tip)
1.5 miles
www.nps.gov/pore/planyou.../map_park.pdf
This is a short one for wildflower enthusiasts, but if we can get multiple vehicles, perhaps we can have a contingent do the Bull Point Trail and/or the Estero Trail (just North of Chimney Rock).
"The dramatic seabluff at Chimney Rock offers a continuing series of wildflower blooms from April through early May. Yellow goldfields, buttercups, and footsteps-of-spring; blue irises and lupines; pink checker mallows; orange poppies; red paintbrushes; and unusual brown Point Reyes chocolate lilies are but a few of the many species that decorate this level, 1.5-mile round-trip hike." from www.baynature.com/2002april...ljune.html

April 26
My new FAVORITE Bay Area View Hike!
Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park (Hayward)
6.6 Miles
From the High Ridge Loop Trail I saw hundreds of ground squirrels and hundreds of cows, and from a single vantage point I could see Mission Peak (Fremont), Mount Umunhum (South San Jose en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imag...w_crwb.jpg ), Moffett Field (Mountain View) The Dumbarton Bridge, The San Mateo Bridge, San Bruno Mountain, Mt Davidson, Sutro Tower and Mount Tamalpais!!!!! Astonishing! This is a must-hike for the California-Ecosystem-connoisseur and we should do it while these "golden" hills are still green--the first 4 miles are shadeless yet gorgeous.

May 4
**Morgan Territory (Livermore)
4.64 Miles
www.bahiker.com/eastbayhikes/morgan.html
www.ebparks.org/files/EBRP...err_map.pdf

"MORGAN TERRITORY REGIONAL PRESERVE: In addition to wildflowers, spectacular vistas of the Livermore Valley, Mount Diablo and glimpses of the San Joaquin Valley beyond, are why wildflower enthusiasts give this lesser-known park high marks. From its almost 40 miles of trails, color seekers can find the scarlet monkey flower, tidy tips, and the obligatory mix of poppies and lupines, among many others, in their full spring glory" from www.totalescape.com/tripez/wildfl.html

May 10
Berry Creek Falls (Big Basin State Park, Santa Cruz Mountains)
13ish Miles (6.5ish east and then back west--starts and ends at the beach!!!)
www.bahiker.com/southbayhikes/bbrdo.html
One book says this is 10.5 miles, this site says it's 14. All of them say it's not too hard. I did it once before and LOVED it, not because it killed me but because it was lovely; in addition to Berry Creek Falls we also saw Silver Falls, Cascade Falls and Golden Falls! So, there you go!


E-mail me to arrange transportation and meeting places/times or with any questions at all!
Woohoo!
:)
Mike
posted by:
join to post
  • Le
    Le
    offline 56

    Re: Upcoming Hikes All Around the Bay

    Thu, March 27, 2008 - 11:17 AM
    Hahahaa!! Mike you have some funny display names. Each time I get a msg from you, I'm like, "Who the hell is this?" It took me a sec to figure out why there was a Timmy Brisby asking me about hikes we'd discussed.

    Anyway yeah, I'll try my best to make it to one of the April or May trails. Depends on what I got going on in LA. I started a new job, and I'm trying to move again soon, and in between all this, I'm actually kinda broke. But as soon as time and money allows, I'll be up in the Bay. Hiking up there is so refreshing. The last one we did through the streets of SF was just amazing!!! That was probably one of the best hikes I've done this year!!
    join to post

  • ***Chimney Rock switch to Chabot***

    Tue, April 8, 2008 - 4:01 PM
    No Chimney Rock, sorry. I just happened to be up in that neighborhood this weekend and couldn't resist dropping by...it really is wonderful in its way. BUT, so far, the surprise wildflower STUNNER of my 2008 has been in Briones Park near Orinda. The Black Oak Trail, Mott Peak Trail and Briones Crest Trail (admittedly I was there on a weekday morning so it was also VERY naturey and quiet) are lined with these amazing, huge carpets of individual types of flowers: zillions of CA poppys and oodles of purple, yellow and white...um...flowers-I-should-know-but-keep-forgetting-to-look-up. Anyway, though the sheer side-by-side smorgasbord of varieties at Chimney Rock is unparalelled, the vast colonies of color on the Briones hillsides are just breathtaking, too. Instead of Chimney Rock, we will be doing Bort Meadow at Anthony Chabot, I think. Tom Stienstra calls it one of the best wildflower hikes in the state of CA. I know this may sound strange after going on and on about Briones, but the Chabot hike is easy like Chimney Rock (just a few miles with minimal hilliness). I will scope it out and re-post more info later this week.
    join to post

  • Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park

    Fri, April 25, 2008 - 9:26 AM
    Dry Creek Pioneer info available....
    Send me a message...

    :)
    Mike
    join to post

    • Morgan Territory

      Thu, May 1, 2008 - 2:26 PM
      Had a client cancel and got to scope out Morgan Territory on Wednesday. Lovely! But maybe too subtly so for some...
      I think the expansive terrain itself is more alluring than the flowers--imagine Moraga without all the...Moraga! Basically, if you find yourself sighing at the expansive views from the car when you're about a mile north of Livermore, you'll love this hike....otherwise, you might want to turn around because it's 10.7 miles from 580 and the last half of that is on one lane road. I think it's terrific...but I'm a guy who leads hikes...

      www.bahiker.com/eastbayhikes/morgan.html
      >
      www.ebparks.org/files/EBRP...err_map.pdf

      Message me if you'd like the tentative schedule...I'm picking folks up in the East Bay between 9 and 10. We'll leave the trailhead by 11:15...
      But that could change, so do RSVP....

      Hip hip!

      :)
      Mike
      join to post

Recent topics in "Bay Area Hiking!"

Topic Author Replies Last Post
Dipsea Steps! 7 July 22, 2008
Mountain lion attacks man in Palo Alto offlinecurmudgeon 2 July 15, 2008
Camping on Angel Island 1 July 15, 2008
it's damn hot in Monterey County! offlineTed 3 June 21, 2008