★ Pinnacles National Park, San Benito, CA

What was supposed to be a relaxing 5-mile hike on a Sunday afternoon turned out to be a very harrowing experience.

Prerequisites: get a full tank of gas 25 miles before getting to the park as there are no services after that. Explore the caves with a flashlight. If you must do the 5-mile hike, go with someone who has done the hike before and do it during the winter or early spring. Get a working GPS and trail map. Bring >=1.5 liters water per person.

I started my journey at Bear Gulch and decided to explore Bear Gulch cave.


After exiting I got a good view of Bear Gulch reservoir.


I then took Rim trail to High Peaks trail and walked 1.5 miles. Near the end was a steep series of switchbacks in hot summer weather and this was when a worried feeling started setting in. At the junction with Juniper Canyon trail I continued east another 1.3 miles on High Peaks trail. It was in this stretch of the trail that I felt the most anxiety and ACTUAL FEAR. Walking around the rock formations, every twist and turn was an opportunity to lose one's sense of direction. Signage was sparse, there were almost no people to follow, and at places the trails were not defined well enough. Luckily GPS came to my rescue. The scenery was breathtaking though, given the vastness of the whole area.


But for me, this (the GPS display on my phone and the signage to turn onto Condor Gulch Trail back to the Visitor center) was the best piece of scenery.


By this time it was 4:30pm. I ran into several groups of hikers still going uphill and began encouraging some of them to turn around given the lateness in the day and my recent (mis)adventures.

Trail: High Peaks trail and Condor Gulch trail loop, detouring to Bear Gulch cave at beginning, 6.1 mi
Difficulty: Strenuous (potential to get lost, steepness, heat, extreme heights)

Mt. Tamalpais - Matt Davis Steep Ravine Loop, Mill Valley, CA

Mt. Tamalpais gives hikers a good combination of redwoods and coastal views. The weather is also comfortably cool even during the summer.

Trail: Matt Davis-Steep Ravine Loop, 6.7 miles
Difficulty: >Moderate

El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve, Redwood City, CA

This hike features redwoods and a tafoni sandstone formation. The trail is very steep, bring at least 4 bottles of water per person.

Start at the East end of the park for a 10-mile clockwise loop. Take the following trails in order: Sierra Morena .3, Gordon Mill .5, Crossover .2, Crosscut .5, Timberview .5, Giant Salamander 1.1, Methuselah .3, Fir 1.4 (to vista point and back to junction), Resolution 1.1, El Corte de Madera Creek .6, Tafoni 1.1 (to Sandstone Formation and back to junction), Fir .2, Manzanita .1, Methuselah .7, and Sierra Morena .8.

Trail: See above. About 10 miles
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous (steepness, length)

Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve, Redwood City, CA

This hike begins at the east entrance of the park, just off highway 35. Take the North Ridge Trail for at least 0.8 miles until you hit Whittemore Gulch Trail, then turn left. Continue westward on the latter for 2.2 miles and at the junction stay left on Harkins Ridge Trail coming back eastbound for 3 miles. Turn right on North Ridge Trail and walk the remaining 0.3 miles to the parking lot.

Trail: North Ridge, Whittemore Gulch, & Harkins Ridge trails, 6.6 mi
Difficulty: >Moderate (steepness)