Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, San Ramon, CA

Recently I went hiking in San Ramon. It is windy here during the late fall and the trail is steep, but scenic.

Almaden Quicksilver County Park, San Jose, CA (Mockingbird Hill entrance)

On a late summer afternoon, I took a hike at Almaden Quicksilver County Park.



Trails: Virl O. Norton Trail, Hacienda Trail
Difficulty: >Medium (2.4 miles, hilly)

Ano Nuevo State Park

San Gregorio State Beach

Lands End to Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

I took my special companion here on a Saturday afternoon. After a late lunch, we started our journey on the 1.5-mile Lands End Coastal trail, and decided to continue on to the Golden Gate Bridge, retracing our steps back to the starting point for a 7 1/2 mile round-trip hike.


Trails: Coastal Trail, El Camino Del Mar/Lincoln Blvd.
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

Mussel Rock Beach Park, Daly City, CA

Recommended by my brother, this SF-area park is full of nice photo ops. Prepare to get wet if you venture near the rocks.

Mount Si, North Bend, WA

This strenuous hike is about an hour east of Seattle. It provides stunning views of Mt. Rainier.


Trail: Mt. Si Trail
Difficulty: Strenuous (7.6 miles out & back, 3277ft elevation change)

Phantom Lake, Bellevue, WA

This lake near Seattle makes for a nice spring walk.


Trail: Lake to Lake Trail
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, AL

This park features a wooded area and cave.

Lake Chabot Regional Park, Castro Valley, CA

This East bay hike was recently recommended to me, and I was pleasantly surprised. It features pretty views of Lake Chabot and the bay. Good for walking the dog if you have one.


Trail: Unnamed
Difficulty: Moderate (some slope, sun exposure, windy in certain areas)

Ravenswood Open Space Preserve, East Palo Alto, CA

Next to the Dumbarton bridge, this marshland has some opportunities for birdwatching, but is very isolated. Do not hike here alone.


Trail: Bay Trail
Difficulty: Moderate (isolated, windy)

Los Trancos Open Space Preserve, Los Altos, CA

Hidden in the hills southwest of Los Altos, this hike features a creek in the middle of the woods.


The trail itself is flat and not very long, but it is somewhat isolated. Though signage is good one can still lose one's way. It is advisable to bring friends and a gps-capable device.

Trail: Lost Creek Trail
Difficulty: Moderate (isolation)

Joseph D. Grant County Park, Mount Hamilton, CA

I took a spur-of-the-moment hike here today.

The park features a lake and several trails leading up into the foothills adjacent to Mt. Hamilton. After walking around Grant lake, one can take the Halls Valley Trail up the foothills.

Grant Lake


Halls Valley trail: Note the cows grazing on the grassy hillside.


About halfway up the Halls Valley trail, 3 cows blocked the trail up ahead and stood their ground. Instead of waiting it out, I decided to turn back as it was getting late.

Trail: Halls Valley Trail
Difficulty: >Moderate (length, slope, secluded)

Greyhound Rock County Park, Davenport, CA

At the suggestion of one of my uncles, I decided to drive here and look around. The park itself is located about 15 miles north of Santa Cruz, along highway 1. After parking, take the paved road down to the beach, where you will be greeted by a beautiful view of the rock.


It can be helpful to time your visit with low tide.

Having already hiked earlier that day (see previous post), I decided not to climb onto Greyhound rock itself, and plan to return sometime in the not-too-distant future to do so.

Pomponio State Beach, San Gregorio, CA

This beach is located 12 miles south of Half Moon Bay along Highway 1--a great place to spend an afternoon to escape one's daily concerns and unwind. It is not too crowded here, and you can get a nice, secluded view of the coastal bluffs and ocean if you walk far enough along the beach.

Alum Rock, San Jose, CA

This park has something for everyone. It features wooded areas, shady walks next to Penitencia Creek, and a slightly uphill walk to Eagle Rock.


Trails: Penitencia Creek, Inspiration Point, & Eagle Rock trails
Difficulty: Moderate (sun exposure in certain areas)

Mission Peak (via Ohlone College)

I recently redid Mission Peak, this time from the Ohlone College side.


Trail: Peak Trail
Difficulty: >Moderate

Mount Diablo--Donner Creek Loop Trail, Clayton, CA

In early March I hiked Mt. Diablo, at the suggestion of a charming hiking companion.

We took on the Donner Creek Loop trail, which consists of a 5.2-mile loop with a 1300-foot elevation gain. Due to the late winter rains, the first mile of trail was dotted with muddy areas, but also provided beautiful views of lush green hillsides not seen in other seasons.


The trail then gets steeper, before leveling off briefly near the halfway point, where several different waterfalls become visible. Here a couple short scrambles are required--one uphill and the other downhill.

The second half of the hike was mostly level or downhill, and we made our way back to the starting point in good time to avoid the mid-afternoon rain.

Trail: Donner Creek Loop Trail
Difficulty: >Moderate (steepness, some scrambling required, some signs easy to miss)

Pulgas Ridge, Redwood City, CA

This is a pleasant hike off I-280 (Edgewood Rd exit) in Redwood City. Found & completed through a hiking meetup.

Baylands trail/Shoreline park redux

I did another short hike/jog here, this time in the early evening.