Hiking the Sequoia Bayview Trail, Joaquin Miller Park
When I think of redwood hikes, I think of Muir Woods and the whole Bay Area peninsula. The East Bay, however, can hold its own when it comes to these…
northern california
Hiking Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Earlier this month, I had the chance to check out Bear Creek Open Space Preserve in Los Gatos. Up until recently, I didn’t know that this spot existed right off bustling Highway 17. It’s a chunk of land under the care of Midpeninsula Open Space Trust that’s currently not accessible to the public, except by permit.
My 5 Favorite Bay Area Hikes
The folks at Arc’teryx Stanford Center asked me to share a few of my favorite Bay Area hikes and nonprofits at their spring launch event. There’s nothing I love more than talking about outdoor adventure, so I happily obliged.
For this roundup, I only wanted to include hikes within an hour of the Bay Area. These are all places you can go and get in mileage but still make it back in time for dinner and drinks with friends.
These are the best Bay Area hikes that I return to time and time again.
Staying at the Ollie Mayer Hiker’s Hut
I’ve been winging it on plans lately. I seriously just don’t feel like planning anything. I realized a few weeks ago that my birthday was coming up. Last year, I backpacked in Zion. I’d taken the day off work, but aside from that there was nothing on the schedule.
The Sierra Club Hiker’s Hut in Sam McDonald County Park is a spot I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. It’s close enough for me to not want to spend a weekend there when I could be elsewhere. But for a quick overnighter for my birthday, it was perfect and did not disappoint.
A Weekend in Mount Shasta
I’ve never spent much time in the more northern parts of California, save for a flop of a summit attempt and a few days in Lassen Volcanic National Park. It’s only 4.5-5 hours away, nearly the same amount to drive to Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows or Mammoth. Over the Martin Luther King weekend, I tried to rectify this with a trip to Mount Shasta, both a city and a breathtaking, mystical mountain.