hiking

If you avoid the cars-only Richmond and Bay Bridges you can run, jog, hike or bike from Napa to Milpitas, from Burlingame to Berkeley on the Bay Trail. 350 of its projected 500 shoreline miles are already in place and from my experience, very well maintained. For most of its length as it passes through […]

Locals know the Peninsula is not just the land of high tech and sky high real estate. It’s also the site of some of the most beautiful hiking in the Bay Area. Off Skyline Boulevard there are trailheads that lead to crisscrossing routes up and down the coast with soaring views of the Pacific. As […]

It’s hard to believe that jammed, wired Silicon Valley is just a few miles below you when you are hiking the rolling ranges of Monte Bello Preserve, above Palo Alto, one of the jewels of the MidPeninsula Open Space. Its 3100 acres present some of the most IMAX-ian vistas in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The 6.5 […]

Bay seniors who prefer their wildlands to be as crowd free as possible might want to give Wunderlich Park a walk through. 942 acres of forest, meadowlands and  ridge views above the absurdly high net worth community of Woodside, it is ribboned with trails for both hiking and horseback riding (there are stables and a […]

Bay seniors in the mood for discovery might consider a day trip to Garrapata State Park which is just south of Carmel. It’s a classic, 2-mile stretch of coastal drama just off Highway 1. The beach is bordered by a jagged shore with massive rocks jutting out of the surf. You’re likely to catch sight […]

Bay seniors whose idea of summer lolling runs about 2 mph are invited to check out the Lafayette Reservoir a few miles past the Caldecott Tunnel. Among its pleasures are rental pedal boats as well as rowboats and kayaks. Boat fees are $15 an hour with a $40 refundable deposit. You can fish off their […]

Bay seniors retreating from the depressing marine layer clamped over the City (i.e. The Fog) may want to bask in the solar splendor around Lake Berryessa in Napa County, about 1.5 hours from SF. A great place to start is the Smittle Creek Trail, a five mile, mostly flat round trip (and the only developed trail […]

Bay seniors looking for a beach with Imax views and a decided lack of visitors might want to check out 413-acre Point Molate on the Richmond shoreline just north of the San Rafael Bridge. The walking path is a nice, flat 1.4 miles. A pier reaches out 1400 feet into the Bay. There’s even an […]