Two-Heel Drive

My Wilder Ranch column will appear (if there are no publishing glitches) in the Mercury News on June 5, and the one after that will be June 15 — at which time I’ll be obligated to start writing about places where hiking in the heat is less of an issue. Usually that means coastline and redwoods.

What I need:

1. Must be a park (rather than, say, a regional trail) because, for now at least, the columns are written as reviews of individual parks.
2. Must have enough trail choices to have “easy, moderate and hard” hike suggestions.
3. Must be reasonable driving distance from San Jose (less than an hour, basically — I know this rules out a lot of the North and East Bay but I’ve gotta think about who signs the checks).
4. Can’t be a place I’ve already reviewed.

These are the places I covered last summer:

• Angel Island State Park
• Big Basin Redwoods State Park
• Butano State Park
• Castle Rock State Park
• Portola Redwoods State Park
• Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
• Sanborn-Skyline County Park
• Wunderlich County Park

So, let me have ‘em. This’ll be a challenge because I’ve covered all my favorite parks in the past year. But there’s always time to find new ones.

Dan Mitchell went to Muir Woods the other day … I keep thinking I’ll check out The Woods, though I have a hard time convincing myself those woods are that much better than the ones we have down here in the South Bay.

About the visitors — There are tons of them. By the time I finished my little photographic amble through the park around noon the place was crawling with people, and not only was the overflow parking lot (where mine had been the only car when I arrived) now completely full, but cars were lining the roadway for a good distance beyond. It didn’t take long to figure out the Muir Woods is on the San Francisco tourist loop, as there were quite a few people arriving by tour bus, and I heard accents and languages from most of the planet.

Even though the crowds are not to my liking, I do understand that areas like this are necessary and, in fact, do serve to expose some people who would not otherwise have the experience to something that feels a bit like wilderness to them. Among the visitors I saw quite a few who seemed truly impressed by the tall trees and the quiet stillness of this patch of forest.

Actually I’m pretty sure you can hike into The Woods from Mount Tamalpais and avoid the parking hassles.

Awhile back we railed on the worst trails, so we may as well salute the best ones. Your nominees are welcome, especially if you have a rare, little-used favorite. These are mine:

Berry Creek Falls Loop, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Twelve miles though one of the most amazing stands of ancient redwoods on the coast, plus a series of impressive waterfalls at the half-way point. This hike never disappoints.

Dipsea Trail to Matt Davis Trail from Stinson Beach, Mount Tamalpais State Park. I was told this was the “hard” way to go, working up the canyon from Stinson Beach, but it’s a great walk in either direction — towering trees, tumbling waters, lush greenery — and that’s just the Dipsea part. The Matt Davis section is more open in places, giving wonderful views of the California coastline.

Three Peaks, Mount Diablo State Park. This is a true leg-burner — from Clayton, hiking to Mount Olympia, then North Peak, then hitting the summit and heading back down — but it can be a spectacular all-day outing on a clear winter day.

High Peaks Trail, Pinnacles National Monument. Not exactly Bay Area, but so many local hikers make the drive down there, it might as well be. Amazing rock formations, gorgeous vistas, challenging trails, and the condors, if you’re there on a lucky day. Go in spring for a wildflower bonus (avoid in summer, it’s way too hot).

Tomales Point, Point Reyes National Seashore. This is an easy 10-miler out to the tip of Point Reyes. Best time to go is in the autumn when the Thule Elk are out in force, but any time is fine.

Angel Island State Park. Best place to take in the whole Bay on a clear day. Thanks to the sea breezes, it’s one of the few sunny locales where you can go all summer and not get scorched.

Point Lobos State Preserve, south of Monterey. Another long drive that’s very much worth the effort. Crashing waves, seals, sea otters and all manner of sea birds are there for the gazing. The hikes are mostly easy. Parking’s limited and the place is busy on the weekends; a better way to see it is to take a day off midweek.