I had crazy-great weather — sunny and clear with cool breezes — for Sunday’s hike at Henry Coe State Park’s Dowdy Ranch Visitors Center. The trails near Dowdy Ranch, which opened two years ago, are classic Coe: straight up and…
92 search results for "wildflowers"
Best Bay Area trail maps
This is the Web’s largest collection of professional-grade maps for hiking throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. While local and regional parks offer free maps at the trail head, hiking most of the region’s state and national parks require you…
Cataract Creek Trail
Cataract Creek and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed
by tom • May 13, 2009 • 3 Comments
Cataract Trail starts out scenic enough, tracking the shore of the Alpine Lake Reservoir, then starts stair-stepping alongside the Cataract Creek. I was the first hiker on the trail Wednesday morning so I felt no qualms about shouting “man, what…
Henry Coe State Park
Great route at Henry Coe from the Coyote Creek entrance (updated with pictures)
by tom • April 27, 2009 • 4 Comments
Winehiker Russ broke out his absurdly huge Henry Coe State Park map and found this untried route from the Coyote Creek entrance: Typically I figure folks can find their own way if they use common sense and grab a map…
Calero County Park
Hot Sunday at Calero County Park
by tom • April 20, 2009 • 2 Comments
You don’t get a lot of this on trails near town: the feather touch of a spider’s silk on your calves that tells you you’re the first to pass this way today. I got some of that yesterday on the…
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve
About time to check out Russian Ridge
by tom • April 10, 2009 • 1 Comment
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve is mostly open, hilly, breezy terrain, but around this time of year it turns into wildflower central. Midpeninsula Open Space Authority, which manages the park, has a bunch of events coming up at Russian Ridge:…
Sunol Regional Wilderness
Wildflower Festival 2009 at Sunol Regional Wilderness
by tom • April 8, 2009 • 2 Comments
It’s starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 11. From the East Bay Regional Parks events page: SUNOL – It’s time to celebrate the birds, bees, flowers and trees during the 7th annual Wildflower Festival. Join us as we celebrate the…
Wildlife
Wildflower and butterfly update in the Mercury News
by tom • April 3, 2009 • 0 Comments
Lisa Krieger reports on the bay checkerspot butterflies at Coyote Ridge, a habitat so delicate that the only way to hike there is with a docent leading the way. At first glance, their home on Coyote Ridge seems unremarkable. Rising…
Hiking
Best time to hike in the Bay Area
by tom • March 30, 2009 • 4 Comments
It’s right now: The last couple weeks of March through the first couple weeks of May. This two-month span is the time to put off all your weekend household projects (you’ll have nice weather all summer), start shamelessly evangelizing your…