The Lonely Hiker

I moved from South Louisiana to Northern California in 2005, and have jumped around the greater San Francisco Bay Area ever since: Davis & Sacramento, the northernmost part of the East Bay (along the Carquinez Strait), in the Santa Cruz Mountains near the small town of La Honda, Palo Alto, and Livermore. Part of claiming this new home for myself has entailed hiking and photographing the many wonderful public parks near me. I call myself the "lonely" hiker not because I am lonely but because I tend to hike alone. Although you will see plenty of photos of friends and family members, I still think that the best way to appreciate the beauty of this wonderful place is on a solitary hike!

SF Bay Area Detail

Peninsula Detail

Parks I Have Visited

  1. Acalanes Ridge
  2. Almaden Quicksilver County Park
  3. Alviso Adobe Community Park
  4. Alviso Marina County Park & Don Edwards NWR
  5. Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
  6. Andrew Molera State Park
  7. Angel Island State Park
  8. Año Nuevo State Park
  9. Anthony Chabot Regional Park
  10. Ardenwood Historic Farm
  11. Armstrong Redwoods SNR
  12. Arroyo Mocho Trail
  13. Augustin Bernal Park
  14. Bair Island Trail
  15. Baylands Nature Preserve, Palo Alto
  16. Baylands Park, Sunnyvale
  17. Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve
  18. Bean Hollow State Beach
  19. Big Basin Redwood State Park Main Campus
  20. Big Basin Redwood SP Waddell Beach
  21. Big Break Regional Shoreline
  22. Bishop Ranch Regional Park
  23. Bixby Bridge
  24. Black Diamond Mine Regional Preserve
  25. Bodie State Historic Park
  26. Brannan Island State Recreational Area
  27. Briones Regional Park
  28. Brushy Peak Regional Park
  29. Butano State Park
  30. Calaveras Big Trees State Park
  31. Calero County Park
  32. California State Railroad Museum
  33. Callippe Preserve Trail
  34. Carquinez Shoreline & Crockett Hills
  35. Cascade Canyon Open Space Park
  36. Castle Crags State Park
  37. Castle Rock Regional Park
  38. Castle Rock State Park
  39. Caswell Memorial State Park
  40. Cesar Chavez Park
  41. Coal Creek Preserve
  42. Coal Mine Ridge
  43. Coastside Trail at the HMB Ritz-Carlton
  44. Contra Loma Regional Park
  45. Cowell-Purisima Trail
  46. Coyote Hills Regional Park
  47. Coyote Point Recreation Area and Marina
  48. Crystal Springs
  49. Cull Canyon
  50. Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP
  51. Del Valle Regional Park
  52. Devil's Slide Trail
  53. Devils Postpile National Monument
  54. Diablo Foothills Regional Park
  55. Don Castro Regional Park
  56. Don Edwards Environmental Ed Center
  57. Don Edwards NWR Overview
  58. Don Edwards NWR Visitor's Center
  59. Doran Regional Park
  60. Dublin Hills Regional Park
  61. Ed R. Levin County Park
  62. Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point SP
  63. Edgewood County Park
  64. El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve
  65. El Sereno Preserve
  66. Emerald Bay State Park
  67. Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods SP
  68. Filoli Estate
  69. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
  70. Five Canyons Regional Park
  71. Foothills Park
  72. Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
  73. Fremont Peak State Park
  74. Garin Regional Park
  75. Garrapata State Park
  76. Gold Creek Open Space (the Preserve)
  77. Golden Gate National Recreation Area
  78. Golden Gate Park
  79. Gray Whale Cove State Beach
  80. Half Moon Bay State Beaches
  81. Hayward Regional Shoreline
  82. Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument
  83. Hendy Woods SP
  84. Henry Coe State Park
  85. Henry Cowell Redwoods Main Campus
  86. Holbrook-Palmer City Park
  87. Holdener Park
  88. Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve
  89. Huddart County Park
  90. Inyo National Forest
  91. Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
  92. Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP
  93. Joaquin Miller Park
  94. Joshua Tree National Park
  95. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
  96. June Lake
  97. Kennedy Grove
  98. La Honda Creek Preserve
  99. Lafayette Reservoir
  100. Lake Berryessa Picnic Areas
  101. Lake Chabot Regional Park
  102. Lands End
  103. Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
  104. Lindsay Wildlife Experience & Larkey Park
  105. Livermore Aquatics
  106. Long Ridge Open Space Preserve
  107. Los Trancos Preserve
  108. Los Vaqueros Reservoir
  109. Lovers Point Park
  110. MacKerricher State Park (Glass Beach)
  111. Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
  112. Mammoth Mountain and Lakes Basin
  113. Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail
  114. Marina State Beach
  115. McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial SP
  116. McNee Ranch State Park
  117. Memorial County Park in Loma Mar
  118. Mendocino Headlands State Park
  119. Milagra Ridge Golden Gate National Rec Area
  120. Monastery Beach (aka Carmel River SB)
  121. Mono Lake, South Tufa Area
  122. Montaña de Oro State Park
  123. Monte Bello Preserve
  124. Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
  125. Mori Point Golden Gate National Rec Area
  126. Mount Diablo State Park
  127. Mount San Jacinto State Park
  128. Mountain View Shoreline Park
  129. Natural Bridges State Beach
  130. Niles Canyon Scenic Railway
  131. Ohlone Wilderness
  132. Pacheco State Park
  133. Pearson Arastradero Preserve
  134. Pescadaro Creek County Park
  135. Pescadaro State Beach and Marsh
  136. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
  137. Phleger Estate Golden Gate Nat'l Rec Area
  138. Picchetti Ranch Preserve
  139. Pigeon Point Bluffs
  140. Pillar Point Bluff & Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
  141. Pinnacles National Park
  142. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park
  143. Pogonip
  144. Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
  145. Point Reyes National Seashore
  146. Pomponio State Beach
  147. Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay
  148. Portola Redwoods State Park
  149. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
  150. Pulgas Ridge Preserve
  151. Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve
  152. Quarry Park in El Granada
  153. Rancho Corral de Tierra
  154. Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve
  155. Ravenswood Open Space Preserve
  156. Redwood National Park
  157. Redwood National and State Parks
  158. Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
  159. Roberts Regional Park
  160. Round Valley Regional Preserve
  161. Roy's Redwood Preserve
  162. Russian Gulch State Park
  163. Russian Ridge Preserve
  164. Saint Joseph's Hill Preserve
  165. Sam McDonald County Park
  166. Samuel P. Taylor State Park
  167. San Bruno Mountain Park
  168. San Gregorio State Beach
  169. San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge
  170. San Luis National Wildlife Refuge
  171. San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex
  172. San Pedro Valley County Park​
  173. Sanborn County Park
  174. Santa Teresa County Park
  175. Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area
  176. Shell Ridge Open Space
  177. Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
  178. Sierra Azul Preserve
  179. Skyline Ridge Preserve
  180. Sonoma Coast State Park
  181. Stanford Dish
  182. Stebbins Cold Canyon Preserve
  183. Stevens Creek County Park
  184. Sunol Regional Wilderness
  185. Sycamore Grove Park
  186. Sycamore Valley Preserve and Park
  187. Tassajara Creek Regional Park
  188. Teague Hill Preserve
  189. Thornewood Preserve
  190. Tilden Regional Park
  191. Tomales Bay State Park
  192. Twin Lakes (near Bridgeport)
  193. Upper Stevens Creek County Park
  194. Uvas Canyon County Park
  195. Van Damme State Park
  196. Vargas Plateau
  197. Wilder Ranch State Park
  198. Windy Hill Preserve
  199. Wunderlich County Park
  200. Yosemite National Park

Parks I Plan to Visit

Northern Redwoods
  • Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park (info)
  • Harry A. Merlo SRA (info)
  • Humboldt Bay NWR (info)
  • Humboldt Lagoons SP (info)
  • Lake Earl Wildlife Area (info)
  • Little River State Beach (info)
  • Patrick's Point State Park (info)
  • Six Rivers National Forest: Overview (info)
  • Six Rivers NF: Lower Trinity Ranger District (info)
  • Six Rivers NF: Orleans Ranger District (info)
  • Six Rivers NF: Smith River NRA (info)
  • Six Rivers NF: Ukonom Ranger District (info)
  • Table Bluff County Park (info)
  • Tolowa Dunes State Park (info)
  • Trinidad State Beach (info)

Shasta/Redding Area
  • Castle Crags Wilderness (info here and here)
  • Chanchelulla Wilderness (info)
  • Lake Shasta Caverns National Natural Landmark (info)
  • Lassen Volcanic National Park (info)
  • McCloud Area (info)
  • Mount Shasta (info)
  • Shasta Lake (info)
  • Shasta State Historic Park (info)
  • Shasta-Trinity NF (overview here, more info here and here)
  • Trinity Alps Wilderness (info here and here)
  • Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (info)
  • Woodson Bridge SRA (info here and here)
  • Yolla-Bolly Middle-Eel Wilderness (info)

Humboldt Area (and the Lost Coast, further west)
  • Benbow Lake State Recreation Area (info)
  • Humboldt Redwoods State Park (info)
  • Richardson Grove State Park (info)
  • Sinkyone Wilderness State Park (info)
  • Smithe Redwoods SNR (info)
  • Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area (info)

Mendocino Area
  • Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area (info)
  • Caspar Headlands SB (info) and SNR (info)
  • Greenwood State Beach (info)
  • Jug Handle State Natural Reserve (info)
  • Mailliard Redwoods State Natural Reserve (info)
  • Manchester State Park (info)
  • Mendocino Woodlands State Park (info)
  • Navarro River Redwoods State Park (info)
  • Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park (info)
  • Reynolds Wayside Campground (info)
  • Schooner Gulch SB aka Bowling Ball Beach (info)
  • Westport-Union Landing State Beach (info)

Ukiah and Clear Lake Areas
  • Anderson Marsh State Historic Park (info)
  • Clear Lake State Park (info)
  • Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve (info)

Western Foothills to the Sierras (Gold Country)
  • Auburn State Recreation Area (info)
  • Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park (info)
  • Folsom Lake SRA (info)
  • Indian Grinding Rock SHP (info)
  • Lake Oroville SRA (info)
  • Marshall Gold Discovery SHP (info)
  • Upper Bidwell Park (info)

Sierras
  • Camp Shelly (info)
  • D. L. Bliss State Park (info)
  • Donner Memorial State Park (info)
  • Kings Beach State Recreation Area (info)
  • Moaning Caverns (link) and Mercer Caverns (link)
  • Pulmas-Eureka State Park (info)
  • South Yuba River State Park (info)
 
Eastern Sierras
  • Grover Hot Springs State Park (info)

Point Reyes, Tomales Bay and Bodega Bay
  • Alamere Falls (info)
  • Bolinas Preserve Lagoon (info)
  • Fort Ross State Historic Park (info)
  • Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve (info)
  • Salt Point State Park (info)
 
Wine Country
  • Austin Creek State Recreation Area (info)
  • Bothe-Napa Valley SP (info here and here)
  • Ignacio Valley Preserve (info)
  • Indian Tree Preserve (info)
  • Indian Valley Preserve (info)
  • Jack London State Historic Park (info here and here)
  • King Mountain Preserve (info)
  • Loma Verde Preserve (info)
  • Lucas Valley Preserve (info)
  • Mount Tamalpais State Park (info)
  • Muir Woods (info here and here)
  • Olompali State Historic Park (info)
  • Pacheco Valley Preserve (info)
  • Robert Louis Stevenson State Park (info)
  • Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (info)
  • Trione-Annadel State Park (info)

San Francisco and San Pablo Bay Areas
  • Alcatraz Island (info)
  • China Camp (info)
  • Crown Beach (info here and here)
  • Eden Landing (info)
  • Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline (info)
  • MLK Jr. Shoreline (link)
  • Oyster Bay (link)
  • Point Isabel (link)
  • Presidio (info here and here)
  • San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge (info)

Half Moon Bay and Pacifica
  • Sweeney Ridge (info)
 
Big Basin and Santa Cruz Areas
  • Manresa SB (info)
  • New Brighton SB (info)
  • Santa Cruz Mission SHP (info)
  • Seacliff SB (info)
  • Twin Lakes SB (info)

Monterey and Big Sur Areas
  • Elkhorn Slough (SP info, ESNERR info)
  • John Little SNR (info)
  • Limekiln SP (info)
  • Pfeiffer Beach (info)
  • Point Lobos State Natural Reserve (info here and here)
  • Point Sur SHP (info)
  • Sunset SB (info)
  • Zmudowski State Beach (info)

Central Coast 
  • Bishop Peak (info)
  • Carrizo Plain National Monument (info)
  • Cayucos SB (info)
  • El Moro Elfin Forest (info)
  • Estero Bluffs State Park (info)
  • Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (info)
  • Irish Hills Natural Reserve (info)
  • Lampton Cliffs County Park (info)
  • Lopez Lake (info)
  • Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve (info)
  • Morro Bay SP (info)
  • Pismo SB (info)
  • Santa Lucia District, Padres NF (info here and here)

Cupertino and Los Gatos Areas
  • Fremont Older Preserve (info)

South and East Bay Marshes
  • Bedwell Bayfront Park in Menlo Park (link)
  • Quarry Lakes (info)
​
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Area
  • Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Preserve (info)
  • Bay Point Wetlands EBRP (info)*
  • Benicia State Recreation Area (info)
  • Bethany Reservoir SRA (info)
  • Consumnes River Preserve (info)
  • Dow Wetlands Preserve (info)
  • Grizzly Island Wildlife Area (info)
  • Rush Ranch, Solano Trust Fund (info)
  • SF Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (info)
  • Stone Lake National Wildlife Refuge, State Property (info here, here, and here)
  • Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area (info)

Berkeley and East Bay Hills
East Bay (680 Corridor)
  • Blue Oak Ranch Reserve (info)
  • Fernandez Ranch (info & more info)
  • Lime Ridge (info)
  • Mission Peak Preserve (info)
  • Mount Wanda (info & more info)
  • Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve (info)
  • Sugar Loaf Open Space (info)
  • Vasco Caves (info)

South San Jose and Morgan Hill
  • Anderson Lake (info)
  • Coyote Ridge Open Space (info)
  • Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve (info)
  • Joseph D. Grant County Park (info)
  • Rancho Cañada del Oro (info, POST info)

Central Valley (Between Stockton and Fresno):
  • George J. Hatfield SRA (info)
  • Great Valley Grasslands State Park (info)
  • McConnell SRA (info)
  • Merced NWR (info)
  • Millerton Lake SRA (info)
  • San Luis Reservoir SRA (info)
  • Turlock Lake SRA (info here and here)

Sequoia and Kings Canyon Area

Park Agencies

Further out