This was a milestone hike for me: my 149th and 150th parks visited! I opted to do this hike, recommended by the EBRPD for their 2019 Trails Challenge, a moderate 5-mile hike that links the two parks together via the Chabot-to-Garin Trail. It was a really different hike than what I normally do because it wanders in and out of a lot of suburban space in Castro Valley. I don't know that I would do this specific trail again, but I definitely plan to visit both of these parks separately in the future. They are very different from each other, but both Don Castro and Five Canyons are really wonderful parks. Click "read more" to see more photos from my adventure.
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This 6.2-mile loop through the northern portion of Redwood Regional Park was a variation on the hike that I originally intended to do--apparently there was storm damage from the rainy winter that we had, and the Stream Trail was closed from the Fern Trail to the Skyline Gate Staging Area, where I parked. But, I made do and adapted my hike. It was SO lovely. It gave me a chance to see even more variety in the types of forest along my route.
Joaquin Miller Park is a wonderful city park, managed by the City of Oakland. It's amazing to me how lush and remote the park feels when it is so close to such a major urban area. I went on a 4.4-mile lollipop trail that took me on a pretty thorough tour of this park. Click "read more" below to see more details of the hike and more photos from the day's adventure.
After dreaming about this hike for a while, I finally made it deep into Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park to explore Kilkare Canyon. This 7-mile hike is a variation of the hike to Turtle Pond that inspired me. I originally planned to do that longer hike, but the temperature in Pleasanton exceeded the forecast, and I adapted the hike to maximize shade and minimize direct sun exposure. The route I did was very nice, and I was mostly successful in turning what could have been too hot of a hike into something fun. One of the features of the hike (for me) was the explosion of Mariposa lilies, which are one of my all-time favorite flowers. It was worth it for me to brave the heat to see these flowers blooming in such abundance. With that said, I think that I will make sure to repeat this hike (or a variation of it) when it's earlier in the year--and therefore cooler--next spring.
Huckleberry Botanic Preserve is an EBRPD park in the Oakland Hills near Montclair Village. Here is the EBRPD's blurb about it:
Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve is an ecological jewel. The native plant community here is found nowhere else in the East Bay. It represents a relic plant association found only in certain areas along California's coast where ideal soil and climatic conditions exist. It was really a lovely park to visit, and the self-guided nature trail is really well done! Redwood Regional Park is both a great place to bring young children and a welcome (and rare) redwood preserve in the East Bay. There are lots of great places to see redwoods in the far north-western portion of the state, all over Santa Cruz, and on the peninsula, but it's harder to find these beautiful trees in the warmer climates of the East Bay. I've been missing the redwoods since we moved to Livermore, and I am so glad to find this park, which is only about half an hour's drive from me.
To celebrate my birthday, I decided to do a 5.5-mile hike in gorgeous Morgan Territory. It was an absolutely perfect day, and I had a blast on this trail. To see LOTS more photos and to read the details of my hike click "read more."
I am featuring a guest photographer for this blog post: my brother, Will, who joined me on my hike at Almaden Quicksilver County Park in Santa Clara County south of downtown San Jose. Click "read more" to see his photos!
The 3.75-mile "lollipop" trail that I took this afternoon at Vargas Plateau Regional Park offered gorgeous views of both San Francisco Bay and Niles Canyon. I think that spring might be a better time to go than late winter--although the hills were a stunning emerald green, I can tell that this park will be even prettier when the wildflowers really get going, and it will definitely be easier to walk when the mud dries out a little. I was very glad to have worn my impermeable rain boots!
To celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, my husband and I made a return trip to Point Reyes National Seashore, which we visited last summer for the first time. Our daughter is now a more wilful toddler, and is rejecting her carrier more and more--so we had to tailor our "hikes" to extremely gentle walks.
The Earthquake Walk was one of those hikes, right across from the Bear Valley Visitor's Center in Olema. |
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