Not a hike, but a stop along the coastal highway along Big Sur, Bixby Bridge is a photogenic site to take in the beauty of the central coast.

Man, this park never disappoints! This was another wonderful trip to one of my favorite parks.

It's always fun to visit this POST trail on a fine day in late winter or early spring when the mustard is in full bloom.  This was a repeat visit of my trip last year and that was a repeat of the year before. This was my first time to bring my daughter, and I was delighted at how easy it was for us to bring her on the trail in her stroller!

San Pedro Valley County Park in Pacific is an excellent park to visit on a clear winter day, especially after there's been significant rain. The trail I took boasts a multi-tiered waterfall down Montara Mountain, lush eucalyptus forests, flowering manzanita trees, and views of the Pacific Ocean.

Natural Bridges State Park is mostly a beach park in the city of Santa Cruz; however, in November is a spectacular place to view migrating monarch butterflies!

From the state park's website:

The park's Monarch Grove provides a temporary home for thousands of Monarchs. In 2016, 8,000 Monarch Butterflies overwintered at Natural Bridges. From late fall into winter, the Monarchs form a "city in the trees." The area's mild seaside climate and eucalyptus grove provide a safe place for monarchs to roost until spring... The Monarch Grove has been declared a Natural Preserve, thus protecting these butterflies and their winter habitat from human encroachment or harm. This is the only State Monarch Preserve in California.

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park is a lovely park in the town of Aptos, near Santa Cruz. It features mostly 2nd and 3rd growth redwoods, and offers over 30 miles of trails. The Aptos Creek Fire Road is also pretty flat for the first section of the road, so it is also popular with cyclists. Once you get off the fire road, the trails are lovely for hikers!

Today was my last full day of getting to be with my daughter before returning to work from my maternity leave. To make the most of the day, we fulfilled an item on my bucket list: to get dessert at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay. Before getting dessert, we walked along the public-access coastside trail, which can be accessed for free from the hotel.

Portola Redwood State Park is a lovely state park not far from Silicon Valley. I used to live much closer to it when I lived in La Honda, but now it's about a 30-40 minute drive up into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Baby girl and I made the trip this afternoon, and it was so lovely to be back in the redwoods!

This was a return visit for me to Lands End, part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Last time I was here, I walked along the Coastal Trail to the Eagles Point Overlook and back.  This time, my friends and I walked past Mile Rock Overlook to Mile Rock Beach and Lands End Point and back. Then we explored the ruins of the Sutro Baths and had lunch at the Cliff House.

Milagra Ridge is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It is an island of reclaimed wildlife in San Mateo County that is surrounded by the urban developments of Pacifica and San Bruno. Here is the blurb about the park on the National Park website:

Surrounded by urban development, Milagra Ridge forms what biologists call an island ecosystem. Here, wildlife is isolated from other habitats, feeding and migration corridors are compromised and exotic species can easily invade native habitat. Despite this isolation, Milagra Ridge hosts a surprising number of threatened and endangered species including Mission blue and San Bruno elfin butterflies and the California red-legged frog.

I did not see any of those species, but I did see a coyote up close and personal! I also saw a brush rabbit and several hawks, one perched close to me (probably hunting rabbits!).

In addition to its natural beauty, Milagra Ridge offers a link to history:

In the late 1930s, the United States Army acquired Milagra Ridge as part of a project to defend the San Francisco Bay... In 1956, Nike Missile Site SF-51 was established at Milagra Ridge. These surface-to-air missiles were protection against attacking aircraft during the Cold War. The site was converted to the nuclear-capable Nike-Hercules system in 1958.

You can see the batteries where the WWII guns were once mounted and the bunkers where soldiers and lookouts waited. Also, the sites of the Cold War nuclear missile launchers are visible, although there is not much left there.

Read more to see photos and a trail map!