Urban Hiker SF

2016 is the National Park Centennial, and this year, I was lucky enough to visit a number of national parks including Arches, Canyonlands, and Yosemite.  To reach Arches and Canyonlands, we flew to Utah and then drove for hours to reach the parks. To get to Yosemite, we rented a car, and again, drove for hours. Visiting these parks gave me the impression that you had to go far in order to visit natural treasures. While that sometimes that is true, if you live in the Bay Area, there are a number of national treasures right in your back yard. With a quick look at a list of national parks in California , I found six that I could get to in an hour or less!  Hikers on the Lands End Labyrint h 1. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA ) The GGNRA was established in 1972 and now encompasses more than 75,000 acres on both sides of the Golden Gate, the body of water that links the Pacific Ocean with the San Francisco Bay. Many of the national parks below...

Many of us read the book or saw the movie Wild and were inspired by Cheryl Strayed's trek along the 2,600+ mile Pacific Crest Trail . Hiking the PCT is a massive accomplishment and not surprisingly, it takes most people five months to complete. But, in case you don't have that sort of time right now, not to worry—there are plenty of adventures to embark upon a little closer to home. In fact, there are four 500+-mile-long trails that pass right through San Francisco. Each of these covers at least 10 miles in the city—and has plenty more mileage just outside city limits Here's a list of these epic trails ordered from shortest to longe st . Heron's Head Park on the California Coastal Trail 1. Bay Trail   The Bay Trail will be 500 miles long when completed, extending as far north as Napa and as far south as Milpitas. In San Francisco, the route traces the bay from Candlestick Point State Recreation Area to the Golden Gate Bridge...

So just like that, March is here and with it came El Niño in full force. It's been raining on and off for days with more rain and an even an atmospheric river (?!) hitting the city this weekend. While it's tempting to hide inside, sometimes you just need to brave the rain and enjoy the great outdoors. I don't particularly like rain or getting wet, so when it's dreary outside, I prefer hikes with a good amount of tree cover. The trees can shield you from the rain and you also won't be hiking up a large hill only to miss out on views that disappear with clouds, fog, or precipitation. So if you're going stir crazy at home like I am, here are a few hikes you can enjoy as we make it through this El Niño together. Note that these hikes are best done in gray weather or light rain —not in the middle of an torrential downpour. Many of these trails run through eucalyptus forests , and eucalyptus trees are brittle and can fall and harm you in a storm! Use common sens...