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 sense before hitting the trails.
Interior Greenbelt/Mount Sutro
Mount Davidson
Tucked into San Francisco’s Miraloma neighborhood is forty-acre
Mount Davidson Park, home to the city’s tallest peak at 938 feet. The west side
of the park is covered with a dense eucalyptus forest, and the east side has
grassy expanses and panoramic views of downtown San Francisco. Perhaps the
best-known feature of Mount Davidson is the 103-foot cross that adorns its
summit.
Presidio Bay Area Ridge Trail
In the future, The Bay Area Ridge Trail will encompass 550 miles of trails. 365 miles of the trail are currently complete, and 10 miles run right through San Francisco. A great tree-covered stretch of this trail is in the Presidio.
My favorite aspects of the Presidio are history, art, and nature--and on this route, you visit all three. You’ll get your dose of military history at the National Cemetery Overlook and Rob Hill Campground, a former army lookout station and the only overnight campground in San Francisco. You'll take in large-scale art with Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire, a hundred-foot-tall sculpture made of cypress trees. And you'll stroll through two stretches of eucalyptus and cypress forest--with almost no trace of the city around you.
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 sense before hitting the trails.
Interior Greenbelt/Mount Sutro
The twenty-one-acre Interior Greenbelt and sixty-one-acre Mount SutroOpen Space Reserve are nestled between the northwest end of Twin Peaks and the
southeast end of Golden Gate Park. A single road, Medical Center Way, winds its
way through the parks. Together, they form a vast eucalyptus forest, the result
of a mass planting by Adolph Sutro in the late 1800s.
Start your hike at the wooden stairway just uphill
from the intersection of 17th and Stanyan streets. Take the Historic Trail, Cross Medical Center Way and after about 1 mile of total distance, take the South Ridge Trail and Nike Road up to the summit at 1.3 miles. Head back the way you came or try some of the parks' other trails to get back to your start.
Mount Davidson
Tucked into San Francisco’s Miraloma neighborhood is forty-acre
Mount Davidson Park, home to the city’s tallest peak at 938 feet. The west side
of the park is covered with a dense eucalyptus forest, and the east side has
grassy expanses and panoramic views of downtown San Francisco. Perhaps the
best-known feature of Mount Davidson is the 103-foot cross that adorns its
summit.
Start your hike on the Juanita Way stairs between Marne Avenue and Rex
Way. Pick up the forested trail and turn left at a T at 0.1 mile
(ignoring spur paths along the way). After 0.25 mile, turn right when your path
splits. (There will be a turnoff to the left just before this.) Continue until
you reach a fire road and stairway. Climb two flights of stairs and take a
right. Climb the next stairway and emerge behind the Mount Davidson cross at 0.6
mile. Walk around to the front and look up! Here's a full trail map if you want to take a different way back.
Presidio Bay Area Ridge TrailIn the future, The Bay Area Ridge Trail will encompass 550 miles of trails. 365 miles of the trail are currently complete, and 10 miles run right through San Francisco. A great tree-covered stretch of this trail is in the Presidio.
My favorite aspects of the Presidio are history, art, and nature--and on this route, you visit all three. You’ll get your dose of military history at the National Cemetery Overlook and Rob Hill Campground, a former army lookout station and the only overnight campground in San Francisco. You'll take in large-scale art with Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire, a hundred-foot-tall sculpture made of cypress trees. And you'll stroll through two stretches of eucalyptus and cypress forest--with almost no trace of the city around you.
Start your hike at the Presidio's Arguello Gate (just north of here) and follow the signs for the Bay Area Ridge Trail. The hike should have a good amount of tree cover until Rob Hill Campground, so you may want to turn around there instead of heading all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge.
So take a hike, stay dry, and we'll get through the rainy season together! Our city is green and gorgeous right now, so enjoy the lushness while it lasts.
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