Urban Hiker SF

Distance: 3.0 miles Elevation Gain: 10 feet High Point: 30 feet Difficulty: Easy Time: 2 ½ hours including stops at wineries Fitness: Walkers, hikers Family Friendly: Yes. The tasting rooms allow children in them. Dog Friendly : Yes, all wineries on this walk are dog friendly   Amenities: Restrooms at all of the wineries and in Jack London Square Marina, benches and picnic benches along the Bay Trail. Contact: City of Oakland GPS: 37° 47' 49.5132'' N 122° 15' 57.816'' W Map to: Lake Merritt BART Strava Route: https://www.strava.com/activities/1645656632 Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9qFaLGgRV61YoFZ8A Getting there: Public Transit: The hike starts and ends at Lake Merritt BART Parking: There is $3 parking at Lake Merritt BART station A short distance from the Bay Area are the world famous wine-growing regions of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. I love visiting wine country, but always wish it were just a bit closer. W...

Distance: 3.5 miles Elevation Gain: 690 feet High Point: 1,330 feet Difficulty: Moderate Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes Fitness: Hikers, walkers, runners Family Friendly: Dog Friendly : Dogs are allowed under voice control on park trails. There is a dog fee of $2 per dog. (No fee for guide/service dogs.) Fees are collected on weekends and major holidays. Amenities: Numerous restrooms and picnic areas throughout the park. Contact: East Bay Regional Park District GPS: 37° 49' 53.9544'' N 122° 11' 5.6616'' W Map to: Redwood Regional Park Skyline Gate Staging Area Strava Route: https://www.strava.com/activities/1526132512 There is just something so calming about hiking through redwoods. Perhaps it’s because as the tallest trees in the world, they make us realize just how small we are. Perhaps it’s because their thick canopy seems to block out the noise and chaos of the the outside world. Whatever it is, whenever I see them, I feel very l...

  Distance: 3.2 miles Elevation Gain: 700 feet High Point: 1,180 feet Difficulty: Moderate Time: 2 hours Fitness: Walkers, hikers Family Friendly: Yes, families who can’t hike too far can still visit the environmental education center and Tilden Little Farm. Dog Friendly : No Amenities: Visitor center, picnic areas, restrooms, children’s playground, drinking water Contact: East Bay Regional Parks GPS: 37° 54' 29.9952'' N 122° 15' 51.5304'' W Map to: Tilden Park Indian Camp, Kensington, CA Getting there: Take AC Transit Route 67 to the Canon Drive and Environmental Center stop, which leaves you just a few feet from the hike start. Parking: There is a parking lot with free parking at the end of Central Park Drive, but it can be very busy on weekends. William Penn Mott, the former director of the National Park Service and former Regional Parks general manager said that 740-acre Tilden Nature area and its environmental educati...

When I moved to San Francisco in 2007, my dad got me a copy of that year's San Zagat restaurant guide and a copy of Stairway Walks in San Francisco . These books became part of a growing collection of books that helped me explore my then new home. With the holiday season coming up, gifts are on many of our minds. Here I've chosen five of my favorite books about San Francisco, any of which would make a great gift for people who live in and love San Francisco. Full disclosure, my own book is in here , but I think it does make a fun gift!At the bottom of this list, I suggest some other books that I have not read yet, but that may also be great for lovers of San Francisco. My Favorite Books for Lovers of San Francisco     Stairway Walks in San Francisco is a classic for urban explorers. The ninth edition of this book includes 34 walks in neighborhoods as diverse as the city itself: Forest Knolls, Dogpatch, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, and more. What the walks all have in commo...

San Francisco is home to TEN beautiful mosaic stairways ( see map here ), but they were all inspired by one. The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project (2005) The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps project began in early 2003 when Sunset residents Jessie Audette and Alice Xavier decided to bring people together while beautifying their neighborhood. Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher were chosen as the project artists. The 163-step mosaic features a landscape that spans from the bottom of the ocean all the way to the sun in the sky. The inspiration for the steps came from Selarón’s staircase , a mosaic staircase in Rio de Janeiro named after artist Jorge Selarón. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on August 27, 2005–which the mayor’s office proclaimed “16th Avenue Tiled Steps Day.” Location: Moraga Street between 15th and 16th Avenues Hidden Garden Steps (2013) Inspired by the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, the neighboring Hidden Garden Steps were conceived in January 2010 and completed in November ...