Urban Hiker SF

This hike is based on a hike that you'll find in my second book,  Urban Trails: East Bay . 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 Na...

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...

Updated July 2025    When I moved to San Francisco in 2007, my dad got me a copy of that year's Zagat restaurant guide and a copy of Stairway Walks in San Francisco Stairway Walks in San Francisco . These books became part of a growing collection that helped me explore my then-new home.    With the holiday season approaching, gifts are on many people's 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: I mention one of my own books here, but I do 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 tenth edition includes 39 walks in neighborhoods as diverse as the city itself: F...