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...

Distance: 3.6 miles Elevation Gain: 740 feet High Point: 1,630 feet Difficulty: Moderate Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Fitness: Walkers, hikers, runners Family Friendly: Yes Dog Friendly: Yes, off-leash walking is permitted. Amenities: Picnic benches and a portapotty are available at the Quarry Picnic area where the hike starts and ends. A few other benches are found along the trail. Contact: East Bay Regional Park District GPS: 37° 54' 1.4868'' N 122° 15' 0.2952'' W Map to: Quarry Picnic Site, Wildcat Canyon Road, Berkeley, CA Strava Route: https://www.strava.com/activities/1378805274   About Tilden Regional Park: Once Ohlone ancestral land, this area then was used by the Spanish and then Mexicans who began ranching here. Americans continued the ranching tradition and eucalyptus forests were planted around 1910 by Frank C. Havens' Eucalyptus, Mahogany, & Land Company. Tilden Regional Park became a park on July 16, 1936 and was named for Charles Le...