The South Bay
Like most of the Bay Area, the South Bay is full of variety in both terrain and ecosystems to hike in. You'll find every ecosystem from the sloughs at the southern most tip of the bay, prime spots for seeing many migratory bird species, to the huge Oak and Bayberry shaded forest, home to deer and Mountain Lions (don't worry I've seen plenty of deer but no Mountain Lions yet!). At the somewhat tenuous "border" between the South Bay and the Peninsula region you'll even encounter some Redwood forests. There is similar diversity in the types of terrain from flat, paved multi-use trails to narrow, single track dirt paths that follow each and every rise and fall of a rugged mountainside.
Some of the following categories are, to say the least, meant to be loosely interpreted. For instance some of the locations in the SF Bay Trail list are actually Open Space Preserves. However, some of the trails within the preserve are part of the Bay Trail so it seemed right to include them there. To be honest, rather than being set-in-stone categorizations presenting them in this manner was more a way of avoiding presenting you with just a really, really long list of hikes.
All that said, it's time to start your journey and pick a trail and start hiking! Anything in green I've hiked at least some part of and recorded my observations. I've also hiked a good percentage of the other trails I've listed here just not recent enough to remember them well enough to post anything meaningful (on my ToDo list to hike again though).
Some of the following categories are, to say the least, meant to be loosely interpreted. For instance some of the locations in the SF Bay Trail list are actually Open Space Preserves. However, some of the trails within the preserve are part of the Bay Trail so it seemed right to include them there. To be honest, rather than being set-in-stone categorizations presenting them in this manner was more a way of avoiding presenting you with just a really, really long list of hikes.
All that said, it's time to start your journey and pick a trail and start hiking! Anything in green I've hiked at least some part of and recorded my observations. I've also hiked a good percentage of the other trails I've listed here just not recent enough to remember them well enough to post anything meaningful (on my ToDo list to hike again though).
City Parks & Streets |
County Parks
|
Open Space Preserves
|
San Francisco Bay Trail
|
State Parks
|