Tag Archives: Bay Area

Wildcat Peak via Laurel Canyon & Jewel Lake (Tilden Regional Park, CA)

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Truly unobstructed panoramas with views in all directions are a relative rarity in the Berkeley Hills of California’s East Bay, but Wildcat Peak in Berkeley’s Tilden Regional Park offers one of them with excellent vistas of the San Francisco Bay, … Continue reading →

Posted in California, East Bay, Moderate Hikes | Tagged Bay Area, Berkeley Hills, California, East Bay, Jewel Lake, lake, Laurel Canyon, loop hike, Sylvan Trail, Tilden, Tilden Regional Park, Wildcat Creek Trail, Wildcat Peak, Wildcat Peak Trail | 1 Comment

Mount Diablo via Macedo Ranch (Mount Diablo State Park, CA)

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Rising more than 3,000 feet above the valley floor, Mount Diablo (3,849’) is perhaps the most iconic peak in the East Bay, a behemoth for which the broader Diablo Range—which extends around 200 miles south into central California—is named. Most … Continue reading →

Posted in California, East Bay, Strenuous Hikes | Tagged Alamo, Bay Area, Burma Road, California, Deer Flat Road, Diablo Range, East Bay, Juniper Trail, loop hike, Macedo Ranch, Moses Rock Ridge, Mother's Trail, Mount Diablo, Mount Diablo State Park, Pine Ridge, Ridge View Trail, Stage Road Trail, summit, Summit Trail, Wall Point Road | 2 Comments

Fern Creek – Dipsea – Sun Trail Loop (Muir Woods National Monument, CA)

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Sure the towering California redwoods are lovely, but Muir Woods National Monument on the Marin Peninsula has become almost comically crowded, mobbed by throngs of locals and visitors to the San Francisco Bay Area alike. Visitors must now have advance … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Marin, Moderate Hikes, Mount Tamalpais State Park | Tagged Bay Area, California, Canopy View Trail, Dipsea Trail, Fern Creek, Fern Creek Trail, loop hike, Lost Trail, Marin, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Mountain Home Inn, Muir Woods, Panoramic Trail, Redwood Creek, Redwood Creek Trail, Redwood Trail, redwoods, Sun Trail | 1 Comment

Kelly Lake, Coit Lake, and Pacheco Falls Loop (Henry W. Coe State Park, CA)

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Central California’s Henry W. Coe State Park is a popular destination for Bay Area backpackers seeking to condition during the winter/spring season for trips to the Sierra Nevada later in the year. In fact, the terrain at Henry Coe is … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Strenuous Hikes | Tagged backpacking, Bay Area, California, Coit Lake, Coit Road, Coyote Creek, Dexter Trail, Diablo Range, Grizzly Gulch, Grizzly Gulch Trail, Henry Coe, Hunting Hollow, Kelly Lake, Kelly Lake Trail, lake, loop hike, Pacheco Falls, Serpentine Trail, South Bay, Steer Ridge, Steer Ridge Road, Tule Pond, Tule Pond Trail, Wagon Road, Wasno Ridge, waterfall | 1 Comment

Madrone Soda Springs – China Hole Loop (Henry W. Coe State Park, CA)

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

The second-largest state park in California, Henry Coe State Park spans 87,000 acres of rolling hillsides and stream valleys in the central Diablo Range. Most visitors stick to the “Western Zone,” accessed from the Coe Ranch Headquarters and Campground on … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Strenuous Hikes | Tagged Bay Area, California, China Hole, China Hole Trail, Coe Ranch, Corral Trail, Coyote Creek, Diablo Range, Forest Trail, Henry Coe, loop hike, Madrone Soda Springs, Manzanita Point, Soda Springs Canyon, South Bay, Springs Trail | 1 Comment

Middle Ridge – Manzanita Point Loop (Henry W. Coe State Park, CA)

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

At 87,000 acres, Henry Coe State Park is the second largest state park in California and offers a beautiful landscape of rolling hills and woody ridges in the Diablo Range southeast of the Bay Area. Lacking any towering peaks, Henry … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Strenuous Hikes | Tagged Bay Area, California, China Hole Trail, Coe Ranch, Corral Trail, Coyote Creek, Diablo Range, Frog Lake, Frog Pond, Henry Coe, Hobbs Road, loop hike, Manzanita Point, Middle Ridge, Middle Ridge Trail, Monument Trail, Pine Ridge, Poverty Flat, South Bay, Springs Trail | 2 Comments

Lafayette Ridge Trail to Russell Peak (Briones Regional Park, CA)

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

The East Bay’s Briones Regional Park is a hiker’s paradise, with dozens of interlocking trails traversing a scenic stretch of hills between the suburban centers of Lafayette, Orinda, and Pleasant Hill. Lafayette Ridge—a lengthy spine that stretches southeast from the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, East Bay, Strenuous Hikes | Tagged Bay Area, Briones, Briones Hills, California, East Bay, Lafayette, Lafayette Ridge, Lafayette Ridge Trail, Russell Peak | 1 Comment

Ridge Top – Indian Creek Trail Loop (Shell Ridge Open Space, CA)

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Winter and early spring is far and away the best time of year to hike in the East Bay, when temperatures are good and the rolling hillscapes—typically brown, dusty, and dry in summer—are lush and verdant. The jade-colored hues in … Continue reading →

Posted in California, East Bay, Moderate Hikes | Tagged Bay Area, Briones-to-Mt-Diablo Trail, California, Diablo Foothills, Diablo Range, East Bay, Indian Creek, Indian Creek Trail, loop hike, Mount Diablo, Ridge Top Trail, Ridge Trail, Shell Ridge, Walnut Creek | Leave a comment

Top 10 Hikes in 2020

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Well, what a strange year it has been. In the early days of 2020, it was hard to imagine that, by March, much of the world would be dealing with a global pandemic that would take the lives of millions … Continue reading →