Category: State Parks

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Hiking Upper Ritchey Canyon at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

The forest at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park on the Upper Ritchey Canyon Trail are recovering from a fire that occurred in 2020.
The forest at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park on the Upper Ritchey Canyon Trail are recovering from a fire that occurred in 2020.

The hike to Upper Ritchey Canyon at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is challenging, but along the way you can see a forest that is in recovery from a fire that burned through parts of it in 2020.

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Hiking Dipsea Trail To Muir Woods National Monument

The Dipsea Trail at Mount Tamalpais State Park hikes you though the serenity of the tall trees.
The Dipsea Trail at Mount Tamalpais State Park hikes you though the serenity of the tall trees.

This hike takes you under lush canopy at Mount Tamalpais State Park, up steep stairs, gives you a fantastic view overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and then you hike among the Redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument. But it’s also difficult for me to get excited about this hike.

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Hiking Steep Ravine/Matt Davis Loop at Mount Tamalpais State Park

The Matt Davis Trail at Mount Tamalpais offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.
The Matt Davis Trail at Mount Tamalpais offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

The Steep Ravine Trail at Mount Tamalpais State Park is a beautiful trail to hike, and I’ve written about it previously. I combined this trail with the Matt Davis Trail to make a loop on the west side of Mount Tamalpais.

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Hiking the Grand Loop at Mount Diablo State Park

The view from Mount Diablo can be stunning when the surrounding hills are green.
The view from Mount Diablo can be stunning when the surrounding hills are green.

The views from Grand Loop Hike at Mount Diablo  State Park are sweeping from all directions, and we wanted to see what we could see from the grand loop hike. While worth it, this is not an easy hike.

We hiked the trails that circled the top of Mount Diablo in February to see the hills when they were green and to avoid summer heat exhaustion and dehydration issues. The scenery was beautiful, and we could see into downtown San Francisco in the distance as we looked out from above the Juniper Campground on an offshoot trail.

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Hiking Mountain Trail to Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail at Jack London State Historic Park

The view from the nearly the end of the Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail looks into the distance to Mount Diablo.
The view from the nearly the end of the Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail looks into the distance to Mount Diablo.

While the jewel hike at Jack London State Historic Park is the Mountain Trail to its highest point, another good hike is the Sonoma Mountain Ridge Hike.

The hike starts off on the Lake Trail to London Lake from the Upper Parking Lot. As you begin, you hike past a picnic area, winery ruins and the distillery and turn and hike past a vineyard. Follow Mountain Trail which is a service road next to the wooded area. We stayed on Mountain Road as we passed an intersection where another trail leads to the London Lake.

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Hiking Trojan Point to McKennan Gulch Trail via the Coast Trail at Mount Tamalpais State Park

The view from the Coast Trail on Mount Tamalpais from the north the south can offer a stunning green and blue contrast.
The view from the Coast Trail on Mount Tamalpais from the north the south can offer a stunning green and blue contrast.

If the weather is right, the views from the Coast Trail on Mount Tamalpais of the Pacific Ocean can be striking. During the right time of the year, the hills are beautifully green with a beautiful blue ocean background to the west, or sweeping green hills as you look north and south.

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Hiking Fern Canyon/James Irvine Trail in Northern California

The ancestry of the ferns in Fern Canyon at Prairie Redwoods State Park can be traced back 325 million years.
The ancestry of the ferns in Fern Canyon at Prairie Redwoods State Park can be traced back 325 million years.

Fern Canyon on the Northern California Coast is a very green must do hike. The 50-foot high walls are covered with ferns that include lady fern, wood fern, five-finger fern, deer fern, leather leaf fern, and sword fern, and their lineage can be traced back 325 million years. Fern Canyon is beautiful, and as well as the James Irvin Trail.

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Hiking Crags Trail to Castle Dome at Castle Crags State Park

A pair of crags tower over the end of the Crags Trail at Castle Crags State Park.
A pair of crags tower over the end of the Crags Trail at Castle Crags State Park.

Iwon’t sugar coat this. The hike to Castle Dome at Castle Crags State Park is not easy… especially on a hot day.

The hike starts off easy enough on the wide Root Creek Trail under forested canopy, but then you come to a junction about .3 miles in where you make a left turn, and then the climbing begins. Roughly after 500 feet, you will intersect with and cross over the Pacific Crest Trail.

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Hiking Creamery Meadow, Bluffs, Panorama and Ridge Trail at Andrew Molera State Park

The view from Panoramic Trail looking over the Pacific Ocean from above the marine layer.
The view from Panoramic Trail looking over the Pacific Ocean from above the marine layer.

Andrew Molera State Park at Big Sur offers beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and the nearby mountains. While the hike to see some of the views is challenging in places, it is worth it.

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Hiking the Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park

The Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park once produced apples, apricots, pears, plums, and prunes.
The Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park once produced apples, apricots, pears, plums, and prunes.

The hike to the Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park is mild. The one-time 100 acre orchard once produced apples, apricots, pears, plums, and prunes. The orchard is a casual hike, but getting there is a hike up and down hills and through forests.

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Hiking Sunset Trail, Mount Livermore and North Ridge Trail on Angel Island

The views from the top of Angel Island offer a 360 degree view of the San Francisco Bay.
The views from the top of Angel Island offer a 360 degree view of the San Francisco Bay.

The views from the top of Mount Livermore on Angel Island State Park of the San Francisco Bay are incredible on a clear day. You can see the San Francisco Skyline, the East Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills of Marin County and much more.

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Hiking the Burma Blast at Mount Diablo State Park

The views from Mount Diablo are far and sweeping.
The views from Mount Diablo are far and sweeping.

This hike up Burma Road, the Burma Blast, at Mount Diablo State Park is a son of a b*tch. So a friend really wanted to this hike because it was labeled the “the toughest hike in the Bay Area.” I don’t know if it’s the toughest, but it was a challenge. And the views over the Bay Area, to the north, east and south were worth it.

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Hiking Mountain Trail to Cowan Meadow Trail

The view from the high point on Mountain Trail at Jack London State Historic Park is spectacular.
The view from the high point on Mountain Trail at Jack London State Historic Park is spectacular.

Jack London State Historic Park is becoming one of my favorite places to hike. It has redwoods, oak forests, foothills, ridges and very scenic views. The hike up Mountain Trail to High Point is worth the effort and is spectacular.

The hike starts off on the Lake Trail to London Lake from the Upper Parking Lot. As you begin, you hike past a picnic area, winery ruins and the distillery and turn and hike past a vineyard. Follow Mountain Trail which is a service road next to the wooded area. We stayed on Mountain Road as we passed an intersection where another trail leads to London Lake.

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River Canyon Trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park

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River Canyon Trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park is the poorest maintained trail I’ve ever hiked. Parts of the trail should be closed as a safety hazard due to the poor upkeep of it. If the trail were maintained, this could be a really nice hike through the forest down to the North Fork of the Stanislaus River. Instead, I should have worn my heavier off-trail boots for parts of this trail.

I hate to start the hiking season off with a downer summary, but I want to get the word out before anybody might consider going to this state park.

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Hiking Bald Mountain at Sugarloaf State Park

The view from Bald Mountain is sweeping. This panoramic photograph does not capture the curvature of the earth as you turn 360 degrees to look around you.
The view from Bald Mountain is sweeping. This panoramic photograph does not capture the curvature of the earth as you turn 360 degrees to look around you.

You have to work for it, but the view from the top of Bald Mountain is spectacular on a clear day. What makes it so spectacular is that as you take in a 360 degree view from the top, you can see the earth curve as you turn your head from landmark to landmark in all directions – something no picture can capture.

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Hiking the Steep Ravine Trail – Dipsea Trail Loop

The Steep Ravine Trail on Mount Tamalpias follows Webb Creek through a lush Redwood forest.
The Steep Ravine Trail on Mount Tamalpias follows Webb Creek through a lush Redwood forest.

If you like hiking under Redwood trees next to running water and waterfalls, then the Steep Raving Trail is the hike for you if you do it at the right time of the year. By that, it’s good to go during or after a good rain when the waterfalls will be flowing.

The trail is called Steep Ravine for a reason. You will descend 1,084 feet on a 9 percent grade slightly over 2 miles. For the most part, it’s gentle, but the beginning is steep. If the water is running, it’s worth it. Continue reading “Hiking the Steep Ravine Trail – Dipsea Trail Loop”

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