About Bay Nature Hikes & Events

Throughout the year, Bay Nature Institute sponsors guided walks, hikes, and other types of outings to some of the parks and open spaces that we cover in the magazine. We find expert guides who can provide a deeper understanding of the places we visit, from Henry W. Coe State Park near Gilroy to Fort Funston in San Francisco to Tomales Dunes in West Marin.

These outings are without charge, except for fees for parking, park entrance, transport, or equipment rental (as in the case of kayak outings). Reservations are required for most outings and they almost always fill to their limit well before the date. To find out in advance about upcoming hikes, subscribe to the magazine and/or sign up on our hikes email list by writing to hikes@baynature.org.

Bay Nature also sponsors occasional community events and presentations.

Upcoming Bay Nature Hikes & Events

March 6: Castle Rock Hike with Phil Stoffer, read more>

March 20: Castle Rock Hike with Miles Standish, read more>

Recent Hikes & Events

Here are a few of the places we've gone in recent months:

January 2010

Bay Nature and Environmental Traveling Companions took a group of Bay Nature folks for a paddle on Tomales Bay during a short window of sun in a week of rain. We were searching for the ducks described in our article Rafting Time for Diving Ducks.

December 2009

Guides from Blue Waters Kayaking took us on a high-tide paddle through the one-year-old Giacomini Wetland, whose restoration is described in our article Just Add Water.

November 2009

East Bay Parks acquisition chief (and conservation visionary) Bob Doyle took Bay Nature readers on the first-ever public hike at Tyler Ranch, the park district's newest purchase and home to its 100,000th acre. A great way to celebrate 75 years of East Bay Regional Parks!

October 2009

Naturalist David Wimpfheimer and guides from Blue Waters Kayaking took us on a high-tide paddle through the one-year-old Giacomini Wetland, whose restoration is described in our article Just Add Water.

September 2009

Naturalist Cat Taylor took us "batting" at Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area in Pleasanton. After a potluck dinner, we headed down to the Arroyo del Valle to watch the emergence of several species of bats. Taylor wrote our July 2009 article A Night Out with the Bats.

August 2009

Naturalist David Herlocker took us on a tour of the oak galls of Mount Burdell Open Space Preserve in Novato, in conjunction with our article Old Blue: the Call of the Galls.

July 2009

Microbiologist Wayne Lanier and kite photographer Cris Benton led us out to their favorite spot at the South Bay salt ponds, an unassuming drainage ditch they have dubbed "The Weep." Check out their article from our July 2009 issue.

June 2009

An East Bay Regional Parks naturalist led a small-group paddle out to Brooks Island near Richmond -- a rare chance to see nesting Caspian terns. Read more about Brooks Island.

May 2009

We visited Mori Point to learn about the restoration work here, see great wildflowers and hear about rumrunning and other exciting episodes in the history of this park in Pacifica. Read more about Mori Point.

March 2009

Docent Dick Gehrer took a group of Bay Nature readers through Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, south of San Jose.We covered the park in our January article Out of the Blue, but hikers got to see the views, and wildflowers, firsthand. Bay Nature videographer Rick Bacigalupi came along and made a video of the hike.

February 2009

Raptor expert Joe DiDonato showed us around Sunol Regional Wilderness -- and took us to just the right spot for lunch, atop Flag Hill, where we saw several golden eagles at close range. A golden day! This was connected to our feature Raptor Rapture.

January 2009

We explored Morgan Territory with Mike Moran, among our region's most talented naturalists. We were searching for raptors, covered in our feature Raptor Rapture, but heavy fog and drizzle made for a wet but fun day.