25 Years of Exploring Bay Area Trails
Welcome to Bay Nature’s mini-guide to 25 Bay Area trails in some of our favorite places, ranging from peaks and valleys to redwoods and tidal marshes, described in 25 stories from Bay Nature‘s archives. Then use our AllTrails maps (you’ll find one on each story page) to get out exploring.
This project is part of our special Explore issue for Summer 2025.
Bay Nature is proud to partner with the AllTrails Impact Team. By partnering with AllTrails, Bay Nature is helping to keep visitors prepared, informed, and ready for the trails.
25 Trail Tales
North Bay
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Howell Mountain Forest Opens in Napa, a First in 110 Years
Pacific Union College Demonstration and Experimental Forest in Napa. Trail: 4.5 mi, 370 ft elevation gain, loop
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Grasslands with Soaring Pacific Views and Hawks
Jenner Headlands Preserve in Jenner. Trail: 15.5 mi, 3,690 ft elevation gain, out & back
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The Nature of Marin’s Famed Dipsea Trail
Mount Tamalpais State Park in Mill Valley. Trail: 14 mi, 4,107 ft elevation gain, out-and-back
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Tribal Chairman Sarris on the Charms of Tolay Lake
Tolay Lake Regional Park in Sonoma. Trail: 3.1 mi, 164 ft elevation gain, loop
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Rocking Out on Geology at Kehoe Beach
Point Reyes National Seashore. Trail: 2.5 mi, 95 ft elevation gain, out-and-back
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Waist Deep in North Bay Wetlands
San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge in Sonoma. Trail: 8 mi, 9 ft elevation gain, out-and-back
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Ancient Redwoods and Camping in Mendocino
Hendy Woods State Park in Philo. Trail: 3.6 mi, 282 ft elevation gain, loop
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Rebecca Solnit on Marin’s Mount Burdell
Mount Burdell Open Space Preserve in Novato. Trail: 3.4 mi, 610 ft elevation gain, loop
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Trekking Above the Verdant Napa Valley
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park in Calistoga. Trail: 19.7 mi, 5,177 ft elevation gain, out-and-back
East Bay
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The Patwin People and Solano County Open a Park
Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park in Fairfield. Trail: 4.4 mi, 744 ft elevation gain, loop
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California’s Diablo Range and Mount Diablo
Mount Diablo State Park in Clayton. Trail: 7.7 mi, 2,208 ft elevation gain, loop
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Six Parks, One Campsite, and 32 Miles
East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail: 32.9 mi, 5,725 ft elevation gain, point-to-point
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Western Sycamores Speak of an Older California
Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore. Trail: 5 mi, 88 ft elevation gain, loop
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East Bay Tidal Marsh Restored for Birds and People
Eden Landing Ecological Preserve in Union City. Trail: 4.7 mi, 36 ft elevation gain, loop
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Old Oaks Fleck Franklin Ridge Above Martinez
John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez. Trail: 7.8 mi, 1,505 ft elevation gain, out-and-back
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Finding Joaquin Miller Amid the Redwoods
Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland. Trail: 33.1 mi, 524 ft elevation gain, loop
South Bay
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Santa Clara County Serpentine Grasslands
“Máyyan ‘Ooyákma – Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve in Morgan Hill. Trail: 5.3 mi, 971 ft elevation gain, loop
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A Santa Cruz Forest Reborn, After a Century Off-Limits
San Vicente Redwoods in Santa Cruz. Trail: 4.4 mi, 442 ft elevation gain, loop
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The Guadalupe River and the Hidden Heart of San José
Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose. Trail: 9.5 mi, 137 ft elevation gain, point-to-point
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Rare Coastal Prairie and Beach at Franklin Point
Año Nuevo State Park in Pescadero. Trail: 0.7 mi, 55 ft elevation gain, out-and-back
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Above Silicon Valley, Black Mountain’s Rich Natural History
Montebello Open Space Preserve in Los Altos Hills. Trail: 5.5 mi, 1,092 ft elevation gain, loop
San Francisco
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Butterflies in the Fog on a Peak in San Francisco
San Bruno Mountain State and County Park. Trail: 3.6 mi, 705 ft elevation gain, loop
