Up and Down at Point Reyes

April 1, 2009 •  by

If the Sweet Lumber Company had had its way, the landscape of Inverness Ridge in West Marin would be more tree farm than forest. In the 1950s the company built a mill pond and started logging the giant Douglas fir … Read more

Waterfalls!

February 27, 2009 •  by

One of the special rewards of a rainy season hike is the sight and sound of a trailside waterfall.

Out of the Blue

January 1, 2009 •  by

This massive South Bay preserve, which is still being assembled, forms a critical link in the chain of protected landscapes in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Two Napa Trail Guides

October 1, 2008 •  by

Go looking for a hiking guide to the Napa area, and you’re immediately faced with the choice between two books with almost identical titles. With very similar photos on their covers. Even the authors’ names are somewhat similar. The first, … Read more

Mindego Ranch Hikes

October 1, 2008 •  by

On the Ridge Trail at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve near La Honda, face east and you can see from Mount Hamilton to Mount Diablo. Face west and the most prominent feature amid thousands of acres of grasslands and woodlands … Read more

Making a Strait Loop

July 1, 2008 •  by

Thanks to a collaboration between the regional Bay and Ridge Trails, a new loop trail will soon link the north sides of the Carquinez Strait.

Book Review: Peninsula Tales and Trails

October 1, 2007 •  by

Peninsula Tales and Trails, by David Weintraub, Graphics Arts Books, 2004, 384 pages, $19.95 By any standard, Peninsula Tales and Trails is the most detailed, comprehensive guide to Peninsula parklands and trails ever written, offering much more than just directions … Read more

Book Review: Stairway Walks in San Francisco

October 1, 2007 •  by

Stairway Walks in San Francisco, by Adah Bakalinsky, Wilderness Press, 2004, 212 pages, $14.95 “A good walk is an organism of mysterious nuances that can affect us in subtle ways, from quiet harmoniousness to ebullience, from languor to exuberance,” writes … Read more

Bay Area Ridge Trail

October 1, 2007 •  by

The Bay Area is home to several regional trails, from the Bay Trail near the water’s edge up to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which traverses the high points of our landscape. The ultimate goal of this latter project is … Read more

The Summit Loop Hike

July 1, 2007 •  by

This strenuous 5.3-mile hike circumambulates Mount Diablo’s summit, and traverses many of the mountain’s geological and botanical features. When I was there in early April 2006, the air was startlingly clear, and the snowy masses of the Sierra Nevada and … Read more