Bay Area Hiking Trails

As you know, I'm a big fan of Tilden, though hiking isn't really my thing most of the time. Mt. Diablo is great too. If you live on the Contra Costa side of the tunnel, Mt. Diablo is the constant feature of the landscape and you are referencing it. You can actually see it as far as Stockton.

I would add Angel Island. I have never been myself, but friends who have, say that it is good hike, with good views and in an interesting location. Though I think it is a little hard to get to.

Hmm...haven't been to Angel Island but have heard good things. Where is it?

Got my butt kicked on a hike in Scottsdale the other day - had to actually bail early and deal with heat exhaustion for the next two hours. It actually made me appreciate our Bay Area fog that much more!

I think I have mentioned this before, but me and deserts don't mix. I think I would just lay around in bed if I lived anywhere like that.

Dumb question, but where is Scottsdale?

Scottsdale is the wealthy resort/retiree community outside of Phoenix. It is very nice, and very oven-like.

If you don't like desert weather, I wouldn't recommend going anywhere within a hundred miles of Scottsdale--though, as I remember it, the lawns were always lush and green.

@StephSF: Hiking in that area does sound outright dangerous. As a I remember though there were great hiking trails on Camelback Mountain--this was almost thirty years ago so I might not remember right.

It's only dangerous if you go at the wrong time of day, the wrong time of year. Locals can trail run the thing at 2 PM on a sweltering hot day in August, but if you don't know your limits and when to stop, you can seriously hurt yourself. I remember reading about the sheer quantity of rescues that happen there, as opposed to other, more oppressing hiking trails. I think the proximity to society combined with the visual appeal (it is cool-looking but appears relatively small and conquerable) makes it such a high-risk area, particularly for hiking novices.

Yet another reason why Bay Area hiking rocks...

And yes, @Nightowl - it is amazing how green the lawns remain in Scottsdale.

@StephSF: It is definitely about acclimation. I remember living in Phoenix and in the middle of cold, overcast Phoenix day (50 degrees, brrrrr!) a group of visiting Alaskan kids were sweating it at my apartment's pool, saying things like, "Man, isn't this weather great!"

I guess it all depends on what you're used to--as you said.

That's why I love living in Arizona--the great desert weather, the cool anti-immigrant politics--

Just kidding, I love the tangents we get into on this site, they're the best part. (Otherwise I might actually have to Google "Scottsdale" and learn something. I know, I'm lazy.)

@StephSF: I've been thinking of getting out more (starting to feel a little middle aged--what's a good beginner trail for hikers in the Bay Area? And other than a good pair of shoes and water should I take anything else?

@Flowergirl - bring a camera! And some snacks - I always forget how hungry I get! My recommendation for beginner trails in an accessible environment is either Big Basin or Castle Rock State Parks - they are both in the Santa Cruz mountains and have some really nice vistas. Big Basin probably has the better views but Castle Rock is easier to get to. Mount Tam also has some nice hikes on it that are pretty manageable.

I don't know too much about the East Bay, other than what I've done at Tilden, Diablo, and the 20-miler at Sunol Regional County Park, which is actually a pretty cool spot. None of these places are massively accessible from Berkeley, but all of them are somewhat accessible and are completely manageable no matter what level of fitness you are.

There are plenty more that I don't even know about, so you can also try going here: http://www.bahiker.com/ The site is consistently updated and has plenty of options.

I am definitely going to have to try out that Big Basin trail. It sounds great.

@StephSF: I definitely brought the snacks, but I need to work on the camera. I've never been much of a shutter bug. That was great advice--I found a nice spot with a great view and had my snack right there.

OKAY - I know this is definitely not a beginner hike, and is definitely somewhat outside of the Bay Area, but if you are looking to do an awesome, mega-classic, once-in-a-lifetime adventure, then Half Dome in Yosemite National Park is one of the best hikes you will ever do. I just did it on Tuesday and it was incredible.

The trail starts in the valley and meanders up about 3/4 of a mile on an uphill, paved road to the base of Vernal Falls (the last treated water source before the summit). Once there, you follow a steep (read: STEEP) set of rock stairs steps up to the top of Vernal Falls via the mist trail. Continue to follow the trail and you will be sent up another, slightly more graded rock staircase to the summit of Nevada Falls, where you can take a brief 0.2 mile detour to hang your head over the top of the falls.

From there, endure a little bit more of uphill around Liberty Cap and you will be rewarded with a flat mile or so of hiking to Little Yosemite campground, through sequoia groves and along the Merced River. Eventually, the trail peels off toward Cloud's Rest, and you are left with the last two miles of the Half Dome trail ahead of you. One more mile of gradual uphill, going into a steeper climb, will lead you to the base of the big objective.

The first half of the hike over the dome is a steep walk over the granite - half on rock stair steps, half across sheer granite rock face. There are a few moments where you may have to navigate your way back to the trail before it turns into a true rock scramble, but the obvious summit ahead serves as an obvious objective. Eventually, you will do a quick downhill scramble to the final challenge: the cables.

The Half Dome cables hang on the rock year-round, but are generally set up from late spring-mid-fall only. When they are "down," they are actually still there, but the hand rails and foot bases are no longer there to assist. You need a permit during the summer months if you hike on a Friday-Sunday, so as to prevent over-use (and danger to other hikers).

I can only speak to what it was like to climb it with the cables down, but it was an intense process! At first glance, the rock appears to be sheer vertical, although when you get closer to it, it is more of a 45 degree grade over the last 400 vertical feet of the climb. While it can technically be climbed free of equipment - the cables are a great hand rail and the granite provides solid friction under foot - I would not recommend trying it this way. I did see two other hikers go this route and managed to get to the top just fine, but one fall would have meant certain injury and a likely death.

If you do choose to go up the cables in the off-season, I would recommend wearing a climbing harness and using webbing or cordelette to tie friction knots into the cables with carabiners clipping the knots directly to the harness. There are many places where you need to untie and retie when you arrive at bolts, so be sure to double up on equipment - add before you subtract!

When the cables are up, you do not need any professional equipment, but they do provide and recommend that you wear gloves! In the off season, don't forget to bring your own. Going to the top is a personal decision and I cannot dictate what you do one way or the other, but you should know the consequences before attempting something that is out of your reach.

It may seem technically demanding, but the summit makes it all worthwhile. The only thing that beats the 360 degree panoramic views of the entire park is the pride and knowledge that you have set foot on the highest monolith in the valley, a place that the guidebooks had once written up as a place that would never see a human being.

Don't forget that what goes up, must come down! The descent is equally demanding in a different way, although the out-and-back nature of the walk serves as a great indicator of where, exactly, you are on your journey. This walk can be done as a one-day super hike, or a slightly more casual overnight backpack.

Intense as it may sound, during the on-season, this adventure is well within the reach of any fit person, or even an individual who is out of shape but spends time training for it. Happy adventuring!

@StephSF: That sounds pretty cool. Half Dome is the one that Ansel Adams took a photograph of isn't it? I didn't realize you could climb it--I thought it was like Mt. Rushmore

Hey @Flowergirl - I am not sure, I think he might have taken lots of photographs? It's pretty iconic and I've uploaded a picture in my profile to give a frame of reference. It's actually the rock after which the North Face logo was modeled.

Anyway, it used to be deemed "unclimbable," but the cables make it accessible now. There are actually several ways to get up it. You can go the way I went during the on-season with the cables, or during the off-season with minimal gear. There is a climbers' route up the opposite side (the west I think?) that requires safety equipment but is climbable by humans. And then, for those of us who are advanced enough (not me), there are numerous routes up the North Face, all of which involve extensive gear, climbing up ascenders, and sleeping on the rock face as it takes multiple days to get to the top!!!

The one he took from Merced River I think is the iconic one. It's all over the place on the internet a simple google search turns it up.