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Take a trip outdoors with our guide to the three best hiking excursions in the Bay Area.
1. Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
Some 10 million years ago, mastodons, three-toed horses and strange, camel-like creatures roamed the Miocene savannah of what is now the Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, one of the first East Bay regional parks. Out in the Pacific, the island of Kauai was being created by volcanic eruptions — and here, in what is now the Oakland Hills, Round Top volcano was planning a magma show of its own.
The mountain blew its top, scattering debris over a wide area before collapsing in on itself. The lava flows, which oozed from the vents of four volcanoes, formed the backbone of the East Bay ridges from Moraga to Tilden Park.
On this particular day, we’re headed to Sibley to get a close-up look at our geologic history. At the Sibley staging area off Skyline Boulevard, we grab a map and self-guided tour pamphlet before heading up the paved road, which becomes the 1.7 mile Round Top loop trail.
The trail
At the top of the rise, next to the water tank — a handsome specimen, as water tanks go — hikers will find a plaque highlighting the preserve’s geology, the first stop on the self-guided tour. Continue down the loop trail to the left and you’ll emerge from the forest into open grasslands and shrubs, where big views of the park’s valley unfold.
Head through the cattle gate to the first trail junction and turn right to find the quarry overlook, the site of extensive lava rock extraction, which exposed the interior of the volcano and allowed scientists a rare look inside. Down below, you can catch a view of the large, whimsical rock labyrinth created 30 years ago by Montclair artist Helena Mazzariello.
It’s not the only one. If you stride back to the junction and onto the Volcanic Trail, you’ll find not only other geo-tour sites but several other labyrinths of mysterious origin.
And right above these artworks, a trek up a short path yields 360-degree views of San Francisco and the Bay, Marin, San Pablo Reservoir, Mt. Diablo and Round Top. Some say that on a super-clear day you can see the Sierra Nevada.
Back on the trail, the brilliant green grasses contrast against jet-black basalt outcroppings. The blooming Scotch broom is especially colorful. And as you near the end of the Volcanic Trail, the aptly named Pond Trail beckons — or you can double back to the staging area on the Quarry Trail, which takes you down into the valley, intersects with the Skyline Trail and eventually returns you to the parking lot. The path is shaded and peaceful, but beware, it’s all uphill going back.
2. Mount Umunhum
This 3,486-foot peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains, in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, has been basking in joyous news for several months — as have Bay Area residents, who have been eagerly awaiting access to its summit for decades.
A sacred site to Native Americans, Umunhum, which means “resting place of the hummingbird” in the Ohlone language, became a hot spot during the Gold Rush, when an influx of settlers arrived to work the nearby mercury mines, a metal necessary to the gold extraction process, and later planted grapevines and orchards.
In 1957, during the height of the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force established the Almaden Air Force Station here as an early warning radar installation and barred access to the summit and surrounding lands. The base closed in 1980, when satellite technology rendered the station obsolete. The summit and new trails finally opened to the public last fall. Of course, you can drive to the top, but hiking the beautiful new Mount Umunhum trail has its own rewards.
The trail
Head up Mount Umunhum Road, park at the Bald Mountain trail lot and cross the street to reach the trailhead. The trail, which is 7.4 miles round trip, is rated moderate with an 1,150foot vertical gain. The first portion is in open land, but for most of the journey you are nestled under the cover of an ever-changing ecosystem as you gain altitude.
Trip through manzanita and mountain mahogany, dodge an abundance of shiny-leafed poison oak and you’ll come to the Guadalupe Creek Lookout, just off the trail, where you can see the Santa Clara Valley unfolding below. In the distance, an ample waterfall cascades off a rock escarpment. Pause at one of the trail’s bridges to take in the soothing sounds of water, pass the ruins of a settler’s cabin and revel in the shade of live oaks, madrone and bay trees.
The summit lies just ahead, with its huge concrete monolith, which housed the radar installation, and stunning vistas: the entire Santa Clara Valley, Mt. Diablo and Mt. Hamilton, Monterey Bay and the Pacific coast. The summit has been tastefully outfitted with walkways, stairs, interpretive stops and viewpoints to take in the whole experience.
Back down at the parking area, if you haven’t had enough hiking for the day — or if you didn’t have time for the “big” hike — the Bald Mountain lookout trail, 1.4 miles out and back, offers another super viewpoint and vistas of the surrounding wild lands, Mt. Loma Prieta and a great look at Mount Umunhum.
Mount 3. Tamalpais loop
If you’ve lived in Marin County for more than 10 minutes, then you know that the hiking possibilities and wondrous terrain around Mount Tamalpais are almost limitless. There are more than 50 miles of hiking trails in this park alone.
On this day, we’re taking a highly recommended loop, starting from the Pantoll ranger station on the Panoramic Highway, descending the Steep Ravine Trail to the Dipsea Trail and back up to the ranger station via the Matt Davis Trail, a total of 7 miles over 1,500-foot vertical elevation.
From Pantoll, the Steep Ravine Trail dives immediately down the they weren’t-kidding steep canyon to an idyllic wonderland of redwoods, firs and ferns. Webb Creek, especially in the winter and spring, delights with waterfalls and cascades. Watch your step on the trail — there are a few frightful drop-offs — and you’ll find lush wildflowers, staircases, bridges and even a midtrail ladder to negotiate, before exiting the ravine into a more coastal environment on the Dipsea, heading to Stinson Beach. The views are sublime of beach, shoreline village and Bolinas Lagoon.
Take time to explore the town and grab a bite to eat before heading for the Matt Davis Trail. A fire station near Highway 1 marks the spot and your return over these spectacular ridges.