San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Fall back in love with the Bay Area.
To discover the full scope of what the region has to offer, start with these adventures
With hundreds of outdoor recreation destinations, the Bay Area is fertile ground for exploring — even during the coronavirus pandemic, given that the rate of outdoor transmission of the virus is very low. With bikeable hills, stellar views and countless hiking trails, the Bay Area has something for people of every ability and fitness level. Venture to the best of each category as a bucket list, and then see what is available and explore the lesserknown sites at more remote locations. Hike to a view
The top of 788foot Mount Livermore on Angel Island provides an eyepopping view for tourists and Bay Area residents alike. Looking west, the entrance to the bay frames the Golden Gate Bridge, dramatic even in fog, when the towers often poke through the fog layer. The bay extends across to the San Francisco waterfront, with a silhouette of the city’s skyline, passing ships, sailboats and shorebirds. Getting there requires a ferryboat ride and then a roundtrip hike of 4.5 miles. Tickets for the Angel IslandTiburon Ferry are available in advance at https://angelisland ferry.com. From the dock at Ayala Cove, walk to the visitor center at the back of cove and get a map if available or study the one posted. The route is simple: Take Perimeter Road a short distance to the Sunset Trail. Turn left and take the Sunset Trail into the interior of the park, and then connect Summit Ridge to the North Ridge Trail. Angel Island State Park, 4154355390, www.parks.ca.gov. For more hikes, see Page W46.
Bike the hills
On a mountain bike, ride out on paved Nimitz Way in Tilden Park, with pretty foothill views and a glimpse of San Pablo Reser
voir off to your right. At 4.1 miles, the route turns to dirt, and to your left, continues through a gate. As you ride, you will see a series of hilltops that rise up along the route.
Lay your bike down in the grass and hike up to a summit for the bigtime 360, surrounded by miles of wildernesslike foothills, with views across San Pablo Bay to Mount Tamalpais. 10mile round trip. Tilden Regional Park, 8883272757, option 3, ext. 4562; PDF map www.ebparks.org. For more cycling routes, see Page W12.
Watch wildlife
Seeing the elk at Point Reyes is often as simple as driving to the parking lot at Pierce Ranch, where a group of young bull elk often hang around within viewing range. The Tomales Point Trail provides the best adventure, where you hike north on the service road, on the lookout for game trails on your right. Trace out the trails, staying quiet and low, then peer over ridges with binoculars to find the big bulls with their harems. Always fun, easy and exciting.
You also find lookout points with views of the ocean to the west, Tomales Bay and miles of coastal hills to the east. Expect to walk about 4 miles, round trip, or extend your hike to Tomales Point, 4.7 miles, 9.4mile round trip. Point Reyes National Seashore, 4154645100, www.nps.gov/pore. For more wildlife, see Page W58.
Fish for salmon
Salmon are the king of the coast, and this year’s season is projected to open in April. A trip on a party boat out the Golden Gate provides a chance for a twofish limit, plus nothing but wideopen spaces, often with humpback whales in the vicinity. Federal biologists predict that another good season is on the way. Trips are available daily out of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, Sausalito, Berkeley, Emeryville and Half Moon Bay. To ensure social distancing on the boats, boats are running with lighter loads this summer, and rod holders for trolling are spaced 6 feet apart. Most trips cost $200 per person, with group sizes limited to under 20. Selected harbors/boats: Berkeley Charter Boats, 5108493333, www.berkeleycharterboats.com; Emeryville Sportfishing Center, 5106523403, www.fishemeryville.com; Bass Tub, San Francisco, 4154569055, www.basstub.com; Hog Heaven, Sausalito, 4153827891, www.hog heavensportfishing.com; Huli Cat, El Granada, 6507262926, www. hulicat.com. For more fishing, see Page W28.
Hike to trail camp
The prettiest campground in the greater Bay Area is at Wildcat Camp, a trail camp on the Coast Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore. To reach it, you go backpack style, hiking from Palomarin Trailhead north of Bolinas on the Coast Trail for 5.5 miles one way, or from Bear Valley at park headquarters, 6.3 miles one way. Sites are nestled in cleared vegetation for privacy between campers, on a flat terrace that is perched just above a wilderness beach. On calm nights, you go to sleep with the sound of gentle waves lapping at the nearby beach. You awake refreshed and recharged. You can then hike on the wilderness beach south for a mile for a straighton view of Alamere Falls, which sail over a cliff and to the beach below. Arrival date may be reserved six months ahead to the day.: March 1 for Sept. 1, where you can extend through Labor Day Weekend. Reserve at www.recreation.gov; Point Reyes National Seashore, 4154645100, www.nps.gov/pore. For more trail camping, see Page W18.
Unplug in a cabin
High on the flank of Mount Tamalpais in Marin, West Point Inn offers lodge rooms and cabins without electricity, with a hiking route to Tam’s summit and a riteofpassage mountain bike route on the Old Railroad Grade. There’s nothing else like it in the Bay Area. A kitchen runs on propane, and there is indoor plumbing. Members (who pay a $20 fee and volunteer to help on three workdays) have their pick of any Sunday and the edge to book an elusive Saturday night four months out. Nonmembers are limited to a 90day window. Reopening date for 2021 is pending. West Point Inn, westpointinn.com. Plan a Mount Tamalpais staycation, Page W32.
Hit the beach
Of the 50 best beaches in the Bay Area, the best for most is Stinson Beach. The keys at Stinson: the giant parking lot at the southern foot of the beach, and a transit line called the Stagecoach that is running again. The Stage is highly recommended; for timing, details and protocols, go to www.marintransit.org and search for “Transit 61.” From the Stage, the beach extends 3 miles, arcing north along Bolinas Bay to the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon. You can also venture south toward Rocky Point. The views are gorgeous out to Duxbury Point, with shorebirds and lately, lots of salmon boats. The surf is often calm enough for standup paddleboarding. Do not swim without a board to keep you on the surface — invisible rip cur
rents below can be dangerous.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, www.nps.gov/goga/stbe.htm.
Plan a picnic
Fort Baker is set just inland from the northern foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, and here at Yellow Bluff has the prettiest view of any picnic site in the Bay Area. To get there, park at the Bay Discovery Museum; get a map or download the online version. Then take the nearby Fort Baker Trail to East Road, where a trail goes along the road a short distance to Yellow Bluff on your right, with its picnic table. You get a pictureperfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as across the bay to the San Francisco waterfront at Crissy Field to Fisherman’s Wharf. Marin Headlands, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, www.nps.gov/goga.
Rent a boat
Lake Chabot is one of the prettiest lakes in the Bay Area, with two lake arms, an island and surprise hidden coves accessible by boat. Boat rentals include single and double kayaks, pedal boats, rowboats, boats with electric trolling motors and pontoon boats. The lake is far prettier than newcomers might have imagined. After heading out from the small marina, turn right at the island and continue up to Honker Bay. This is often a good fishing spot. If you instead split left at the island, you will pass by Coot Landing on your left, where you should peer up the slopes to your right for a chance sighting of a bald eagle. Lake Chabot Marina, 5102472526, www.lake chabotrecreation.com. For more boat rentals, see Page W10.
Hook a trout
The biggest lake in the region, the richest aquatic food chain, the highest water quality and the best fishing for trout and striped bass can be your reward at giant Los Vaqueros Reservoir, north of Livermore. Trout plants are abundant in both numbers and bonus trophysize fish, which thrive in the lake’s cool, nutrientrich water. The marina has stateoftheart electric motors that power skiffs to reach South Cove, Oak Point and other good spots. With high water clarity, a key is using a lighttest fishing line with low visibility. Many who get skunked have no idea why; overly heavy fishing line that the fish can see is the No. 1 reason. Los Vaqueros Marina, 9253712628, www.ccwater. com/losvaqueros. For more trout fishing, see Page W28.