Redwood Regional Park in Oakland is an incredible redwood grove in Oakland. I wrote about it a few years ago here. And now…ladybugs! Bay Nature magazine, a Bay Area natural journal, recently wrote an article about these winter clusters of ladybugs. They say, “Convergent ladybugs—among the most common of California’s 175 native ladybug species—have overwintered …
This walk is SO easy and SO nice. It’s honestly one of the very best East Bay secrets. There are a few different trails on the Carquinez Strait Shoreline park you can take, but this one is by far the nicest, easiest, and prettiest. It’s an easy loop for kids, dogs, and those with ankle …
Bishop Ranch is such a small, out of the way part of the East Bay Regional Park district, that it isn’t often listed in the trail books. And with possible good reason. Almost from the moment you enter the park, you’re faced with the steepest climb ever– I’m talking K2 scaling here– but the views …
March, 2017 The day before spring started, we decided to make a return visit to Black Diamond Mines in Antioch for a second hike (see the first here). Our reasoning for this was twofold: one, it was spring and therefore the hills are green and it would not be baking hot out there. Two, they …
Point Pinole is a vastly understated park in the East Bay Regional Park District, with 2,315 acres located at the tip of Richmond/San Pablo/Pinole. Getting to it is not terribly straightforward but the result is worth it because this park has incredibly long trails and stunning views of the bay. As well, it’s flat enough …
Black Diamond Mines is a supremely amazing park. The hikes are easy, the scenery breathtaking, the history interesting. And where else can you walk into a salt mine? It’s worth it, too — the mine is deliciously cool. Just take a look at these stark, striking views: The area is very historic, and was the …
Any walk that involves a volcano is a hit. Even if it’s a 10-million-year-old one. That said, I didn’t have huge expectations for Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve because I thought it was going to be small and hot. Boy, was I wrong. Sibley, part of the East Bay Regional Park District, straddles Oakland and is …
Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland hills, part of East Bay Region Park District, is one of those rare pockets of land that make you forget you’re in an urban area. Its redwood grove is absolutely gorgeous and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were on the coast, two hours away from …
I won’t lie to you: Martinez Regional Shoreline park is not typically on a Bay Area hiker’s radar in terms of walks. And normally I wouldn’t waste a weekend hike on it. But honestly, it does have the hallmarks of a great walk with kids: nice, wide paths, great things for the kids to do, and …
Mt. Diablo State Park, located out past Walnut Creek, has over 150 miles of hiking trails and fire roads, and 56 campsites, all surrounding the massive mountain, which is elevation 3,849 feet. As to be expected from a mountainous state park, there is lots to do here, the least of which is to see the view from the …