6 Cool Bay Area Parks for a Summer Hike

Do you have a calling for the wild and enjoy nature? Wouldn’t it be cool to go for a walk or a hike in the green surrounding of the woods with waters flowing by or on the beach with waves breaking the shore? Won’t it be amazing to stop for a picture on that ideal stop overlooking the beautiful valley or the seashore? Sure, it is! This summer be with nature, soak in the sights and sounds, away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. Take time off this summer for yourself, even if you have to switch off your cell phone and lose yourself in the lap of mother nature. Be it alone, with friends or with family, take this opportunity to unpack your daily routine. Pack your backpack and hiking gear and head to these amazing places, we recommend for your bay area hikes. Nature is a perfect healer and can rejuvenate the body, mind, and soul, and every one of us needs to take time off. So, as you head off to go off-grid, pack yourself well with all essentials and gear to make this a truly amazing experience worth indulging it.

Mount Tamalpais State Park: Panoramic Loop is a very popular spot where you can go hiking and biking and off-road cycling. It is located at the height of 2500 feet on mount tamalpais State Park. It is the highest peak of marin county. The place is only 20 minutes drive from the city. This place is recommended for your bay area hikes.

There are about 60 trails available such as Steep Ravine, matt davis, and the dipsea trail. You can enjoy the foggy skyline, pitch your tent and camp under the Redwoods, or you could even surf. You would feel restful and enjoy the towering redwood trees above you, see the california poppies bloom, take in the fresh mountain air and see the grassy ridgeline. The Panoramic Trail is located near mill river; it is a 2-mile trail that is full of beautiful wildflowers all along the trail. It is used for trail running, hiking and walking, nature walks, and is open through the year for nature lovers who love bay area hikes.

You can approach mount tamalpais from the east peak at its highest peak point. As you go up the fire station, it becomes very steep. As you keep climbing, the surroundings become rocky and very dusty. There are washrooms here, and you can rest a while. You will see the North Bay and the san ramon bridge. The hike to the top takes a minimum of one hour. Mount tamalpais state park features in one of the best bay area hikes.

Tomales Point Trail is also highly recommended for bay area hikes and is quite popular for its trails. It is an hour’s drive from San Francisco, and the view of the Point Reyes National Seashore is breathtaking. This area had its origin from 1962 when dairy farming was very much prevalent in this region. Presently, most of the surviving dairy farms are now making the world-famous Point Reyes Blue Cheese. The Point Reyes trail is mostly a day hike as night hiking is not advisable because you will not find any camping facilities available for the night. The major portion of this area does not have roads and accessibility is only on foot. Hence, there is a large network of hiking trails. You can start at the pierce point ranch, where you will hike through an abandoned ranch along the tomales point. The tomales point is one of the foggiest points and one of the best bay area hikes.

The trail leads to the tomales bluff, which is at the tip of the peninsula. This hike is for 8.4 miles. There are no steep elevations or climbs along the way. At point reyes, as you pass through the tulle-elk reserve, you see a very large herd of tule-elks. The bird rock marks the end of the trail, from where you can view the entire pacific ocean. An amazing finale of your 5-6 hour hiking day and a highlight to a day well spent on bay area hikes.

This next one is among our strong recommendation of bay area hikes that you need to attempt. This interesting hike trail is located in the almaden quicksilver county park. Called the quicksilver history loop, it is one of the most popular bay area hikes. The new almaden mining museum showcases many of the aspects of this mining industry and its history. The mines were in operation from 1847 to 1976 and played a very important role during the California Gold Rush.

The almaden quicksilver park is spread over 4163 acres of wooded land and is located in south san jose in california. This Park is owned by the county of santa clara and managed by the santa clara county parks and recreation department. You will have a variety of hiking trails in almaden park to choose from, making it one of the best bay area hikes. One of the fascinating views you could have is while sitting on the new memorial benches with a beautiful view of San Jose.

This interesting hike has over 30 miles of trails to explore! You will start at the entrance, which is the mockingbird hill, then go on to the hacienda Trail, go past the capehorn pass trail, then the Randol Trail, right on the buena vista trail, through the new almaden trail and culminate back at the parking lot. It takes about 3 hours for completion. The best season to undertake this trail is during spring and fall.

The Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which has the berry creek falls loop, is the oldest park in california. The park is situated in the center of the santa cruz mountains. It is famous for its ancient coast redwoods. You will see giant woods towering as large as the statue of liberty and about 50 feet in width. These trees date back to almost the roman empire about 1000 to 1800 years back, making it an amazing bay area hikes. Other features of this park that you will be thrilled about are views of the Pacific Ocean, lush waterfalls, and interesting nature and cultural history. The park is at an elevation of over 2000 feet above sea level. You have over 80 trails to choose from ranging from the Big Basin to the Castle Rock State Park, past the eastern end of the Santa Cruz range, the skyline to the Sea Trail threads, passing the waddle creek and bordering the theodore J. Hoover natural preserve, which is a freshwater marshland. You will see many waterfalls, varied habitats ranging from lush canyon bottoms to covered slopes. Amongst the animal population, you can see raccoons, bobcats, deer, a lot of birds that include egrets, herons, etc. Four such group campsites are located in two group campgrounds in big basin. Riders with horses can camp overnight at the Rancho del Oso, which is the coastal part of Big Basin. The big basin redwoods state park has a variety of trails and options that will truly satisfy you as a nature lover and a hiker or a biker looking for exciting bay area hikes.

The henry cowell redwoods state park is located in the state of california. You will see a lot of forests in this park and part of watershed area in the san lorenzo river. The park is in santa cruz county between the cities of santa cruz and scotts valley and also extends in the Fall Creek area, which is north of the community of Felton.

The park offers you a variety of interesting activities for the bay area hikes. You can enjoy hiking and even fishing or go camping in your recreational vehicle. You can do here bird watching, mountain biking, and horse riding. The trails here are pet dog-friendly trails hence you can bring your four-legged friends along with you. The park has over 15 miles of hiking trails ranging from small isolated sandy beaches on the san lorenzo river to trails with views that overlook the santa cruz muntains. They also provide fantastic views of the monterey bay.

The redwood grove of the park has trees referred to as “virgin redwoods,” which are trees that are 1400-1800 years old. You can study a lot of different habitats of trees in the Henry cowell redwoods state park. The other trees that you can find here include the mixed evergreen, sandhill community, and redwood. While fishing in the river you will get fishes like steelhead and salmon during the winters. Another interesting area is the garden of Eden. This is a popular swimming place in the san lorenzo river which you will find within the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

The mount tamalpais state park where the matt davis loop is located is a highly recommended hike option for your bay area hikes. You will be amazed by the variety of beautiful sights. This hike moves from the stinson beach along the matt davis, steep ravine, and dipsea trails. You will see everything here ranging from Douglas fir, oak forests, canyons, grassland, redwoods, and lovely waterfalls. It will give you so much joy as you go down the waterfalls and come further down through the famous ladder. Since this is a very popular destination, the best time for you to take this trip is early on a weekday rather than a weekend. This way, you will avoid crowds, and you will find it peaceful. Your trail starts from the Stinson Beach's Belvedere Avenue, goes through the matt davis trail and ends at the Stinson Beach. You will see a lot of hawks that are a common sight, apart from the beautiful vegetation. The views of the ocean, the Stinson Beach, the Bolinas Lagoon, and the mountains of Point Reyes will be a breathtaking sight that you probably have never witnessed. You will not go back without being happy at the sights of the beauty around you. It is truly a very good option for a park for your summer hike.

These are truly amazing bay area hikes locations. You can be sure that you will return with a lot of pleasant memories and a physically fitter, having endured the easy and difficult trails. These are some of the best locations for Summer Hikes, which are closer to you and do not need days of traveling. With the variety that these locations offer, you can have the best of all trails, soak in the sights, be one with nature, and in turn enjoy your time off from your hectic schedule. So why wait, pick up your backpack for your next hike.