East Bay Hills Through-Hike

This September, the third annual "5 Day Thru Hike" offers the opportunity to hike and camp over 35 miles through East Bay parks. Organized by the Bay Area Ridge Trail, the event will guide hikers through a series of parks, starting in Fernandez Ranch in Martinez and ending at Lake Chabot. In between they'll hike through Sobrante Ridge, Kennedy Grove, Wildcat, Sibley, Huckleberry, and Redwood.

Campsites (you provide your tent and sleeping bag), gear shuttling, and meals are included in the $50 a day fee (with a discount if you sign up for all 5 days). This is a bargain for the rare chance to camp at Joaquin Miller and Tilden parks while having someone cook your food, carry your stuff, set-up and take down camp, all for a good cause. Read more here.

I hope other management agencies will consider similar fundraising events. Imagine a 5 day camp and hike trek through the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District lands, Point Reyes, Henry Coe....

CSP's new website aids campers and hikers

I'm not sure where the money came from, but California State Parks has launched a new website, Find Recreation, to assist hikers and campers searching for California trails, parks, and/or campgrounds.

My favorite feature is the satellite view. Wondering what the Bullfrog Campground at Austin Creek State Recreation Area looks like? Click the campground option on the Google map, then navigate to the park, zoom in, and there it is. With the satellite view, you can easily see if a campground is shaded, exposed, close to a busy road, even sometimes, how far apart the sites are. If you zoom down "into" a park, a window pops up with management agency information; click though to go to the parks website for more info. There's also a driving/transit directions feature.

This is a California State Parks website but information is also displayed for campgrounds, parks, and trails outside of the state park system. You can compare campgrounds managed by the National Park Service, California State Parks, as well as regional park districts and public utilities. This feature is so great for camping trip planning: make a list of campgrounds that sound promising, then in just minutes you can explore all throughout the state.

Some kinks: if you zoom in as far as the system allows, the satellite resolution is sometimes quite blurry, I couldn't get the 3D Earth View to work at all, and as far as I can figure you can't search for specific destinations within the Find Recreation site (the search box pops you out to the main CSP site; the search feature only allows you to search for campgrounds, trails, and parks within x miles), but I'm still thrilled with this site.

One big thing missing: campground reservation info! Once you locate a campground, it would be great to link to the reservation site, rather than navigating through the management agency. I hope that CSP will add that in the future.

West Marin towns get tough on illegal parking

If you're headed to Stinson Beach, Bolinas, or Muir Beach this summer, be sure to park legally. Parking ticket fees are scheduled to jump up to $99. No parking signs will be enforced in those towns as well as on Highway 1 and Panoramic Highway. Read the story here.

These town are notoriously hard places to park. There are few options for public transportation to the southwestern Marin coast, but you can take West Marin Stagecoach from Marin City to Stinson and Bolinas. Or pay the parking fee at Pantoll and hike to Stinson! Cheaper than a $99 parking fee and a great hike to boot.

City wildlife

I'm hearing reports that 4 baby coyotes have been born in San Francisco. I don't know what the public response will be; should be interesting. I haven't been able to confirm the news -- will try to check it out next week.

PS: They are not in the Presidio or Golden Gate Park.

Urban Forest Map

I came across this website a few weeks ago. In their own words: "the Urban Forest Map is a collaboration of government, nonprofits, businesses and you to map every tree in San Francisco. The information we gather will help urban foresters and city planners to better manage trees in specific areas, track and combat tree pests and diseases, and plan future tree plantings."

I've been thinking about this project -- in what way is it most useful? It's fun to zoom around the city and look at unfamiliar trees, and it's a great planning tool for urban tree planters. I would love to see a merge of Urban Forest Map and Neighborhood Fruit! Or a fruit tree/food foraging map for bay area public parks, open spaces, and preserves (now that I really like).

What's your favorite San Francisco tree? I am fond of this (standing but perhaps no longer living) eucalyptus on Mount Davidson.

Parking fees coming to Palo Alto preserves

Budget troubles have not escaped the peninsula: Palo Alto has proposed $5 parking fees at Foothill and Pearson/Arastradero preserves. Foothill restricts access to Palo Alto residents only; it will be interesting to hear the reaction from the city.

$5 is a steep price to pay for access to Arastradero. I wonder if cyclists seeking to avoid the fee will park in adjacent neighborhoods and ride into the preserve.

Visit Arastradero now for free while you can!

6/19/10 UPDATE: according to news reports the City of Palo Alto has decided not to impose parking fees. Community input favored keeping the parks free. Yea!

A San Pablo Bay land battle

Most folks drive through the fringes of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge without even realizing it -- CA 37 (aka Sears Point Road) runs through the southern part of this Sonoma County refuge. There are few public access points and the dizzying speed of traffic on CA 37 hardly encourages drivers to slow down and look for a trailhead.

SPBNWR is managed by the federal government, which is currently engaged in a cleanup at Skaggs Island, a former naval reservation situated between CA37 and CA121 (Sonoma Highway). Part of their plan is to purchase a 1,100 acre hay farm which an article in the SF Chronicle claims occupies 1/4 of Skaggs Island. The feds say the farm (and the rest of Skaggs Island) should be restored to wetlands; the farmer says the land is his family heritage, and he just doesn't think the monetary compensation is great enough. But then he is quoted as saying he wishes to pass the farm to his son, so who knows if he really wants to sell. Until this situation is resolved, Skaggs Island will remain dry.

These wetlands of San Pablo Bay are perhaps best suited to exploration by boat -- launch from the Vallejo public marina near Brinkmans Marine or at Port Sonoma near the Petaluma River and wind your way through the sloughs teaming with wildlife. To get a taste of the wildlife refuge on foot (access for hikers is quite limited) check out Lower Tubbs Island, at the southern tip of the refuge. Choose a cool day (there is no shade) and be sure to bring binoculars for bird watching. It's an 8 mile totally flat hike with outstanding views of Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais, and offers a rare opportunity to stand right on the (here pristine) northern shore of San Pablo Bay. When I hiked here I saw many birds, a hawk eating a jackrabbit, snakes, and butterflies. And not one other hiker!

Mission blue butterflies return to SF

Lovely story in today's SF Chronicle about the successful reintroduction of endangered mission blue butterflies to San Francisco's Twin Peaks.

From personal experience there are a lot of "blue" butterflies and most of them are hard to identify. I've often spotted these small butterflies perched on plants with their wings stubbornly closed; in more than 10 years of trying I've only gotten a few semi-decent photos of blues with their wings open. Even with a great photo they are difficult to identify; the crucial markings can be quite subtle. In some cases you would need to get a very good look at the butterfly open and closed to differentiate.

If you care to go mission blue butterfly hunting (or like to see other more common butterflies including swallowtails and painted ladies), the best place is San Bruno Mountain, and this is the premier time of year for a hike there -- try the Summit Loop on a sunny day. Loads of wildflowers to see, and a chance to polish your butterfly ID skills. "Butterflies through Binoculars: the West" is a really helpful guide. Don't forget your camera!

SF's only campground, $4 million later

The Presidio's (and city's) only campground has just reopened after extensive renovations. When I visited Rob Hill Campground 2 years ago, it looked like this -- a bare-bones blank spot with no frills and icky amenities. I hope to get back soon for an in-person look at the changes; in the meantime read about the updates here.

The campground is in the western part of the Presidio, on a wooded hill not far from Baker Beach. It's hardly remote (you can see and hear nearby Washington Boulevard), but the campground offers city kids the opportunity to sleep under the stars (or fog).

Before you rush out with your tent in hand, note that Rob Hill is a group campsite, only available by advance reservation (Presidio Trust Special Events Office at 415-561-5444).

Two Sundays at Milgra Ridge

Milagra Ridge, just a few miles south of San Francisco, is a favorite place for quick and easy hikes. These last two weeks our family has visited Milagra on a hike/bike plan. My husband and son ride their bikes on the paved trail, and I hike a little on the pavement and the rest on the dirt trails.

On these visits the wildflowers have been disappointing. There are many small patches of blue-eyed grass just past their peak, some paintbrush, lupines, cow parsnip, scorpion weed, owl clover, and poppies, but not much else. Definitely not worth a special visit if you're trying to make the most of wildflower season.

I did see this unfamiliar plant near the old battery area, right on the side of the steps. Look familiar to anyone?

Read more about Milagra Ridge here.