Coastside Slacking - Chilling on the California Coast

Crockett Hills on the Bay Area Ridge Trail

APRIL 21, 2021 – Crockett Hills Regional Park rises into the hills southwest of the confluence of the Napa River and Carquinez Strait at San Pablo Bay. The park features stands of bay laurel and oak amid rolling grasslands with views of Mount Tamalpais, the Phillips 66 San Francisco refinery and the twin bridges that carry Interstate 80 across the strait at Crockett. Watch out for scary tall poison oak. Find the trail map here.

We are hiking the 390-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail. Sign up to follow our progress here.

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April 29, 2021April 30, 2021

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Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve on the Bay Area Ridge Trail

APRIL 17, 2021 — Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve on The Coastside of the Santa Cruz Mountains features a second-growth redwood forest and ridgeline trails with views of the forest canopy and the Pacific Ocean. This segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail includes portions of the Purisima Creek, Craig Britton and Harkins Ridge trails. Find the trail map here.

We are hiking the 390-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail. This is our first post. Sign up to follow our progress here.

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April 23, 2021April 23, 2021

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Steep Meadows and a Knobbly Forest at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

We found plenty to enjoy at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve: iridescent orange poppies, a gnarled fairyland forest, panoramic views of San Francisco Bay. Most impressive, however, was the jogger who wheeled his toddler to the summit in a stroller. Breath-taking.

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April 16, 2021April 17, 2021

MontaraManDan1 Comment

Palo Alto Unlocks Foothills Park; See What You’ve Been Missing

For more than 50 years, Foothills Park was open only to Palo Alto residents, employees and their guests. The city reversed course in December and opened the park to the general public. Last week, we decided to give it a hike. The 1,400-acre park is a gem.

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April 2, 2021April 8, 2021

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Bay Area Trail Builder’s Legacy Shines at Skyline Ridge Preserve

If you hike regularly on Mid Peninsula Open Space District land in the Santa Cruz Mountains, you likely have enjoyed trails brought to you by the late trail architect Gene Sheehan. You can find his favorite Midpen trail and vista at the Skyline Ridge Preserve.

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March 27, 2021April 8, 2021

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Tales of Spring and a Waffle Tycoon, from the Coastal Trail at Purisima Creek

The Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail might have been named after Henry Dobbel if the San Francisco waffle tycoon had found similar good fortune as a land developer south of Half Moon Bay along Purisima Creek.

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March 14, 2021March 19, 2021

MontaraManDan2 Comments

Farmer’s Daughter Trail Freshens the Familiar at Half Moon Bay

Wonder fades with familiarity. So, we decided to hike into the foothills above the Brussels sprouts fields east of Highway 1 and Half Moon Bay Airport last week for a fresh look at familiar Coastside landmarks. It was wonderful!

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February 26, 2021April 8, 2021

MontaraManDan4 Comments

Trail to Pedro Point Delivers New perspective on Pacifica’s Iconic Rock

San Pedro Rock juts stubbornly from the California coastline at Pacifica. It beckons to southbound drivers on Highway 1 but is impossible to reach without getting your feet wet. We settled for a new perspective on the iconic rock from the “well loved” trail to Pedro Point.

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February 12, 2021

MontaraManDan4 Comments

A Stroll to Burleigh Murray’s Dairy Barn at Half Moon Bay

Have you ever heard of Burleigh H. Murray Ranch? We hadn’t, and we live just 10 miles away. The California State Parks parcel in the foothills east of Half Moon Bay features just one trail and a unique 19^th-century barn. Sparse? Perhaps. But check it out.

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January 22, 2021January 22, 2021

MontaraManDan4 Comments

Hiking Among the Redwoods in the footsteps of a Stanford Legend

Pandemic. Wildfires. Political drama. It’s been a challenging year. We finally got back on the trail last month and found respite with a hike through the coast redwoods at Sam McDonald Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains – open space with a history.

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January 15, 2021April 8, 2021

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Overwhelmed by Mendocino Charm? hike the Headlands for a Dose of Rugged

You’re Never Far from the charm of Main Street when you hike the Mendocino Headlands.

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January 5, 2021January 8, 2021

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Cruising The Coast Beneath Apocalyptic Skies on the San Francisco Peninsula

“Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.” That’s sound advice from a wise mariner. But what about when smoke from California wildfires plunges The Coastside into darkness and the blood-orange sky persists at midday? We went for a drive to immerse ourselves in the weirdness.

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September 11, 2020

MontaraManDan4 Comments

Great Expectations on the Trail at Russian Gulch State Park in Mendocino

Every hike begins with great expectations. And while the redwoods at Russian Gulch State Park proved less grand and the fern canyon less lush than expected, we still found plenty to enjoy. Continue reading “Great Expectations on the Trail at Russian Gulch State Park in Mendocino” →

August 29, 2020

MontaraManDan1 Comment

A Fiery End to a Summer of Hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Weekly hikes in the Santa Cruz Mountains have been a highlight of our socially distant summer. Sadly, our recent tromp at Wilder Ranch State Park will be our last for a while as the CZU August Lightning Complex fires rip through this coastal range. Continue reading “A Fiery End to a Summer of Hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains” →

August 22, 2020April 8, 2021

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A Forest Reborn Amid Lime Industry Relics on Fall Creek at Henry Cowell Redwoods

The last blast from the IXL quarry north of Santa Cruz echoed up Fall Creek a century ago. Today, the gurgle of the creek prevails beneath the descendants of the old growth redwoods that fed the quarry’s lime kilns. Continue reading “A Forest Reborn Amid Lime Industry Relics on Fall Creek at Henry Cowell Redwoods” →

August 8, 2020April 8, 2021

MontaraManDan3 Comments

Magical Falls & Pandemic Protocols on the Trail at Big Basin Redwoods

Pandemic hiking rules can have unintended consequences. For example, when the one-way trails at Big Basin Redwoods added 4.5 miles, a degree of difficulty and four waterfalls to our day hike. Continue reading “Magical Falls & Pandemic Protocols on the Trail at Big Basin Redwoods” →

August 1, 2020April 8, 2021

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Astride the Crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains at Russian Ridge

There’s more to the Santa Cruz Mountains than redwoods, fence lizards and banana slugs. We hiked the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve for views that stretch from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. Continue reading “Astride the Crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains at Russian Ridge” →

July 24, 2020April 8, 2021

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Crispy Grass, Live Oaks and Chuntering Squirrels at Monte Bello Preserve

The Santa Cruz Mountains are awash in microclimates. Too warm? Too damp? Too cloudy? An alternative is nearby. If hiking a sun-baked hillside and a shady live oak woodland sounds nice, visit Monte Bello Preserve. But beware of angry squirrels! Continue reading “Crispy Grass, Live Oaks and Chuntering Squirrels at Monte Bello Preserve” →

July 18, 2020April 8, 2021

MontaraManDan4 Comments

A Walk in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Pescadero Creek Park Eases COVID-19 Blues

Shut down for months by the pandemic, we thrilled at stepping back onto the trail last week deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Ticks lurked. Covid-19 loomed. Poison oak loitered in the underbrush. It was glorious! Continue reading “A Walk in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Pescadero Creek Park Eases COVID-19 Blues” →

June 27, 2020April 8, 2021

MontaraManDan5 Comments

A ‘Wall of Bones’ and Tortured Landscapes at Dinosaur National Monument

If visiting an uplifted riverbed choked with 150-million-year-old dinosaur bones isn’t enough of a thrill at Dinosaur National Monument, be sure to hike the gouged and twisted landscapes of the Sound of Silence Trail. Continue reading “A ‘Wall of Bones’ and Tortured Landscapes at Dinosaur National Monument” →

May 16, 2020

MontaraManDan5 Comments