Big Basin is one of my favorite places to run. Established in 1902, it’s California’s oldest state park and features the largest continuous stand of old growth redwood forest (in square miles) south of Humboldt State Park (250 miles to the north). It’s only 1.5 hours away from the population centers of the Bay Area, but…
Category: Travel
Muir Woods National Monument
Believe it or not, I have never actually done the paved tourist loop at Muir Woods National Monument. I have run across the parking lot along the Dipsea Trail and come down the Ben Johnson Trail only to turn up on the Camp Eastwood Trail. Serena has never seen Muir Woods either, so as part…
Upper Huddart Loop
Huddart County Park in Woodside is my most frequent destination for running, but I enjoy it every time and it is one of my favorite places to run and hike. The trails are almost entirely under a lush canopy of redwood and hardwood forest. There are numerous nearby parks for expanded options, including Purissima Creek…
Garland Ranch Regional Park
Garland Ranch Regional Park is a 4,500 acre park near Carmel Valley and the northern end of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. A variety of landscapes exist, including thick oak woodland, chaparral, grassland, and even a side canyon with redwoods. The canyons are lush and cool while the ridges are exposed and provide spectacular views of…
Skyline Views
The amazing clarity continued another day so on December 24th I went up to Skyline Blvd. with hopes of seeing clear vistas. The first stop was the summit of Windy Hill for 360 degree views including the Pacific Ocean and Bay Area. Next was a trail run including Sanborn County Park and Castle Rock State…
Mount Tamalpais Sunset
I have wanted to see a sunset from 2,571 foot Mount Tamalpais for awhile. On December 23rd I had the opportunity to view evening light from the summit of Mount Tam and sunset from near Rock Springs. A northwest wind resulted in amazing clarity over the Bay Area all the way down to the Silicon…
Salt Point and Sonoma Coast State Parks
[Note: A more recent trip to the Sonoma Coast with more photography here] Salt Point State Park is located about 2 hours north of the Golden Gate Bridge on the sparsely populated Sonoma Coast. The park features a rugged coastline and woodlands with an interesting mixture of redwoods, bishop pine, Douglas fir, oaks, and hardwoods…
Leor Pantilat's Adventures