The Bay Area has many waterfalls in beautiful settings. However, most of them are trickles a good portion of the year. With heavy rains expected all week in the Bay Area, it’s time to think about checking out waterfalls! Here is a selection of some waterfalls I have visited and want to visit. With 21…
Month: January 2010
Cataract Falls
I returned to Mount Tamalpais with Serena to see sunset from Dad O’Rourke’s bench, but beforehand we did a hike in the Marin Watershed, including a stop at gorgeous Cataract Falls. The trail down to Cataract descends an incredibly lush canyon with bright green moss and ferns covering virtually everything. Cataract falls consists of several…
Cone Peak “Sea to Sky”
Cone Peak is a spectacular summit along the rugged Big Sur coast. At 5,155 feet, it is the second highest mountain in the Santa Lucia Mountain range, but it’s the highest mountain to offer a view of the ocean. The mountain rises nearly a vertical mile in less than three miles from the coastline as the…
Marcel’s Forest – Nisene Marks State Park
The Forest of Nisene Marks is not known for old growth redwoods. However, there is about a dozen big trees near the park entrance that can be viewed from a 1 mile long trail loop. After my trail run, I decided to check out this loop and found some impressively large trees. I was also…
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park is located outside of Aptos in the Santa Cruz area. The entire park is essentially covered in a redwood forest canopy and the canyons of Aptos Creek and Bridge Creek are exceptionally lush with sorrel, ferns, and moss in abundance. The area has a long history of human…
Big Basin State Park
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…
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…
Leor Pantilat's Adventures