Summit Loop, San Bruno Mountain
Summit Loop is a three mile hike around San Bruno Mountain, a 1,319 peak just south of San Francisco. For some reason, possibly a lack of desire to wrestle with bridges, it has become a family favorite for the first hike of the new year. Fantastic views and scenery at any time of the year, although it is especially good in the spring with all the wildflowers. I'm adding a fresh post on this hike as I noticed the GPS track is broken on the last one (I'll redirect that here) and I have a video of the hike to add as well (a little cloud focused, but it was that kind of day):
Hike starts at: 37.695247, -122.43443. View in Google Earth.
Updates
San Bruno Mountain
San Bruno Mountain State Park has outstanding views of San Francisco, the Pacific out to the Farallon Islands and much of the bay. We did the three mile summit loop (the wrong way round, San Bruno pros do it counter-clockwise).
Hike starts at 37.6888964,-122.437008 (Google Earth).
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- Twin Peaks Loop
- Mariposa Loop
- San Bruno Mountain 360 4K
- Presidio Loop Hike
- Golden Gate Park - Stow Lake, Strawberry Hill and Museum Concourse
(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Summit Loop, San Bruno Mountain #hike #sanbruno #hikevid #map #video Three mile loop hike up to the 1,319 summit of San Bruno Mountain in San Mateo County, California. )
Creekside Trail to Big Leaf Trail Loop
3.8 mile loop with 600 foot elevation gain in Shiloh Ranch Regional Park near Santa Rosa in Sonoma County.
This is the first time my Pixel 4 XL GPS has failed me. Sometimes it wanders a little off trail, but this time it took a completely unauthorized trip to a Home Depot before eventually snapping back to reality. I've included it here but unlike any other track I've uploaded you might not want to use this one (see the route on AllTrails instead, distance incorrect below). The really strange thing is that when I look at the trail in Google Earth there is a missing tile around where the GPS freaks out and Google Earth sends the route plunging down into outer space (because it's clamping to its elevation model but the stars under Sonoma are not as far away as they look?) See the screenshot above. Something is odd at Shiloh Ranch...
Hike starts at: 38.525412, -122.762561. View in Google Earth.
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- Sawmill Flats
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(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Creekside Trail to Big Leaf Trail Loop #hike #hikevid #map #video 3.8 mile loop in Shiloh Ranch Regional Park, Sonoma, California. This hike includes a GPS failure and a suspicious missing tile in Google Maps that shows the stars below Sonoma. )
Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill
Double feature in Joshua Tree National Park. Barker Dam is just over a mile, a short loop that takes in rock art, the dam, and a nice mix of boulders and desert. Wall Street Mill is two miles out and back and the mill extracted gold to send to the US Mint in San Francisco.
Hike starts at: 34.025005, -116.142098. View in Google Earth.
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- San Pedro Valley Park Waterfall Loop
- Grabtown Gulch and Borden Hatch Mill in Purisima Creek
- Sawmill Flats
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- McArthur-Burney Falls
(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill #hike #map #joshua wo hikes from the same parking lot in Joshua Tree National Park, a one mile loop (Barker Dam) and a two mile out and back (Wall Street Mill). )
Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon
Amazing 4.5 mile hike in the Mecca Hills Wilderness in Riverside County, California. You ascend a slot canyon with ladders of various difficulty helping you up and down along the way. There is a sunny section on a ridge at the top with views back to the Salton Sea and then you return along the wash at the bottom of Painted Canyon. A must do hike if you can handle a few ladders and are in the area.
Hike starts at: 33.618781, -115.99902. View in Google Earth.
Related Posts
(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon #hike #ladders #canyon #map 4.5 mile loop hike that includes ladders and canyons in Riverside County, California. )
Sawmill Flats
Four and a half mile hike from Stone Creek Campground in Mount San Jacinto State Park to the ruins of a sawmill and back again. The mill is hidden but watch out for a yellow sign off the trail.
The campground was closed for the season when we arrived and a permit is required. We phoned the ranger station who said the trail was off limits and to come get a permit and discuss other hikes. After much discussion it turned out the concern was illegal parking near the campground and after promising to find legal parking and walk in we were allowed to complete the hike.
I don't have a GPS track for this one. Usually I download a GPX to Gaia GPS on my phone and use this to follow the trail. Traveling without a laptop I tried to do this from the AllTrails mobile app which wanted a paid upgrade. I have used AllTrails a fair bit so was happy to pay, but even after upgrading you can only download locally to AllTrails, the mobile app won't allow you to generate a GPX. I understand the commercial desire to lock people into their app, but I have used Gaia GPS for years an trust it to not drain my battery or otherwise cause problems when off the beaten track. AllTrails also won't let you copy and paste from hike descriptions (even ones with a long URL to check for road closures in them), and you can't export the route you took either (which I do from Gaia GPS to generate maps and elevation profiles for this blog). So I'll be cancelling that AllTrails subscription and have learned to get an export from a laptop and ignore the mobile app.
Saw a bobcat which is a first. Probably due to the trail being closed and quiet.
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- Creekside Trail to Big Leaf Trail Loop
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(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Sawmill Flats #hike #bobcat #jacinto #video Four and a half mile out and back hike to the ruins of a sawmill in Mount San Jacinto State Park near Idyllwild, California. Starts at 6,000 feet with around 800 gain. Trailhead at Stone Creek Campground. )
Bald Mountain, Vista and Meadow Trails Loop (Sugarloaf Ridge State Park)
Pleasant 4.5 mile loop hike from the campground at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Sonoma. Head up Lower Bald Mountain Trail, hang a right onto Vista Trail and then return to the campground via Meadow Trail. The last part of the walk takes you past Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth Venus and Mercury on the Robert Ferguson Observatory's Planet Walk. This spaces the planets proportionally distant from the observatory and if you took a right on Brushy Peaks Trail you can reach Uranus, Neptune and (don't tell anyone) Pluto, the prospect of which really makes me feel sorry for the New Horizons probe.
Hike starts at: 38.436996, -122.515446. View in Google Earth.
Related Posts
(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Bald Mountain, Vista and Meadow Trails Loop (Sugarloaf Ridge State Park) #hike #sugarloaf #map 4.5 mile loop hike in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Sonoma, California. Includes part of the Robert Ferguson Observatory Planet Walk. )
Twin Peaks Loop
I have previously described Twin Peaks as not much of a hike, which is absolutely true if you drive there. When I first moved to San Francisco I lived in Noe Valley and used to cycle up to Twin Peaks and then try to get home without pedalling. For many years after that I'd take visitors up to the top and developed a somewhat weird tradition of taking each new child there soon after they were released from the hospital.
Post lockdown I'm up there most weeks. This is my five mile loop which starts heading up Ulloa from West Portal to Portola. Portola breaks the climb briefly as you pass the striking herchurch and controversial Twin Peaks gas station before heading up Twin Peaks Boulevard to the 922 foot summits. For a while Twin Peaks Boulevard was entirely closed to traffic (although you really had to keep an eye out for high speed skateboarders). Unfortunately it's now open all the way to Christmas Tree Point. Head down the north side to Clarendon and follow this all the way down to Forest Hill and then back to West Portal.
(Previously: Twin Peaks 360 4K, Twin Peaks, San Francisco from Twin Peaks)
Hike starts at: 37.741879, -122.471354. View in Google Earth.
Updated 2023-08-10 03:02:
Hyperlapse of this hike from August 9, 2023.
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- Twin Peaks
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- Timelapse, Week of Jan 17 2022
(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Twin Peaks Loop #hike #sanfrancisco #twinpeaks #coronavirus #map #video #hikevid #sfdogwalk Five mile loop hike from West Portal up Ulloa and Portola to the 922 foot summits of Twin Peaks and then back down Clarendon and Forest Hill. )
Remnants in the Sunset
During the pandemic induced lockdowns last year we started hiking locally using random trails generated by Routeshuffle. Sometimes these were repetitive death marches along indistinguishable avenues (my kids would say 100% of the time). A few have emerged as favorites that I walk regularly and I'm going to add these to the ITHCWY hike collection.
Remnants in the Sunset is a three mile loop named for the islands of rock and dunes visited along the way. The west of San Francisco used to be all dunes and these parks are now all that remains of that original ecosystem.
Walk up 15th Avenue from Taraval to Grandview Park. Go up the steps, admire the view and then down the other side and follow 14th Avenue to Rocky Outcrop Park. This is a wind tunnel with houses on one side and cliffs on the other. Then head up to Golden Gate Heights Park and Larsen Peak at 755 feet. The return leg down Pacheco and Magellan provides views of Hawk Hill which has some unofficial trails but is closed to the public.
(Previously: Grand View of Fog, Post Storm Sunset)
Hike starts at: 37.741905, -122.471336. View in Google Earth.
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(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Remnants in the Sunset #hike #sanfrancisco #coronavirus #map Three mile loop hike visiting the Remnants in the Sunset: Grandview Park, Rocky Outcrop Park, Golden Gate Heights Park and Hawk Hill in San Francisco, California. )
Adobe Creek
A four mile out and back hike from the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve trailhead. Interesting wetlands with lots of birds and some good views over the bay.
Hike starts at: 37.433507, -122.098799. View in Google Earth.
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(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Adobe Creek #hike #paloalto #pelican #map Four mile hike in the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, California. Wetlands with many birds and bay views. )
Angel Island Perimeter Road
Easy and spectacular hike around the perimeter road of Angel Island. Around five and half miles, although gets a bit longer if you add a detour or two, and there is something interesting around every corner. Just make sure you don't miss the last ferry back.
(Previously: Mt. Livermore on Angel Island)
Hike starts at: 37.869421, -122.433996. View in Google Earth.
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- Mt. Livermore on Angel Island
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(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Angel Island Perimeter Road #hike #angelisland #map 5.5 mile hike around the perimeter road of Angel Island State Park in California. )