This is a 2.1 mile loop trail in the Berkeley Hills. The Berkeley parks people just finishing…read more"paving" the upper portion of this trail with bark, and clearing many of the paths. Its a fantastic hike that rewards you with amazing east and west views. If you do the full loop, you will experience an 860 elevation change throughout. So there are some slopes, but its still would rank as relatively easy. It is not suitable for mountain bikes. The trail is well marked, but make sure you have enough daylight to complete the loop. The loop takes about 50 minutes for me to complete. There's also an easily accessible bathroom 3/4 of the way through the loop that's maintained by the parks people. There is no water, so bring your own. And no cell phone coverage on the hike. Which is delightful!

According to Presidio's map it's 1.5 miles but that also includes the Ecology trail, El Polin…read moreSpring and starting at Crissy Field Beach. By itself it's much shorter. Tennessee Hollow is a path along a watershed and it's better in the winter when there is water in the creek. There's a parking lot off Presidio Blvd that faces the trail. Parking $2.50 per hour. This is nice place to sit in the car with lunch while looking at open space. The main part of the specific Tennessee Hollow is the path between Presidio and Lincoln then cross the street between Lincoln and Gorgas. There are a lot of birds, plants, and flowers in the watershed. I'd recommend going to the Tunnel Tops park afterwards.

** The following review reflects my experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. **…read more I don't know what a 'hollow' is, but then again, I don't understand what a lot of things mean. I'm assuming Tennessee Hollow refers to the valley that this trail follows in the Presidio. Otherwise it's my brain that must be hollow because I have no explanation for the Tennessee part of the name. All I know is that it's a two-mile route that I walked north to south and back again. I started at the Crissy Field Marsh on the Golden Gate Promenade. That's where I crossed a couple of footbridges through the newly excavated Quartermaster Reach Marsh (photo: https://bit.ly/3cyrZ51). There wasn't much to see here yet except the underpass of the Presidio Parkway. I eventually made it to Lovers' Lane Bridge which didn't strike me as a spot for a romantic tryst (photo: https://bit.ly/3eIdnmr). I walked along the residential MacArthur Avenue until I found myself at the legendary El Polin Spring. Lots of kids were frolicking around the stone wells (photo: https://bit.ly/2PYDGdH). I climbed up to the Ecology Trail passing by a redwood grove (photo: https://bit.ly/38EjX9Y) and made my way back by taking a detour through the Main Post. It was a pleasant walk, quite scenic in parts though heavy on pavement for some stretches, but a good way to get acquainted with this hollow...or maybe it's a watershed. It doesn't matter because I don't know what 'watershed' means either. RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2OrC8nUl

I have biked this long fire road on multiple occasions--mostly without mishap, but sometimes, WITH…read moremishaps. I park at Natalie Coffin Greene Park, near Ross, and then bike around the Lakes. It can be quite steep and challenging at places, but it's still nonetheless a popular spot for cyclists. I don't recall seeing too many hikers, but I suppose some people hike it as well. I have never seen strollers or horses on this road. No mini bikes either. From the East peak of Mount Tam, I once took Eldridge grade down. It was way too difficult for me, and I had to walk carefully around lots of boulders. The problem was that if one fell off the bike you could easily go down a ravine on the other side, never to be heard from again. Well okay, it was not really that bad, but I was still pretty careful. In The Lakes District near Ross, I find Eldridge grade to be a a fun ride down. I usually start at Filter Plant Road, and then connect to Eldridge grade.

It's truly magical out at this point. I find it very meditative to look out at the scenery. Lots of…read morebirds, gulls, just the sound of the ocean. Can see Dillon Beach, Bodega Bay, Tomales Bay, and the abyss of the Pacific Ocean. It's no easy feat to get here, 2-mile hike in then 2-miles back. I think it's worth it but it's not for someone that wants a short easy viewpoint.

Tomales point is beautiful. The trail to get there is fantastic. read up on the geology of Tomales…read morepoint and you'll love it even more. It's all about tonalite.

Easy in and out, old fire road .Dense and secluded. Easier to approach from behind the school.read more

Trail starts from pullout just south of pullout with call box, then branches left to stay low…read more Some slippery wading and climbing over and under large blowdowns. Trail still collapsed near the end and very tenuous and exposed.

Beautiful well-maintained trail with views of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge. We usually park at…read moreBlackie's Pasture & walk from there, but today we were coming from the Belvedere Tiburon library so decided to park on San Rafael Ave & take a quick scenic stroll. We liked looking at the waterfront homes along San Rafael Ave and then the more familiar main path with other pedestrians walking their dogs & families riding their bikes. Lovely way to get fresh air and exercise!

Tiburon and Belvedere are such exclusive, only-in-Marin bedroom communities, they just don't seem…read moreall that welcoming to the other 98% of us. We're all shuffled off to Angel Island or Sam's Anchor Cafe to congregate away from the downward eye-line of the wealthy locals. The one exception is this 2.6-mile trail which really isn't a trail. It's more like a paved promenade that won't make you break out in a sweat unless it's a hot summer day where you're fully exposed. It starts at Blackie's Pasture where surprisingly, there's free parking. The walkway winds along the picturesque shoreline of Richardson Bay to downtown Tiburon offering gorgeous views throughout. Nothing to complain about except the occasional spatially indifferent cyclist who thinks that grazing innocent pedestrians is sport. There's a worthwhile detour onto San Rafael Avenue that will get you up close and impersonal with Belvedere's exclusive waterfront real estate. The walk back to your car is just as good as the walk to Tiburon. Just don't let all the surrounding privilege get you down. RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2OrC8nU

ACCESSING JEWELL TRAIL. On two occasions in February 2021, I hiked the loop trail consisting of…read moreBolinas Ridge Trail, Jewell Trail, and Cross Marin Trail. My hike was in the counterclockwise direction around this loop trail. The final stretch of this loop hike requires hiking within the narrow space between the Francis Drake Blvd. and a steep downhill slope covered with trees and with lichens called "old man's beard." Jewell Trail has two trailheads. One is located on Bolinas Ridge Trail and the other is on Cross Marin Trail. The trailhead for Bolinas Ridge Trail is next to Francis Drake Blvd., one mile east of Olema. The trailhead on Cross Marin Trail, is situated one mile to the northwest of the Camp Taylor campground. Regarding the Bolinas Ridge trailhead a mile east of Olema, typically between five and ten automobiles are parked here. They're parked on the south shoulder of Francis Drake Blvd., but additional parking places are available on a wide dirt shoulder, across the street and 50 feet to the west. The segment of Bolinas Ridge Trail leading to the Jewell Trail Trailhead provides scenery of amazing beauty. The photographs in the following list describe, by way of pictures, everything that I could possibly describe with words about Bolinas Ridge Trail and Jewell Trail: (1) Photo of wooden maze that allows passage of people, but prevents cows from passing through. The body of the cow is not flexible in the same way that snakes are flexible. If cows were flexible, they could be taught to dance the hula. But cows are unable to do hula dancing. Because cows are not flexible, they cannot pass through the wooden maze. (2) On the left side of Bolinas Ridge Trail, you can see a cluster of trees sitting on a hillock, with a row of stones embedded in the hillock. This hillock occurs about 100 feet down a grassy slope. (3) Same cluster of trees sitting on a hillock, where photo shows a tree coated with "Old Man's Beard" lichens. (4) To the right of Bolinas Ridge Trail is a deep valley. The boulder at the far left has lichen clinging to it. (5) On the right side of Bolinas Ridge Trail is a tall boulder with a stone shelf on it. On this stone shelf, I posed my mountain goat. While taking this photograph, a man and woman, in their 20's, were hiking by. I turned to them and said, "Don't worry, my permit for keeping the mountain goat is all paid up." They responded with a flurry of laughs. (6) Same boulder, with both Strawberry Shortcake and the goat. (7) Photo of deep valley to left of Bolinas Ridge Trail. Jewell Trail is just beyond this valley. (8) Photo of the sign at the trailhead for Jewell Trail. Two men were approaching, riding their mountain bikes. I was impressed by their ability to ride up the steep hill and I said, "You are certainly strong and powerful, but I know you are vulnerable to KRYPTONITE." They understood my joke and laughed. (9) After a minute of hiking down Jewell Trail there's a huge boulder to the right. Photo of the goat, California quail, and northern flicker sitting on this boulder. (10) Further down Jewell Trail, view looking uphill at the beautiful upper part of the valley. (11) Same location by Jewell Trail, with view looking downhill. Francis Drake Blvd. can be seen in the distance. (12) Further down Jewell Trail, the forest begins. Goat and Strawberry Shortcake stand near a zig-zag in the trail. (13) Further on down, the trail enters a shady area, covered with a tunnel of trees. I arranged a fallen white-colored branch, possibly from a birch tree, so that it would show up in the photograph. (14) Photo of a mossy tree covered with a few tiny ferns, located next to Jewell Trail. LICHENS. In many areas of your hike, you will find lichens hanging from trees and lichens growing on rocks. The kind of lichen that hangs from trees is "old man's beard," also called beard lichens of the genus Usnea. Photographs of beard lichens are available from, "pointreyesnature dot com/alamea-trail" and also from Kundsen and Carlberg (2005). Other kinds of lichen at Bolinas Ridge include Rimularia insularis and Rinodina falvosoralifera. Colorful lichens that grow on rocks include, Xanthoria elegans, Rhizoplaca melanopthalma, and Saxicolous lichens. REFERENCES. ( 1 ) K. Knudsen and T. Carlberg (2005) Bulletin of the California Lichen Society. Vol. 12, No. 2, page 36. ( 2 ) Tom Carlberg (2012) Bulletin of the California Lichen Society. Vol. 19. See, page 27. ( 3 ) Larry St. Clair (1999) Bulletin of the California Lichen Society. Vol. 6, No. 2. ( 4 ) Kocourkova (2012) A Checklist of the Lichenicolous Biota of California Opuscula Philolichenum. 11:64-103. ( 5 ) Lichens, surprising pioneering organisms (2019) Encyclopedia of the Environment. ( 6 ) Article by Sheela McLean, available from: "methownet dot com/grist/features/lichens.html

It was only recently that I learned that the San Francisco Bay Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail…read moreare two distinctly different things. The Ridge Trail is a network of more than 385 miles of connected trails that scale great heights. The Bay Trail is the flatter version, currently spanning 350 miles with plans to grow to 500 miles. If it's ever completed, the Bay Trail will span 47 cities and 9 counties and create a necklace of trails that will encircle the San Francisco Bay more or less at sea level. Right now, the longest single stretch is less than 30 miles in length. With a seemingly long way to go before one can hike a completed Bay Trail I opted to hike the newest section of trail in the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This new-ish section of the Bay Trail is the Eliot Trail, part of a Sonoma Land Trust project to restore wetlands (diked in the 1800's) in the Sears Point area. The Eliot Trail sits atop an unshaded levee, with the wetlands at your side as you hike. Bikes are allowed; pets are not. The well maintained Eliot Trail stretches 2.4 flat miles. At its obvious end, you will turn back and retrace your steps, adding an additional 2.4 miles. There are informative signs along the way, telling you about the wetlands and its inhabitants. If you're a birder, bring binoculars; there's lots of nature to be viewed here. For the rest of us, the trail is just an easy walk in pleasant surroundings on a very lightly used trail. If you're looking to escape crowds, the Eliot Trail is a good choice. Parking is free in an adequately sized lot on Reclamation Road. Once parked, walk south on the trail to get to the Eliot Trail (and other, shorter trails). It's interesting to learn of all the effort (and expense) being put into making the Bay Trail an actual connected network and nice to see how it is (positively) affecting our shoreline. The Eliot Trail isn't a compelling hike, but it's a nice place to visit if you just want to experience a bit of the trail and observe a new wetlands restoration project.