More than seven million people live in the Bay Area. It’s a crowded place, and the state’s designated open spaces give us an accessible outlet for enjoying the outdoors.
Mountain bikers will relish the challenging singletrack trails and steep descents at Henry Coe State Park. Photo by Martin Sundberg
By weekendsherpa.com
Published: February, 2008
If approved, the recently proposed state budget would close 48 California parks within the year. We’ve spotlighted three Bay Area parks on that slate, all well worth a new year’s visit.
Henry Coe State Park
Big, quiet, and wild, Henry Coe is the largest state park in Northern California. Named after a Bay Area pioneer, this South Bay park’s 87,000 acres remain mostly unchanged since the Ohlone Indians made it their home. At 2,600 feet, the visitor’s center makes you feel like you’re on a cloud (and offers striking sunset views). Mountain bikers will relish the challenging singletrack trails and steep descents, while hikers can enjoy a variety of options, from easy ambling trails to thigh-burning climbs. With so much land, the park’s ecology is wonderfully diverse, including oak woodlands, grassy hills, conifer forests, and manzanita shrublands. For a nice taste of the park, loop the Frog Flat Trail with Middle Ridge Trail and Fish Trail. On this 8-mile loop you’ll pass lofty ridges and deep canyons, through a terrain of earthy browns and shiny greens (thanks to recent rains). Rugged and undeveloped, Henry Coe is a slice of the wild.
Pick up a map at the visitor center, or visit www.coepark.org. To reach the park: from Highway 101 in Morgan Hill, exit East Dunne Ave. and travel 13 winding miles up to the visitor center.
Portola Redwoods State Park
Portola Redwoods State Park often gets overlooked in favor of its bigger neighbor, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. But Portola’s 18 miles of trails wind through giant redwoods to some peaceful, pristine country (and a hidden highlight). The park is remote, located at the end of a twisty, fun-to-drive road at the base of Butano Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Start on the Coyote Ridge Trail and gently ascend for about a mile before taking a break to listen to the trees creaking in the wind. At the end of the Upper Coyote Trail, look left for the Tarwater Loop and begin your journey back. About a mile down the trail, as you descend into redwood shadows, keep your eyes peeled for the aforementioned highlight: it’s unmarked, but you can’t miss it—a hulking redwood flexing two giant elbow-shaped limbs. A few old-timers claim this is the largest living thing on the Peninsula. You don’t say.
BONUS: Top off your hike with a signature burger at Alice’s Restaurant. Try the Harley if you dare—it’s loaded with bacon, sausage, cheddar, jack, and grilled onions. Alice’s is a favorite biker hangout, as you can see by the hogs filling the parking lot. It’s all part of the kick-back-and-refuel atmosphere, easy-rider style.
Alice’s Restaurant, 17288 Skyline Blvd., Woodside; 650-851-0303.
Tomales Bay State Park
If you really love oysters, there’s nothing finer than getting them straight from the source. And it’s even better when that source is in one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the state. Enter Point Reyes National Seashore and the historic Drake’s Bay Oyster Farm, where they’ve been digging up premium varieties for more than sixty years. While most Point Reyes visitors are making their way along busy Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the lighthouse, your destination is a sharp left turn onto a winding gravel road that ends at the oyster company’s farm on the tranquil shores of Drake’s Estero. When you get there, pick up a dozen or two freshly plucked Pacific oysters and then head for a grill. We like nearby Heart’s Desire Beach in Tomales Bay State Park, where you can escape the crowds by hiking a tenth of a mile south along the Johnstone Trail to a private picnic area that overlooks Tomales Bay. Grill your fill, then wander half a mile farther down the trail to Pebble Beach (pictured), where you can find your own slice of sand on the bay. Ah, the world is your oyster now.
Drakes Bay Oyster Farm, 17171 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Inverness; 415-669-1149.
WANT TO HELP SAVE
OUR PARKS?The California State Parks Foundation has set up a system that automatically writes an email to your assembly member and senator at http://ga3.org/campaign/KeepStateParksOpen.
Hearts Desire Beach in Tomales Bay State Park is a great place to escape the crowds. Photo by Brad Day/WeekendSherpa.com
