Five Easy Rainy Day Hikes in the S.F. Bay Area
Story and Photos by Susan Alcorn
There’s no need to fret about a rainy day, and no need to put hiking plans on hold. The abundance of hiking trails, paved walking paths and city sidewalks in the Greater Bay Area allows us to enjoy the many benefits of sauntering, walking and hiking most every day.
Here are five easy and relatively short hikes where you won’t sink in the mud, and they all have free parking and entry.
1. Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, Richmond.
If you enjoy dogs, this is a great place to let your dog romp and make some new furry friends, or to enjoy the antics of other peoples’ pets. Point Isabel’s rules allow dogs to be off-leash, but under the voice control of their owner, throughout the park. You can even get your dog washed at the park while you enjoy coffee and pastries at the adjoining café. There are two parking areas, both with restrooms, at the dog park: the Isabel Street Park entrance and the Rydin Road Staging area.
With or without taking in the dog park, you can walk a lovely portion of the San Francisco Bay Trail. Suggested here is a 4-mile out and back walk, but follow your inclinations to turn around earlier or continue even farther on. The Bay Trail, when completed, is envisioned as 500 miles circling San Francisco and San Pablo bays. It currently welcomes hikers, joggers, bicyclists, skaters and wheelchair users to more than 350 miles of trails.
From the Rydin Staging Area, cross Rydin Road and head north past the restrooms. Join the San Francisco Bay Trail to continue alongside Hoffman Marsh. As you proceed through McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, watch for waterfowl and other birdlife, views across to San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and nearby Brooks Island. Occasional interpretive signboards invite you to learn more about your surroundings. In approximately 1.8 miles you will reach the attractive Richmond Marina.
From there, you can check out any of the three parks on the harbor — the Shimada, Vincent and Marina Bay. This might be a good turnaround spot, but make it a point to come back another time and continue farther on the Bay Trail to the Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront National Historic Park and Visitor Center.
2. Inspiration Point/ Nimitz Way. Tilden Park, Berkeley
When you arrive at the Inspiration Point parking lot, take a moment to enjoy an expansive view of the canyon and San Pablo and Briones Reservoirs. Then check the signboard at the trailhead for any maps or announcements, use the restrooms if need be, and then set out on the paved trail.
You’ll soon be taking in expansive views to the west. Depending on weather, you may be able to see the Farallon Islands, about 28 miles out beyond the Golden Gate Bridge. As you continue along the wide path, remember to stay to the right because the trail is also open to bicyclists and equestrians.
This will be an out-and-back walk taking you through lightly forested sections (including a grove planted by the Albany-North Berkeley Kiwanis Club decades ago), gently rolling hills and additional open areas with views east and west as you weave in and out alongside the ridge. You may spot rough-skinned newts in the winter followed by California poppies and sticky monkey flowers in March and April.
The trail is paved for four miles, then becomes a wide, packed dirt road into Wildcat Canyon Regional Park.
Cautions: Check the website for any warning or closures. Stormy weather can close the trail in the case of high winds. If driving to the park, be aware that the Wildcat Canyon Road entrance from Orinda is closed due to earlier slide damage (and is projected to stay closed for two more years). Road access is currently from the Berkeley side.
3. Arrowhead Marsh, Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland.
This multi-use area has boating, walking, bird-watching and more. Its current 71 acres are the result of the 1998 wetland restoration, which restored tidal flow to the setting. It’s an important stop on the Pacific Flyway: thousands of migrating birds visit the park annually. Resident birdlife includes terns, egrets, avocets, burrowing owls, and the endangered Ridgway’s Rail.
There are three main entrances: Doolittle Drive to the Martin Luther King Jr. Forest/off Hegenberger; the Doolittle Staging Center/Shoreline Center; and the Tidewater Staging Area/Tidewater Boating Center.
This hike will start from the first of these entrances. Enter the park, drive alongside the Arrowhead Marsh Trail and the channel on your left. You will pass a couple of small parking areas and several picnic tables, Arrowhead Marsh, and a tall observation tower (which you can climb for views). In about three-quarters of a mile you’ll reach the end of the road and a larger parking lot. Restrooms and water faucets are in the nearby wooden building.
For our loop walk of two miles, turn south before the footbridge and away from the bay to walk alongside San Leandro Creek. You’ll usually find mallards and other ducks along the way. Turn right at the end of the chain- link fence and continue straight to reach Arrowhead Marsh Trail. Then turn right and continue toward the marsh, passing picnic tables along the way.
Sometimes a spur trail that starts directly across from the Buffle Head picnic area is open. It drops down closer to the marsh. After your time at the marsh, you can continue ahead to your vehicle, or try another loop by crossing over San Leandro Creek on the footbridge to explore the eastern side of the park. Binoculars suggested.
4. SF Crosstown, San Francisco
This is an urban hike with plenty of open space. The SF Crosstown route as laid out travels 17 miles across San Francisco from Candlestick Point to Lands End. It came into being by the efforts of a small group of local volunteers.
There are no rules about how to complete the route, no fees, no commitments (although they appreciate hearing about your walk, and often need volunteers). For those wanting a shorter walk, doing the route in sections is quite possible. When my husband and I walked it, with friends, we did it our own way. We started at Lands End, did the route in four sections and ended at Candlestick Point. We did each section starting on part of the “official” route and then looped back on different streets and trails to our starting point. That made our transportation easier.
5. Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds, San Rafael
This might be a departure from your ordinary walking trail because it is also part of the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, a waste-water treatment plant. However, many consider it the best bird watching spot in Marin County and claim there is no odor from the treatment plant.
After parking in the lot, or alongside the street approaching, head to the sign boards to decide your route. Cross the concrete bridge. On your right are fields, on the left are four treatment ponds you can walk past or around for a 2-mile walk. Beyond the ponds, the trail continues another mile along a levee.
I am not a birder, but on my visit in February, I recognized grebes, red-winged blackbirds, Canada geese, mallards, swans, Buffleheads and other ducks, in pond #1. We also saw raptors out over the marshy fields.
To reach the site: from US 101 in Marin, exit Lucas Valley Road/Smith Ranch Road. Drive east about 0.7 miles on Smith Ranch Road, cross the train track, and then, just before the McInnis Park entrance, turn left to remain on Smith Ranch Road. Continue 0.8 miles to the small parking lot and trailhead at the end of the road. You can also park along the side of the road. A water fountain and an outhouse are available.
Come visit me at SusanDAlcorn.com for more hiking ideas.
