Jim Byers
Member, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)
(NOTE: This story originally appeared in The Toronto Star)
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA – Walking between fabled Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge I found quiet beaches I never knew existed. In suburban San Leandro I admired pretty, yellow wildflowers on a warm January day that put a bounce in the step of a winter-weary Canadian. And in Marin County I stumbled on an old Chinese shrimping village filled with historic artefacts.
The San Francisco Bay Trail is a series of pathways that skirt one of the world’s greatest natural harbours. There’s roughly 560 km’s so far, and organizers hope to reach roughly 800 km (500 miles) in the near future, which would allow hikers and cyclists to navigate around the bay through 47 cities, 130 parks, and seven toll bridges.
The trail takes in a wide array of natural features; marshes teeming with bird life, waterfront hills bathed in deep green grass and towering, sweet-smelling eucalyptus trees, and urban settings where industrial might collides with fragile nature. I was lucky enough to spend several days traipsing around various parts of the trail last month in glorious weather. Here’s a look at some San Francisco Bay Trail options, as well as some suggestions away from the trail.
NATURE IN THE BIG CITY
As a Bay Area native, I’ve driven friends and family across the top of San Francisco many a time, pointing out landmarks such as Fort Mason and cable cars that climb halfway to the stars. But until I traded my car keys in favour of my own two feet I never knew there were a series of beaches that run for more nearly two kilometres near the Golden Gate Bridge. The north San Francisco section of the trail runs from south of the Ferry Building, home to marvelous restaurants and food shops, and up to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf. From there you make your way to the semi-circular breakwall/pier that helps enclose most of Aquatic Park Cove. There’s a beach where kids in pants and sweatshirts frolic in the icy waters of the bay, and where brave souls swim laps, even at sunset in January. First established as a defence post to ward off Confederate forces during the American Civil War, Fort Mason later acted as a departure point for soldiers heading out to the Pacific theatre during World War II. Today it’s home to a thriving arts scene, as well as the sunny, spacious Radhaus beer hall. Making your way west, you’ll find the posh Marina district, with a massive lawn and pretty boats tied up at anchor. Just north of the Crissy Field green space I found towering trees right along the sand, with picnic benches and pieces of driftwood you can use as a seat while you admire the graceful, deep orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. From here, the city seems miles away, and you feel you can almost reach out and touch the bridge. The wide, paved trail that runs along the beach was packed with walkers, cyclists, roller bladers, dog walkers and kids on gyro scooters. From there you can make your way to Fort Point, a handsome, stone Civil War-era facility, and then up a winding road or a set of stairs (roughly 155 of them) to the bridge. Walking across the Golden Gate is a noisy affair, with cars roaring past at 50-60 mph, but the views are unbeatable. If your energy is flagging, Roundhouse Coffee is a shop at the south end of the bridge that makes a great coffee latte.
The San Francisco Bay Trail at Jack London Square in Oakland. JIM BYERS PHOTO
ACROSS THE BAY
Oakland is often called the Brooklyn of the Bay Area. It’s a fair comparison for a region that’s been known for years as the home of sprawling factories and working-class neighbourhoods. It’s also fitting that one of the top areas of the Bay Trail in Oakland is called the Brooklyn Basin. The old 9th Avenue Terminal, which is on the east side of the Oakland Estuary a few minutes south of downtown, has been refurbished in the style of the Queen’s Quay Terminal in Toronto and now is home to a lovely grocery/wine store, a surf/canoe/kayak shop and a branch of a store called Oakland-ish, which sells Oakland t-shirts and other gear celebrating a city that’s taken its share of hard knocks over the years. There’s a large patio out behind the terminal big enough for a football game, and a huge open space with industrial architecture, native grasses and succulents that don’t need to soak up precious California water. A few minutes north, Jack London Square is home to renovated warehouses and romantic restaurants that jut out over the estuary. You’ll also find a log cabin that’s dedicated to Oakland native Jack London, who made a name for himself writing about the Yukon gold rush. The cabin where he lived and wrote about the madness around him was discovered in the 1960s. Half of it is here in Oakland, proudly on display a few metres from the bay, while the other half is in a small corner of Dawson City, Yukon. The night of my Oakland explorations I sat on the balcony of my hotel room and watched rowers scull across the estuary in the fading light, their tiny boats dwarfed by a massive container ship unloading goods at the Port of Oakland.
Yachts in Sausalito, California along the San Francisco Bay Trail. JIM BYERS PHOTO
A TASTE OF MARIN
The town of Tiburon has a gleaming waterfront and pastel-coloured homes on small bluffs that rise out of the bay, giving the area a bit of an Italian/French Riviera feel. The Bay Trail runs along both sides of town, but only the west side is easily accessible to pedestrians. The trail runs from the tiny, one-block-long downtown and the city marina up to a waterfront park called Blackie’s Pasture. Much of the route is on an abandoned rail line that’s been converted to a paved, pedestrian and cycling trail. You’ll skirt Richardson Bay as you go along, and there are there are plenty of benches where you can sit and rest and soak in views of the bay and nearby Mount Tamalpais. It’s not on the official Bay Trail, but be sure to take a walk around downtown and up the hill to the west, where you can admire smart, hillside homes and check out spectacular vistas of Belvedere Cove and San Francisco Bay. Nearby Sausalito, where Otis Redding is said to have penned “Dock of the Bay,” offers up more sparkling, white yachts and a waterfront walk that has killer views of downtown San Francisco. North of San Rafael, don’t miss the Shoreline Trail near China Camp State Park. It’s a lovely path through thick forests of oak trees, with wonderful bay vistas. It’s just a short walk from the trail to China Camp village, an old shrimping station settled by Chinese immigrants in the 1860s. It’s the only such village still to be found on San Francisco Bay. You can stroll the beach or check out the artefacts from the days when a thriving shrimp industry was here.
Oyster Bay in San Leandro, California is part of the San Francisco Bay Trail. JIM BYERS PHOTO
AN EAST BAY DELIGHT
Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline is a marvellous nature spot south of Oakland. It’s a slightly hilly bit of land with a series of trails that are great for hikers and cyclists, as well as a disc golf course. Look for stout pine trees, towering, sweet-smelling eucalyptus, and meadows thick with yellow oxalis flowers. When I visited, I could hear a flock of noisy, red-wing blackbirds in a thick stand of trees. I also spotted a pale brown rabbit hopping through a deep green meadow, only its ears and the top of its head visible over the top of the grass. There are plenty of picnic tables and charcoal barbeque stands scattered about. Come in the late afternoon to watch the sun go down over San Francisco Bay.
The San Francisco Bay Trail in Benicia, California. JIM BYERS PHOTO
THE NORTH BAY
The Benicia State Recreation Area sits on Carquinez Strait, a narrow slice of open water at the northeast end of San Francisco Bay. It’s a large park with a wide marsh fronting San Francisco Bay and pretty walking trails along the water. When I visited, I spotted a Great Egret, its white feathers flapping in a considerable breeze, pouncing on a small, wriggling fish for an afternoon snack. If you continue south along the waterfront path you’ll find a small, rocky beach and grass-covered hills dotted with wild yellow oxalis mixed with deep orange California poppies, the official state flower. The marina in Benicia, the one-time capital of California, also is part of the SF Bay Trail. Downtown Benicia is a charming spot that’s just a short walk from the marina.
OTHER BAY AREA WALKING/HIKING OPTIONS
Here are some other great hikes/walking areas in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve Trailhead offers 24 km’s of hiking, as well as kayaking, windsurfing and other water activities. A few miles west, the Pearson-Arastradero Reserve has marked trails for hiking and horseback riding. The park rises as high as 236 meters in elevation, so you get fine views of Silicon Valley and the bay.
The Oakland hills offer up a series of stunning parks, including magnificent groves of redwoods at Joaquin Miller Park and Redwoods Regional Park. Both are just a short drive from downtown. Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve is another Oakland gem, with a wide-open valley, high hills dotted with oak trees, and exposed rock formations.
Joaquin Miller Park redwood trees in Oakland, California, JIM BYERS PHOTO
The San Francisco Crosstown Trail was created just a few years ago and runs 27 km’s, from Candlestick Point in the southeast to Lands End in the northwest. Lands End offers fine views of the Pacific Ocean and marvellous sunsets. The Glen Canyon Park section takes you from the Glen Park BART station to Twin Peaks, passing through a lovely canyon filled with towering eucalyptus trees and craggy rocks.
Just a 10-minute ferry ride from Tiburon, Angel Island State Park is a tranquil spot for hiking and biking and offers great views of Marin County and San Francisco. Angel Island was a government processing station for immigrants, and there’s a small museum that tells the story of how Europeans were allowed in almost at will, while Asians were often detained for months or even years. One small exhibit talks about Katherine Maurer, “The Angel of Angel Island,” a southern Ontario woman who spent years looking after Chinese immigrants trying to start a new life in the U.S.
Tennessee Point in the Marin Headlands. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The Marin Headlands are one of the least used but most easily accessible nature areas in the Bay Area. The park entrance is just two minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge and less than 15 minutes from downtown San Francisco, but you can easily find yourself alone on a high cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Point Bonita Lighthouse offers tremendous views of the Golden Gate, while Tennessee Point, a 15-minute walk up the hill from Rodeo Beach, rewards hikers with a small labyrinth and stunning views of the California coastline.
WHERE TO STAY
TIBURON The Lodge at Tiburon is a short block to the tiny, perfect downtown and has very nice rooms, as well as a swimming pool and a restaurant I didn’t get to try.
OAKLAND The Waterfront Hotel in Jack London Square has recently been renovated. As the name suggests, it’s right on the water and has a perfect location for enjoying the Square’s numerous dining and shopping options. I had a lovely room with tons of space and a massive patio overlooking the water.
SAN FRANCISCO Hotel Caza Fisherman’s Wharf is a trendy yet still family friendly spot a couple blocks from the wharf, and a short walk to both the Italian North Beach district and Ghirardelli Square. The rooms are spacioius and modern, there’s an outdoor pool, and the lobby has a pool table, a corn hole game and a bar.
The lobby at the Caza Hotel, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco. JIM BYERS PHOTOWHERE TO EAT
Bungalow Kitchen by Michael Mina in Tiburon serves superb food, such as crispy duck wings and perfect, moist sea bass. There’s a cool bar upstairs and a seaside patio. Sam’s Anchor Café in Tiburon serves up very good food and has a wonderful patio and a lively bar with terrific cocktails. Great staff, too.
It’s a short walk from Hotel Caza to New Thai Elephant, a cozy Asian spot. If you like heat, try the spicy drunken noodles.
A bowl of rigatoni with pork belly at Chop Bar in Oakland, California. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Located at Jack London Square in Oakland, Chop Bar might have best rigatoni I’ve ever had, served with smoked pork belly and broccolini. Great cocktails and a fun, funky interior.
Just a few steps from lovely Lake Merritt in Oakland, Grand Lake Kitchen has good food and a nice patio out front.
WHAT TO DO
Located in Jack London Square in Oakland, California Canoe and Kayak rents kayaks or canoes for a ride on the Oakland Estuary, which separates mainland Oakland from the island of Alameda. Lots of fun.
