I hiked and golfed growing up in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. However, I stopped golfing in my early twenties when working full-time and putting myself through college became too time-consuming. I was an avid mountain biker in Arizona for a year or so on sites that are now completely developed. However, I have always hiked, and though golf is now my primary athletic activity as of last year, one of the things I love most about San Francisco is our access to so many incredible hiking trails.
Having hiked more than 25 national sites (7 in California), and an additional 53 state sites in California, I have logged more than 1500 miles. While we enjoy hiking year-round in the San Francisco Bay Area, fall & winter are especially enjoyable seasons to hike here. I utilize AllTrails and Strava to chart and track my progress.
Since I am often asked about my favorite hikes, I will share my top ten below.
Top Ten Bay Area Hikes
Steep Ravine Trail to Matt Davis Trail to Dipsea Trail - 6.6 miles, 1700 ft. climb
Whittemore Gulch & Purisima Creek Loop Trail - 9.3 miles, 2109 ft. climb
Alamere Falls via Coast Trail from Palomarin Trail - 13.6 miles, 1811 ft. climb
Tomales Point Trail - 9.4 miles, 1177 ft. climb
Miwok and Coastal Loop Trail - 6.7 miles, 1397 ft. climb
Cataract Falls Trail - 5.6 miles, 1348 ft. climb
Lands End Trail - 3.4 miles, 538 ft. climb
French, Bridle, and Stream Trail Loop - 8.1 miles, 1325 ft. climb
Carson Falls Trail - 3.7 miles, 1003 ft. climb
Tennessee Valley Golden Gate Loop Trail - 5.5 miles, 1292 ft. climb
