To me Spring is the best time of year for hiking in the South Bay Area. The streams and waterfalls are flowing, the hills are green, the temperatures mild, the crowds minimal. The trails can be a bit muddy, but that is a mostly a minor inconvenience. Over the last 2 months I’ve visited several parks and open space preserves, including Arastradero Open Space Preserve, Santa Teresa County Park, Calero County Park, Uvas Canyon County Park, Picchetti Ranch Winery and Open Space Preserve, and Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Each location is unique in it’s character and experience.
Arastradero Open Space Preserve
Visited 2/13/2006 and 2/15/2006
Arastradero features rolling hills, a small lake, and beautiful views from the hilltops. The main parking lot is on Arastradero Road, about 0.6 mile northwest of Page Mill Rd. I shot the panorama below from the hilltop on the Redtail Loop trail northeast of the parking lot. It’s a pretty steep climb from the parking lot to the top of the hill, but the view on a clear day is well worth the effort. The sky was very blue and the clouds stood out like cotton balls.
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On a much cloudier day I took the Gateway trail that runs from the parking lot along Arastradero Road, crossed the road to the main part of the reserve and followed the Juan Bautista de Anza trail to Arastradero lake. While walking alonside the lake I noticed the remains of what I think was a fawn that was killed by a mountain lion. It’s not a pretty sight, so click on the thumbnail only if these kinds of things don’t bother you.
Santa Teresa County Park
Visited 2/20/2006, 3/4/2006 and 3/12/2006
Because I live so close to Santa Teresa County park, it is the park I visit most often, and I visit it all seasons of the year. The contrasts are striking. Whereas late summer is dry, hot and the hills are brown, a late winter / early spring visit includes green hills, mild temperatures, and occasional view of snow covered peaks. I’m accustomed to seeing snow on Mt. Hamilton at some point, but this was the first year in a long time that I remember seeing snow on Mt. Unumun. On the morning of March 12, I captured the image below of a snow covered Mt. Umunum peaking out beneath the clouds. The other photo shows my son, Eric, on an afternoon hike, with Mt. Hamilton in the background.
As most photographers know, the best times of day for taking outdoor photos are early morning and late afternoon. It is these times of day that the quality of light is best (warm and low). The next two pictures, sunflower stalks and deers running across a grassy field, were taken in the late afternoon, but on different days. The early morning and late afternoon hours are also the best times to view deer and other wildlife in Santa Teresa county park. I frequently see a small herd of deer on the hill near the Muriel Wright “Girls Ranch” just before dusk. Five members of the herd were captured in the photo below, while two others scampered off in the other direction when they saw me approaching.
Uvas Canyon County Park
Visited 2/4/2006 and 3/26/2006
Uvas Canyon is a park full of small waterfalls, streams and bridges. The environment is moist and mossy. Follow the Waterfall Loop trail, which criss crosses Swanson creek several times, for a short but somewhat steep hike that is well worth the time and effort. Because of the thick foliage almost wherever you are on the trail you are in the shade, so taking sharp handheld photos is tricky because of the resulting slow shutter speeds. Bring a tripod, a fast lens, fast film, or a digital camera that can take good pictures at high ISO settings.
The pictures below we taken on two separate days, the first two on February 4 and the rest on March 26. On the latter day Swanson creek was flowing like a torrent. It was impressive. I managed to get my wife Barbara to go hiking with me that day, which is a rare occurrence. Even she enjoyed this hike, and was most taken in by the sound and sight of the rapidly flowing water. I also took some video footage (6MB) with my Casio EX750 digicam, showing lots of flowing water.
Calero County Park
Visited 2/25/2006
Many people come to Calero County park to water ski or ride their jet skis. But there is another side of the park for those who enjoy nature more than water sports. Calero park is a great place for horse back riding and hiking. Hiking Calero County park means great views of the reservoir, close encounters with the horses, and abundant sightings of hawks and other birds and small mammals including rabbits, squirrels and even bobcats. On this particular day I hiked the Los Cerritos trail which takes you past the small Los Cerritos Pond, through the stable area and near the edge of the reservoir.
Picchetti Ranch Winery/Open Space Preserve
Visited 3/18/2006
Pichetti Ranch is unique in that it houses an operating winery. You can hike the trails, visit the small lake, admire the peacocks, take in the vistas and then stop in the tasting room for a glass of Picchetti 2002 Zinfandel. How cool is that? (Just don’t drink and drive!)
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Visitors’ Center
Visited 3/19/2006
It was a beautiful day when I visited the refuge. The sun was shining, the wildflowers blooming. I took a walk along the Tidelands trail and took pictures of poppys, a lizard sunning itself on a rock, the view from one of bridges over the marsh, an old hunters cabin and an egret.
For more information on the parks and preserves described above: