7 Shady Redwood Hikes close to San Francisco

Coast redwoods, the tallest tree species on earth, are awe-inspiring in the way in which of mountains and stars, rising over 350 toes tall and dwelling over 2,000 years. Fortunate for us within the Bay Space, coast redwoods develop proper in our yard between southern Oregon and the Massive Sur coast. You possibly can sometimes discover them as much as 40 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, absorbing moisture from fog in summertime.

Shady redwood forests are an important possibility for summer time mountain climbing. Creeks and streams, frequent in redwood forests, create serene water vistas. Tannin, a chemical present in redwoods that offers them their reddish colour, naturally repels bugs too, so you’ll doubtless have fewer bugs in your redwood hikes. However it’s not all about us. Coast redwoods are important members of an interdependent ecosystem, cleansing and stabilizing creeks they feed from and supporting crops and animals of their canopies and forest flooring.

An outdated progress redwood forest beside Redwood Creek in Muir Woods Nationwide Monument

As you hike, attempt to keep away from stepping on redwood roots. Redwoods don’t have taproots anchoring them to the bottom and their root methods are shallow—the equal of an individual being anchored by their large toe—so root injury can affect a tree’s stability.

Listed below are seven lovely redwood hikes inside day-trip distance of San Francisco.

Redwood Hikes in North Bay

1. Stinson Seashore-East Peak Hearth Lookout passes by way of a coast redwood forest beside Webb Creek on the Steep Ravine Path. Whenever you attain the Pantoll Ranger Station, you’ll be able to proceed one other Three.9 miles northeast to the East Peak Hearth Lookout or flip round for a 6.Four-mile hike.

2. Cover View-Fern Creek Loop is a shady, 3.8-mile loop in Muir Woods Nationwide Monument. Hike alongside outdated progress redwoods beside Redwood Creek and Fern Creek, leaving vacationers behind as you climb to a viewpoint of Mount Tamalpais State Park.

The tallest coast redwood at Muir Woods Nationwide Monument stretches over 250 toes. View from the Cover View-Fern Creek Loop.

Redwood Hikes in East Bay

3.. West Ridge-Stream Path Loop is a partially shady 7.9-mile loop in Redwood Regional Park close to Oakland. The loop climbs the partly sunny West Ridge Path, visits peaceable Redwood Bowl, after which descends alongside Redwood Creek right into a second-growth redwood forest.

Redwood Hikes within the Peninsula

4. Berry Creek Falls Loop is a strenuous hike within the Santa Cruz Mountains previous movie-star waterfalls and an old-growth redwood forest inside Massive Basin Redwoods State Park. The 10.5-mile loop circles the park previous three main waterfalls, with an particularly scenic stretch alongside Berry Creek.

5. Whittemore Gulch–Purisima Creek Loop is a average, 9.5-mile hike round Whittemore Gulch in Purisima Creek Redwoods Protect. The second-growth redwoods alongside Purisima Creek, sunny valley views, and vistas of the Pacific Ocean make it a basic.

A shocking redwood forest on the Whittemore Gulch Path in Purisima Creek Redwoods Protect.

Redwood Hikes in South Bay

6. Bear Creek Redwoods Protect is a brand-new Midpen protect in Los Gatos that opened in June 2019. Six miles of shady mountain climbing trails loop across the protect, climbing over 1,000 toes from the parking zone to Madrone Knoll at 2,400 toes. There may be additionally a Zero.2-mile easy accessibility path subsequent to the parking zone referred to as the Higher Lake Loop Path. An interpretive brochure highlights historical past and habitats round this loop.

Redwood Hikes in Santa Cruz

7. Fall Creek-Massive Ben Loop is a difficult, Eight.9-mile loop hike in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park close to Felton. The hike begins in a nice redwood forest beside Fall Creek, visits historic lime kilns, and stops by the traditional Massive Ben Tree earlier than looping again to the trailhead.

Nice views of Fall Creek and coast redwoods within the Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

Want extra concepts? Try these redwood hikes, too:

Heritage Grove Path, a 2.6-mile (one-way) path in Sam McDonald County Park
Redwood Grove Loop Path, a Zero.Eight-mile loop in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (important entrance)
Ewoldsen Path, a 5.Three-mile round-trip hike in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (test circumstances, path closed as of September 2019)
Valley View Path, a 2.Zero-mile round-trip hike in Pfeiffer Massive Sur State Park