The BLT Guidebook

If you’re like me- indecision may be something you struggle with. I live in the bay area with too many trails to count. Finding a day hike shouldn’t be an issue, but it is! It’s the running record of questions!

“Well, what do I want to see during my hike?”

“How many miles do I want to hike?”

“How far do I want to drive?”

“How early do I want to get up?”

“Is it a popular trail? How many people would I expect to see?”

For some of us, these questions may be easy to answer. I have friends who love hiking. but they go to the same trail each weekend. I also have friends who live at the base of Mt. Diablo and a popular trail is steps out of their door. This could be you! Even if it is, maybe you are looking for something else with different scenery. Maybe you are looking for scenery, period!

What is your heart telling you?

What are you in the mood for today? Open spaces, trees, the ocean? Decide what area you would like to go to. When I am in the mood for a walk or a run, I head to Layfette Reservoir. When I feel like seeing the ocean, I head to Marin. If you are dying to be in a forested area, you can head east to the foothills or into the tunnel into Berkeley.

Back to the question of “how far do you want to drive?” I have driven over three hours to do a day trip to Yosemite. It all depends on you and the time of day. If you can afford it, will taking a day trip to a place like South Lake Tahoe create stress for you or will you feel happy that you went? Or do you just need to take a walk and be outside?

Location is key.

Depending on the day of the week, time of day, or time of the year, some of the places you go may be more popular than others. Looking to hike the beach on a Saturday morning at 10 AM in the summertime? You may get a spot, but you also may be driving around looking for one. Since the beach is one hour away from where I live, I want to maximize my time without being in traffic. My general rule of thumb is getting to a place by 9 AM at the latest. I know that this won’t work for everyone. You can also think about going in the afternoon.

Trail search.

Where do you start?

Google it! You can Google “Trails in San Francisco” and all of the trailheads will pop up in the map. It will also show you Trip Advisor, Yelp, and any blog that SF trails are attached to. You can read up on them and figure out which one is most popular. You can also Google something no-so-obvious like “low key trails in bay area” and you’ll get another set of searches.

There’s an App for that! I use Alltrails, but I haven’t checked out others. I like AllTrails because you can open it up and it will already have a marker for every trail in your location. You can then filter for scenery, mileage, popularity- everything listed above! There are also pictures and user comments. One note about user comments: Every person is different. There are one star reviews on every trail in the country, including National Parks. Hike your own hike and don’t let that discourage you from checking out a trail. I do like seeing pictures because I will be able to see what type of view the trail has. Other popular Apps are Gaia GPS, Cairn, PeakVisor, and PeakFinder, among many others.

Websites like Hiking Project! There are websites out there that are similar to an app, but aren’t one! (Hiking Project did launch one). You can hop on the web and start searching. The thing about this website is that it is very trail specific, so you will see popular areas being broken down, but it’s not going to find your neighborhood trail. Users are also able to add their own routes.

Trail Etiquette.

While you are observing your surroundings, don’t forget to think about the animals who live in those surroundings and the people who want to enjoy it as well.

Here are some tips to make your time (and theirs) more enjoyable for years to come:

Leave No Trace– Review Leave No Trace trail etiquette before you leave home on your first hike. The basics are to pack out what you bring with you and everything you do in the outdoors has an impact. Take the trail that’s there, take your trash with you, and try to keep your hiking group small.

Courtesy– We are all outside for the same reasons! Smile at other hikers and share the trail. It’s everyone’s trail and we are a community of people with the common interest of enjoying it.

Knowing the regulations– If a park is closed, doing trail maintenance, or if you are using the trail to go fishing or other recreational activities, know what’s up! All you need to do is check the park’s website.