I'm going to be in the San Francisco area for 6 weeks starting mid Jan. Any good places to hike and hang? I probably can only go out on the weekends. Thanks! I'm from Colorado and not into snow camping, but the temps in NorCal seem really nice right now. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until - gasp - May or June to get into the mountains.
If you don't experiment, you don't learn!
Drive north into Marin or Humboldt...along the coast or into the redwoods. Can't lose. Drive south into the Santa Cruz Mtns. Can't lose. Drive east into the Sierras. Can't lose. The Sierra's, about 2 1/2 hrs, are the longest drive, SC and Marin, 15 mins. Definitely get into the redwoods.
PT Reyes in Marin county we just did group hangs in sky camp #5 and #6. Those are the best for hangers in the park . Glen camp you might be able to hang but I am not sure.
Sugar loaf park in kenwood you can hang and has lots of trails. It is car camping though.
Some I the guys on the group Hang were more versed on where might be better.
Those are the ones I am familiar with as of now. I just got into hanging this past fall.
I'm free tues through fri nights if you need/want someone to hang with. I'm currently trying to find and explore hanging spots.
Samuel P. Taylor State Park is a little known redwood forest that's very close to San Francisco in Marin County. Its campground is for car camping. It has quite a few hiking and biking trails and connects with Mt. Tamalpais State Park--famous for its mountain biking. There's camping there too. Google them for more info.
Point Reyes is beautiful for sure, but it's quite a bit farther than 15 minutes from San Francisco. Marin County is right over the Golden Gate Bridge, and Point Reyes is in Marin County. But it's about a 45-minute drive up Highway 101 and over to the coast from the city.
Almost all the units of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area require reservations and/or permits. Best of luck! Enjoy your trip!!!
"Pips"
Mountains have a dreamy way
Of folding up a noisy day
In quiet covers, cool and gray.
---Leigh Buckner Hanes
Surely, God could have made a better way to sleep.
Surely, God never did.
Point Reyes would be worth checking out. Even though it's a coastal area, I've seen threads about hanging there.
David
If you don't mind the drive:
Sykes Hot springs on a off season weekend can be nice without big crowds.
Park at Big Sur station and have a nice hike in, plenty of trees to hang from, even close to the hot springs.
As mentioned Point Reyes, lots of state parks. These will require reservations in advance. This time of year though that shouldn't be too hard. Also, I might suggest Henry Coe. They have a back country area that my be less crowded. If you are willing to drive there are national forests within 3 to 4 hours that don't require any advanced reservations. These are the places I Usually go.
S
A blast from our past! Mrs. Law Dawg and I stayed there quite a bit back in the 70s to early 80s while moto camping up Hwy 1. Always enjoyed it. Any problems from the rangers with hanging?Originally Posted by Pipsissewa
Might look to the Big Sur area in general. Beyond that inland has some golden hiking camping opportunities...like the PCT and Yosemite areas (Sierras in general).
Thank you everyone! I don't know if I can make every single weekend, but I will sure try….Got to go to the redwoods and the ocean at least once tho…
If you don't experiment, you don't learn!
I just did this hike. Great area. Kinda crowded on the Pine Ridge trail, even mid-week. But, there are lots of places to go in the Los Padres Nat Forest. Be sure to ask about trail conditions. I went past the hot springs onto the Big Sur trail and the conditions were terrible. Completely overgrown and must have gone over/under sixty logs/branches over 9 miles. I couldn't achieve a rate of even 1 mile an hour.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks