u/GarciaWeirLesh

Had an enjoyable urban day hike this week. Recovering from a nasty head cold last weekend and tired of being cooped up at home, needed to get out in the sun and get in a sweat. Hopped on BART out to Richmond and took AC Transit 72M 8 stops out to the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline to get in ~ 4 miles there with 371 ft climb to get up to Nicholl Knob via the Crest Trail.

There's great SF Bay views here-- to the northwest, the Richmond Bridge and Mt. Tamalpais in the distance; to the southwest, Point Richmond Marina, San Francisco, Angel Island, Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, and even a peek of the Golden Gate (mostly obstructed by Angel Island); to the south, the Bay Bridge, the SS Red Oak Victory, Brooks Island, and Oakland in the distance; to the east, the Port of Richmond and the east bay hills. 

Got a jump from a couple good size yellow-bellied racers along the Crest trail. Alas, the state of the pond there is unfortunate, quite littered.

If you do this on a weekend, you can tack on an excursion to board the SS Red Oak Victory, one of America’s last surviving WWII Victory ships, or the Golden Gate Model Railroad Museum which is in the park (trains are running on Sundays). Plenty of picnic tables in the park and at Keller Beach for those who'd prefer a less mobile day in the park.

Had a great road trip along the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts in July. I car-camped at Salt Point SP and Van Damme SP and enjoyed great day hikes at Jenner Headlands, Stornetta Public Lands/Point Arena Lighthouse, Pelican Bluffs, Navarro Point, Greenwood State Beach, Mendocino Headlands, Russian Gluch SP, and Point Cabrillo Light Station SHP.

Lots of photos to choose from but this post will focus on Point Cabrillo and Russian Gulch. They are right down the road from each other and both feature short, relatively flat hikes that can be enjoyed by anyone capable of walking up to 4 miles total. Aside from the light station, Point Cabrillo also has some nice sea arches and a small aquarium exhibit. Russian Gulch features the extremely photogenic Panhorst Bridge, a protected cove, and all kinds of coastal geologic wonders like sinkhole beaches, blowholes, and sea caves.

Man I love living in CA! Happy to post photos from the other parks if there's interest.