Table of Contents
This comprehensive text provides the information you will need to decide which trails to run, how to get there, and what you will encounter on your journey.
NANCY HOBBS,
Executive Director All American Trail Running Association (AATRA),
Coauthor, The Ultimate Guide to Trail Running
Marin Headlands
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My family and many friends supported and assisted me throughout the process of this book. I could not have done it without them. Thanks go foremost to Ann Lage and Katie Lage for their ceaseless interest, superlative advice, constant support, frequent companionship, and unrivaled patience. Also to Ray Lage, for his camera, cameos, and support of every kind.
For the many roles they played in the creation of this book, including companionship on the trail, advice, feedback, and encouragement, many thanks to: Leslie Gray, Linda Lipner, Germaine LaBerge, Dan Ruskin, Monica and Eric Axelrod, and Chrissy Meuris (also for her plant expertise and advice of all kinds, including editorial).
Thanks to everyone at Wilderness Press, especially to Mike Jones, publisher, for supporting the idea of a Bay Area trail runners guide; Jaan Hitt, for her cover design; Matt Heid, for commiseration, understanding, and insights; Jannie Dresser, managing editor, for support, encouragement, and editing expertise; and Courtnay Perry, for her book design and production.
Many thanks also go to editors Kris Kaiyala and Tom Winnett. Tom Ekman, formerly at National Geographic TOPO! provided help with the books TOPO! maps, and Ben Pease was a pleasure to work with on the locator maps.
BAY AREA TRAIL RUNS
HEADS UP!
You are not in Kansas anymore! An important aspect of outdoor adventuring is the presence of potential dangers and risks. Even in the peaceable San Francisco Bay Area, this is true. Ensure your safety whenever you head outdoors and set out on a trail. The fact that a trail is described in this book does not mean that it will be safe for you.Trails vary greatly in difficulty and in the degree of conditioning and agility you need to enjoy them safely. Routes may change and trail conditions may have deteriorated since this book was published.
You can minimize your risks by becoming knowledgeable. Know where you are going and what variables you might encounter. Be prepared and alert. Although we dont have bears in the Bay Area anymore, and tigers are not native to North America, we do have an occasional mountain lion sighting. We also have poisonous plants, dangerous road crossings, and unfriendly or threatening individuals. Theres no way this book can give you a full treatise on outdoor safety, but good books are available and there are classes that cover trail safety, survival techniques, and first-aid.
Know your surroundings and, more importantly, know your own limitations. Anticipate adverse conditions, like the late afternoon downpour that has been predicted even if it seems to be a perfectly sunny day. Tell someone where you are going and let them know when you return. Be prepared to deal with unexpected problems by selecting a different and safer route or by asking a partner to share the adventure with you. Millions of people enjoy safe outdoor adventures every day. As a trail runner, you assume all the risks associated with your chosen activity. Heads up, have fun, and let us know if there are changes you encounter so that we can keep this book as up-to-date as possible.
PREFACE
Many runners speak of running as an addiction: a physical need to work their body, to engage their muscles, lungs, and heart. They equate running with a sense of being alive. Trail running engages more than just this interaction with your bodyit is an encounter with the natural world; you are at once immersed in your environment and fully present in your body.
I yearn for the Bay Areas smells, textures, and views that I experience on my runs: to awake to the Hunters Moon hanging low in the sky, reflecting off thick white fog over the bay; to brush through dew-damp grasses on a coastal ridgetop; to meet a grey fox on a narrow trail; to drink in the dense, piney fragrance on a forest of Douglas-firs. Exhilarating encounters with the natural world, coupled with the deep satisfaction of physical exertion, are what trail running is all about. Through trail running, you will come to know the Bay Area and yourself in a unique and rewarding way.
Trail Runners Guide San Francisco Bay Area brings this sport to your backyard, whether youre a local resident or here for a visit. Youll find 50 featured Bay Area trail runs in this book, plus at least as many suggestions for other routes. Narrowing the selection to 50 was not easy. In choosing these runs, my priorities were to include routes that highlight the Bay Areas diverse landscapes and also to offer a range of length, difficulty, and location, so as to accommodate experienced and beginning runners, and everyone in between. The book also includes basic trail running tips as well as safety and equipment suggestions.
This book is for every class of trail runner: those who run for the pure joy of running; those who run to feel the wind on their face, to smell the earth after a rain, to watch the fog roll across the bay; and those who need the enticement of a scenic adventure to put on their running shoes and get out the door. There cant be a better incentive than the vast variety of natural beauty that the routes in this book encompass.
I think of this book as a jumping-off pointan overview of some of the best trails in the area. I hope you will use it to familiarize yourself with the geography, natural features, plants, parks, and open spaces of the Bay Area. Use it to find a trail convenient to your home or work and that can be incorporated into your everyday routine. Use it to experience the thrill of finding a new run and to discover new surprises on familiar routes. If youre new to the Bay Area or a visitor here, use it to discover the world-class beauty of this unique place.
Ridge Trail, Russian Ridge OSP (Run 42)
INTRODUCTION
A trail run is at once an athletic and a sensory experience: you are vigilant of your body as well as keenly aware of the natural environment. Your muscles contract and release, your heart pumps, your lungs burn on a steep climb and expand again on a downhill.You are attuned to everything around youa rock or log in your path, an overhanging branch, overzealous poison oak. Your body reacts quickly as your mind registers the trails featuressteep, level, rocky, smooth, narrow, muddy, slippery, obstructed. Smells, views, and terrain compose your run:You absorb the pattern of rocks in the trail or the low wildflowers lining its edges, and though you may not notice every trailside feature, you incorporate your surroundings into your awareness as you run.
