[Moose]

I'll be in the East Bay area this weekend and am looking for a mountain to climb on Saturday. I've looked at nearly every peak listed here (https://www.summitpost.org/black-mountain/mountains-rocks/p-171146), but can't make up my mind. Everything looks kind of boring, to be honest - but I'm sure that's more because of my lack of knowledge, not the geology itself. Mt. Diablo looked interesting, until I realized that you could drive to the summit. Anyone have personal / firsthand experience with hiking in this area? Would like it to be as remote and rugged as is possible for this densely populated area, and preferably 1.5 hrs or less from Mountain View / Sunnyvale area as my transportation options will be limited. TIA!

[whitebark]

There are a lot of hiking areas in the Bay Area, but not much in the way of rugged peaks. When I lived in the Bay Area, I always enjoyed hiking in vast Henry Coe State Park south of San Jose. More than anywhere else in the Bay Area, Coe Park feels like a real wilderness, with 80,000 acres and 200 miles of trails. The loop hike from the Coe Ranch headquarters to Blue Ridge and back is 15 miles. Best in spring when the grass is green and the creeks are flowing. At least 3000' of elev. gain. For more of a cool forest experience, drive out to Big Basin State Park and enjoy the redwoods. Nice loop hike to Berry Creek Falls, about 8 miles. It may be a bit of a long drive for you, but Point Reyes National Seashore is a great place to hike.

[boot up]

I used to live in that area when I was a young'un. I was mostly a cyclist back then, for good reason. Pretty boring hiking area. And now you have to bring a wad of cash to visit the parks there. Castle Rock State Park might be your best bet. ($8 admission) 40 years ago it was nice at least. Skyline Preserve has trails that go all the way down to the ocean. Access Between La Honda Road and Kings Mountain rd. I have visited there in recent years and I have ridden out of Skeggs point parking with a mtn bike. I can't say anything more about mtn bike options due to heavy restrictions on mtn biking there, but the hiking possibilities did look good. When I was a kid, my family lived next to Huddart park. Definitely "Meh" hiking but you can get up to Skyline from there on trails with pretty much no people on them. There used to be trails from Palo Alto to Rattlesnake rock. I never did that one. The name is appropriate. By the way, definitely watch out for rattlesnakes and ticks and poison oak while hiking the area. And bring plenty of water.

[whitebark]

A modest peak bag is available close to Mountain View at the Hidden Villa preserve: https://www.hiddenvilla.org/documents/other/hiddenvillamap.pdf Black Mountain Trail, 2200' of gain, 10 miles RT. It's a pretty area that I've hiked before (a long time ago).

[puzzlr]

The trails up Diablo or Mount Tamalpais (north of GG bridge) are worth doing even though both have roads to the top. If you have a little more time, our favorite "close" hiking getaway while we lived in Mountain View was Pinnacles NM south of the bay area.

[zhenya]

I wouldn't discount Mt. Diablo just yet. You can really find some solitude in parts, and the flowers/greenery should be pretty good right now. It also offers some pretty steep trails and opportunities for a little scrambling. It's really quite a beautiful area, and I recommend taking the time to do the 4 Peaks Loop for something a bit more strenuous. The Berry Creek Falls loop in Big Basin SP is very nice at this time of year. Mt. Tam via Steep Ravine (starting in Stinson Beach) is a fun long hike, with redwood and ocean views, or you can get up Mt. Tam by way of dozens of other routes. Purisima Creek and Castle Rock SP are nice rambles too, albeit crowded.

[Moose]

[Moose]

Thanks all for the recommendations. I think I'll be headed to Pinnacles (thanks, puzzlr), but I'll be back in the area at the end of April so will hopefully be able to check out more of the other areas.

[mb]

The Bay Area has tons of hiking, but it's different from the cascades. Lots of green hills at this time of year, and maybe still in April. Wildflowers should be very abundant too, especially in places towards the desert a bit. Or check out the redwoods. Also pretty different from the cascades, even the big tree parts of them. Big Basin state park, or the more remote Portola Redwoods SP. Do not go to Muir Woods. Bicycling (road or mountain... or motorcycle) are often good ways to explore. Mountain View is not in the east bay (it's either peninsula or south bay), but for remoteness head south--Coe, Pinnacles (which always has people in my experience, but is in the middle of nowhere), Panoche or New Idria. The middle of the peninsula is surprisingly empty too. Large amounts of land set aside for various agencies. It's part of why housing is so crazy expensive. BAHiker is a good resource. E.g. https://bahiker.com/southbayhikes/portola.html . From Mountain View it's a 1+ hour drive on very narrow windy roads if you want. (Page Mill->Alpine; pause at the top of Alpine and make a quick jaunt up Russian Ridge. Or hang out there, might be good wildflowers)

[grannyhiker]

One of the highlights of my rather long life occurred just last spring at Pinnacles NP--seeing a California condor! If you go there, be sure to watch for them once it's warm enough for thermals! Take your binoculars!

[Moose]