Story:
I would love to hike the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail (ridgetrail.org). I had some time on a rare trip to San Francisco, and decided to knock off two segments of the trail.
I would love to hike the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail (ridgetrail.org). I had some time on a rare trip to San Francisco, and decided to knock off two segments of the trail.
The Ridge Trail is divided into segments. These correspond to hikes listed in the "bible" of the Trail, "Bay Area Ridge Trail: The Official Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians" by Jean Rusmore. See http://www.ridgetrail.org/interactive_map/&Itemid=99/ for a great way to check out the trail and its segments.
This hike covers two segments ... the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge. I started at the south side of the Presidio and followed the Ridge Trail through it to the Golden Gate. The presidio is beautiful ... a fascinating mix of military history, forested parkland and residential neighborhoods. I was quite happy to discover that most of the trail was in fact dirt, not pavement.
After the peaceful Presidio I then went to the tourist mecca that is the Golden Gate Bridge. On a weekend day it was crowded, with lots of happy tourists enjoying the sights.
Crossing the bridge on foot made me think of the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where someone keeps running and running but never gets any closer to the camera. That's what it felt like crossing the bridge ... the next tower always stayed in the distance, never seeming to get closer. But sure enough, eventually I got to them all.
Late for a meeting, I turned back at the northern anchorage in Marin County, just a little shy of the parking lot. I had already hiked the next Ridge Trail segment, which has beautiful views along well groomed fire roads.
Even though I was carrying the Rusmore book, and referring to it constantly, I still couldn't follow the official Ridge Trail route, either northbound or southbound. While there are plenty of Ridge Trail signs, a few spots that need them don't have them, so I wound up on other trails. This was especially problematic around the parade ground, where the instructions in the Rusmore book are particularly byzantine. I never felt LOST, mind you ... but I had hoped to follow the exact route of the Ridge Trail and simply could not do so. One or two more signs might be useful.
Tips:
The coffee shop / snack bar at the south end of the Bridge is a nice place to recharge. There are restrooms there as well.
The coffee shop / snack bar at the south end of the Bridge is a nice place to recharge. There are restrooms there as well.
Much of the hike is through residential neighborhoods. Don't bother the residents, stick to the trails.
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