The weather was ideal for my College of San Mateo fieldtrip to Sam McDonald County Park on Saturday and for my De Anza/Foothill College fieldtrip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Sunday. The emphasis for both outings was redwood ecology.
On Saturday we met at the Sam McDonald parking lot and ascended Towne Trail to the Sierra Club hikers hut. On the way we observed a lone coyote hunting in a grassy meadow. Then we descended the Heritage Grove Trail to see old-growth redwoods in the Heritage Grove. There were lots of trilliums in bloom (see photo).
On Sunday we started at Big Basin Redwoods park headquarters and looped around the nature trail, stopping at the Mother of the Forest, which is probably the tallest tree in the Bay Area, and the Father of the Forest, which is probably the biggest tree in the Bay Area. We then charged uphill via the Skyline-to-the-Sea and Howard King Trail and Hihn Hammond Road to the Mount McAbee Overlook, where we enjoyed lunch with spectacular views of the Waddell Canyon, Waddell Beach, and the Pacific Ocean. We then descended by way of the Hihn Hammond Road for a look at one of my favorite swimming holes on Opal Creek on the way back to the parking lot.
For those of you who can handle a longer hike, I suggest taking the 11-mile Skyline-to-the-Sea/Berry Creek/Sunset Trail loop. It is one of the Bay Area's best hikes, with lots of old-growth redwoods, a beautiful series of waterfalls on Berry Creek, and ridgetop views from Sunset Trail. Early Spring is the perfect time to do this hike, when lots of water is still surging over the falls.
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