San Francisco Bay Area by David Weintraub

Author:David Weintraub
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: eBook ISBN: 9780899975733
Publisher: Wilderness Press
Published: 2004-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

Walk north across the lawn to the Jewel Lake Nature Trail and follow it for about 100 yards to a dirt road. Beyond the road is a junction where you turn left on the Jewel Lake and Sylvan trails, temporarily joined. At the next junction, where the trails split, you veer right on the Sylvan Trail. An easy climb brings you to Loop Road, which you cross. The continuation of the Sylvan Trail heads northwest, crosses an open hillside, then enters a eucalyptus forest.

Where the Sylvan Trail swings left, you angle right on the Peak Trail and continue climbing. Soon an unsigned trail merges from the left, but you follow the Peak Trail as it bends right and climbs to a T-junction. Turn left to visit the summit of Wildcat Peak (1250’) and the Rotary Peace Monument, a circular stone wall. Then retrace your route to the T-junction and continue straight on the Peak Trail as it descends past the Rotary Peace Grove, a collection of giant sequoias which, being out of their native Sierra habitat, are limited in stature.

At a junction with a connector to Nimitz Way, stay on the Peak Trail by turning sharply right. A few short switchbacks bring you to Laurel Canyon Road, where you turn left and soon reach the start of the Laurel Canyon Trail, right, at about 2 miles. (The Laurel Canyon Trail may be difficult in wet weather. (For an alternate descent, when you reach Laurel Canyon Road, turn right, go downhill to Loop Road, turn left, and follow the directions below.)

Turn right and traverse the steep edge of Laurel Canyon. Now passing a connector to Laurel Canyon Road, right, you follow moderately graded Laurel Canyon Trail as it turns left and continues downhill. After about 100 yards, the route bends sharply right at a trail post, dips twice to cross tributaries of Laurel Creek, and then emerges from forest into a clearing.

Tall Tree Troubles

Eucalyptus is an Australian tree introduced to the Bay Area in the 1850s and planted extensively in the East Bay in the early 20th century as part of an ill-fated timber scheme. Although fast growing, the species of eucalyptus planted most commonly here is worthless for timber, a fact that dashed the hopes of would-be timber barons for a quick profit on their investments.

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