redwoods Archives

Hiking Purisima Creek Redwoods

Paulina DaoFebruary 20, 201701.7K views

It’s basically been raining in the Bay Area for the last 2 months. Save for a couple patches of sunlight here and there, I’m beginning to think I live in the Pacific Northwest. The gloomy weather has made outdoor climbing more or less nonexistent. Our favorite local crag, Castle Rock, is soaked. Yosemite Valley and Bishop have mostly been under snow, or just too wet to climb. Most of my free time has been spent training or hibernating or some combination of the two. Finally, this past weekend, we decided to get out and stretch our legs; rain or shine. Our pick was Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve just south of Half Moon Bay.

Hiking Berry Creek Falls

Paulina DaoMay 4, 201612K views

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted anything local. It’s also been a hot minute since the last time I went on a real hike that didn’t involve carrying a crash pad or a rope. With a supposed bad weather window everywhere within a reasonable driving distance, we opted to stay at home to attempt some Sierra peak bagging training. (Read: hiking and putting in miles cause it’s been forever and a day since my feet have actually hit the ground) I opted for my local favorite at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Berry Creek Falls.

Mt. Tamalpais State Park: Cataract Falls

Paulina DaoFebruary 25, 201502K views

The Bay Area is a treasure trove of lush forests dotted with redwoods and picturesque cascades. I set out to do an 8 mile loop up Cataract Trail to High Marsh Trail to Kent Trail to Helen Markt Trail a few weekends ago but turned around due to torrential downpour. Ideally last weekend would have been the most ideal weekend for the hike, but this past weekend was just as good and the falls were still flowing!

Portola Redwoods SP: Tiptoe Falls

Paulina DaoOctober 20, 201401.8K views

On Saturday morning, I set off to do a bit of solo hiking in Portola Redwoods State Park. I had a few hours to kill and wanted something a little more remote and quiet than the open space preserves in the area. This park is one of the hidden gems in the Bay Area, tucked away off of Skyline Blvd in La Honda, CA.

I decided to check out Tiptoe Falls in this severe drought to see if it still even existed. There are currently campground closures throughout the park and no running water throughout the park. My first stop would be Tiptoe Falls, approximately .5 miles away from the parking lot. The trail descended to Pescadero Creek, which had such low flow volume it appeared stagnant.

Purisima Creek Redwoods OSP: #HellHikeAndRaft Tweetup

Paulina DaoJune 26, 20143917 views

I am super happy and excited to announce that I’m joining this year’s Hell Hike and Raft crew! I’ll be heading off to Idaho and Hell’s Canyon early September for three days of backpacking and three days of rafting with some stellar folks.

It just so happens that two of my teammates, Russ Beebe the Winehiker and Annie Yearout the OutdoorsyMama, are located in the Bay Area! We decided to have a little tweetup to get to know each other and do some mild training for the trip.