Читать книгу Urban Trails East Bay - Alexandra Kenin - Страница 27

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

This guide is designed to help you discover some of my personal favorite trails in the East Bay. While the guide aims to be a solid introduction to the region, it is by no means exhaustive. There are just too many places to include in one book! Start with these forty hikes, and then you can make the next round of discoveries on your own.

I have personally hiked every trail in this book and have had hike testers follow in my footsteps to make sure the directions are accurate and up-to-date as of the time of writing. Trails open and close and routes can and do change, however, so make sure you research each park’s current conditions before you go.

THE DESTINATIONS

This book’s hikes extend as far north as Richmond, as far south as Fremont, as far east as Mount Diablo, and cover many places in between. Each route starts with the park or trail name, followed by a block of information detailing the following:

The short, sweet hike at Lake Temescal is a perfect weekend activity (Hike 18).

Distance. This is the length of the hike in miles. Unless otherwise noted, all distances listed are roundtrip. I used a GPS watch to measure all distances for these hikes.

Elevation Gain. Most routes include both ascents and descents, but this statistic gives you an overall picture of how much you’ll be climbing. I also used a GPS watch to measure the elevation gain for these hikes.

High Point. This is the highest elevation on a given hike.

Difficulty. Hikes in this book are rated easy, moderate, challenging, or very difficult. The ratings are based on trail surfaces and conditions, distance, and total elevation gain.

Fitness. Each description mentions whether walkers, hikers, or runners might like the route. I’ve based my rationale on the assumption that walkers would probably like all the shorter routes, plus some of the longer, easy-rated ones on well-maintained trails. I assumed runners wouldn’t like very steep trails and that hikers would like all of the trails!

Family-Friendly. Optional stops such as points of interest and scenic overlooks are noted along the way, and I suggest early turnaround points or alternate start or end points for families with small children. While I offer ideas and suggestions for some hikes, parents are the best judges of whether their child is capable of completing a given route.

Dog-Friendly. In general, the East Bay is a wonderful place to hike with dogs. Most East Bay Regional Park District parks allow dogs, and many allow them off leash. Even so, dogs must always remain on leash for the first and last 200 feet of a hike; owners who don’t comply may receive a ticket. The information you see listed with each hike is based on the regulations for each trail and natural area. If dogs are allowed, I have listed whether they need to be on leash. If an area allows dogs off leash, keep your dog under voice control, and no matter what, always clean up after your pup.

Amenities. These features include restrooms, benches, picnic areas, and playgrounds.

Contact. The organization (or organizations) that manages the land the trail passes through is listed here. See Appendix II for contact information.

GPS. GPS coordinates (in degrees, minutes, and seconds) are provided for each hike’s trailhead. The coordinates are based on WGS84 datum.

Map To. Since many people use a map app on their phone for driving directions, I list the address to enter in your preferred app to get there. I have verified that all of these addresses work for Google Maps; however, they may not work with all map apps. When in doubt, you can also try mapping to the nearest road intersection shown on the hike map.

The Berkeley Marina offers bay and San Francisco skyline views (Hike 10).

Maps. A detailed map is provided for each route, including the trailhead, points of interest, transit stops, viewpoints, select amenities, and more.

Getting There. Public transportation routes, when available, and parking options are provided here. A route summary is included to help you decide if the hike is right for you.

Get Moving. These turn-by-turn directions (along with the map) guide you along the trail, calling out every junction and the sites you will see on your route.

Go Farther. Look here to get information for extending your hike or about places you may want to visit after the hike.

If you can’t decide where to start, browse the at-a-glance chart in the front of the book and the appendix of trails by type in the back of the book. Those resources will help you evaluate hikes by such criteria as distance, elevation gain, and family-friendliness, as well as whether a given trail is near the bay or features views.

The Albany Bulb features quirky sculptures and art installations, many of which are made from recycled materials (Hike 1).