The Trail Companion

By Tim Oren

My wife Pat and I have kept a Bay Area hiking diary since 1986, logging the parks we have visited and particularly noting the wildflowers in bloom. For the spring 2000 issue of the Trail Companion, we revisited our logs to find the most reliable locations for a good display at a predictable time. We also tried to get a good spread of Peninsula, South and East Bay locations (and we skipped Edgewood and San Bruno Mountain - they are magnificent, but everyone writes about them!). I've only mentioned the most abundant and reliable flowers and locations in the descriptions - you can assume there are many more to be found at each of the parks.
      We've had good luck time after time with all of these, but remember that every year is a bit different, so your mileage may vary. Off we go:

San Pedro Valley County Park (San Mateo County)

A 2-mile loop for coastal flowers (April)

Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve (Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District)

Woodland flowers along the Polly Geraci Trail (March-June)

Wilder Ranch State Park

A yellow explosion on coastal bluffs (late May to mid-June)

Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve (MROSD)

Great flowers and killer views, what more can one ask? (mid-April to early June)

Joseph D. Grant County Park (Santa Clara County)

Hamilton Range grasslands (early April)

Sunol Regional Wilderness (East Bay Regional Parks)

More East Bay flower meadows (late March to early April)

A Few More Wildflower Tips

Identifying the Mystery Plant

Wildflower and Plant Guides - Web and Electronic Resources

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