People travel to Silicon Valley and the Bay Area for work from all over the world. For many, the opportunity to visit California is a treat and people often look for activities to do outside of their business meetings. To that end, I often receive emails from outdoorsy-types requesting advice for spending their free time on the local trails. Instead of sending the same email responses over and over again, I thought it made a lot more sense just to publish something! Below you will find information about some of the easy hikes I regularly recommend to visitors. Coming next: moderate and difficult hike recommendations for those with a bit more time.

I have a hard time assigning hikes an easy to difficult designation since it is entirely based on a person’s individual experience, but I tried to keep in mind a person of decent fitness who enjoys the outdoors. The Bay Area is sprawled out across a large geography, so I tried to pick places that are within an hour or so of my home in San Jose.

1. The Bay Trail: Palo Alto Baylands/Shoreline/Sunnyvale Baylands/Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge

I throw these parks all in the same bucket since together they make up a fantastic trail system that borders the southern end of San Francisco Bay. A 500 mile trail known as the Bay Trail circles the entire San Fracisco Bay, and it passes through these parks. The trails are flat and wide, making great running trails. Trails can be combined to make a hike of any desired distance – a short mile loop during a lunch break to a full day. One of these parks is no doubt close to wherever you are visiting, so if you only have a short time to duck away and get outside, this is where to look.
Bonus: Between Shoreline and Sunnyvale Baylands is Moffett Airfield. If you’re lucky you might see something interesting – I was out on a trailrun out of Shoreline when the Endeavor space shuttle made its final pass over the airfield. Keep an eye out for wildlife, especially birds, and don’t let the smell of the outgoing tide bother you too much!
For more information about the Bay Trail and access, visit the Bay Trail’s website.

2. Stanford Dish Walk

In the rolling hills west of Stanford University you will find a 3.5 mile paved loop known as The Dish. Its name comes from the radio observatory on the top of the hill, and on most days you can see it tracking some astronomical item of interest (radio can operate during the day – no need to worry about visually dark skies!). The loop has some hilly sections that lead to views of the university and other Silicon Valley landmarks. The proximity to the university and tech companies such as Tesla, SAP, and VMWare make this another quick getaway during a lunch break or at the end of the day. This is privately owned land, so the rules are strictly enforced. Stick to the paved trail, only visit during open hours, and leave your bikes and dogs at home and you will enjoy your visit without having to meet one of the security guards.

For more information:

• Everytrail Guide to The Dish
• Hours for the Dish

3. Wilder Ranch State Park: Ohlone Bluff Trail

If you are working in Santa Cruz or have a bit more time to get away, stop by Wilder Ranch State Park. Wilder Ranch offers miles of hiking, but my easy recommendation is the Ohlone Bluff Trail. This is a wide, flat trail that runs along the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Fresh ocean air, waves crashing against sea cliffs, and marine wildlife sightings make this flat hike or run quite interesting and enjoyable. About 4 miles north of Santa Cruz, it’s a short drive from civilization and the old ranch roads provide plenty of space for everyone to share the trail.

If you have more time and energy, there are plenty of other trails to add on to your hike to make it a more moderate day.
For more information:

• Wilder Ranch State Park Map
• Ohlone Bluff  Trail description

Enjoy your time in the Bay Area and don’t be afraid to get away to enjoy the varied climate and terrain! And if you have some more time to spare, look for my upcoming posts on moderate and more difficult recommended hikes!