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01.21.10

Peak Season

Has all the rain given you cabin fever? Shake a leg and hike to the top of these Bay Area high points. When the storms clear, the views should be great. Rise to the occasion!

Barnabe Peak Samuel P. Taylor State Park

Barnabe or Bust

Recipe for a great peak hike: a mostly gradual climb, hardly any people, and sweeping vistas of rolling green Northern California. Find it at Samuel P. Taylor State Park's Barnabe Peak. The 4-mile treck up begins alongside Devil's Gulch Creek, a popular place to spy spawning salmon. Then it ascends, winding through a fern-filled forest of oaks, bays and Douglas firs. A quarter of a mile from the top the trees give way to your first expansive views. Keep going up a wide fire road that tops out at 1,466 feet––Barnabe Peak! The vistas sprawl from Tomales Bay in Point Reyes to Mount Tam and the tumbling green hills of Marin County. Scramble up one of the big boulders for a king-(or queen)-of-the-mountain moment. Return via Barnabe fire road, descending—steeply at first—for 2 miles, passing Samuel Taylor's gravesite, and finishing where you started. Barnabe bagged!

TIP: On the way up, look for a marked side trail to Stairstep Falls. It takes 10 minutes to reach this 40-foot waterfall that only flows in the rainy season.

For directions to Samuel P. Taylor, visit their Web site. Don't park at the main lot. Rather, continue 1 mile further west on Sir Francis Drake to the Devil's Gulch horse camp (there's a dirt pullout across from the entrance). Walk up the paved camp road for a few hundred feet until a trail veers right paralleling Devil's Gulch Creek. Within a few minutes you'll reach a wooden bridge over the creek. Cross it and turn left; this is Bill's Trail and you'll stay on it for 3.7 miles. It ends at Barnabe fire road, a quarter-mile from the top. Turn left and climb the last bit to the top. Then descend Barnabe fire road all the way to the trailhead (6 miles round-trip). No dogs.

Activity
Hike
Region
North Bay
mount davidson san francisco

Peak Easy

For a short walk to sweeping city views, head to the highest hill in San Francisco. Mount Davidson is just south of Twin Peaks and often recognized for its 103-foot concrete cross. Explore the 38 acres of public open space surrounding this urban pinnacle. Starting from a residential neighborhood, walk up a path through a eucalyptus forest and within minutes arrive at a large plateau that opens wide to views of the San Francisco skyline, the Marin Headlands, the Pacific, and Mount Diablo. For slightly better views, take the wooden stairs down to another outcropping. There are plenty of trails to tread, so stay awhile. Good city limits.

Many unmarked paths lead to the top. To take the wide fire road up, park along Dalewood Way (It's a steep drive up!; map). Look for the gated trail after topping out on the road. Dog-friendly!

Activity
Hike, Relax, Dog-friendly
Region
San Francisco
Mission Peak

Mighty Good Mission

For spectacular views in the East Bay, most people head to Mount Diablo; yet just further south there's a mighty mountain that packs its own devilish punch. At 2,517 feet, Mission Peak is a tall and handsome charmer. The fire road up to the summit is totally exposed, so a summer trek can get uncomfortably hot. Winter is a much cooler time to lace up the boots for this 3-mile (one-way) trip. The trail is mostly a wide fire road offering views the entire way. The final few hundred feet can be windy as you navigate large rock steps to the peak post festooned (unfortunately) in graffiti. Views shout out in every direction: Oakland, San Francisco, Mount Hamilton, Mount Tam, and, on a good day, the Sierra Nevada. Head back the way you came. Mission accomplished.

For directions, visit Mission Peak's Web site. This is an out-and-back hike. From main parking area, hike up the Hidden Valley Trail (and Ohlone Wilderness Trail) all the way until you reach Peak Trail. Make a right and follow Peak Trail to the top. Dog-friendly!

Activity
Hike, Dog-friendly
Region
East Bay
The Sports Club LA 5-day pass

The Sports Club/LA Top Five

Health clubs come in a variety of forms: Some are filled with creaky old machines, while others stay up-to-date with the newest equipment, classes, and wellness programs. Here are the top five reasons why The Sports Club/LA is the gym to join right now.

1) Convenient location downtown on Market Street (next to the Four Seasons).
2) More than 110 weekly classes lead by expert instructors: yoga, Pilates, step and sculpt, kickboxing and more.
3) With 127,000 square feet of fitness space, there's room to roam, and stretch, and make laps in a junior Olympic swimming pool, or join a game of hoops or volleyball.
4) Say spa-ahhhh. (It's on site.)
5) Eat and drink. Forget the juice-café sideshow. The Sports Club/LA has a full bar and lounge for enjoying a beverage, some food, and WiFi.

Get your five-day complimentary pass to experience The Sports Club/LA difference in January. (If you become a member this month, get more than 75 percent off your initiation fee, and receive two private training sessions, a spa session enhancement, and a nutrition consultation.)

YOGA CLASS FRIDAY: Weekend Sherpa readers are invited to Yoga Rocks! this Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. It's a little bit yoga, a little bit rock 'n' roll. Only $30 for Weekend Sherpa subscribers. RSVP by calling 800-853-1826.

The five-day complimentary pass is for Weekend Sherpa subscribers and must be activated by Jan. 27, 2010.

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