Bay Area Ridge Trail: The Official Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians (Paperback)

~ Jean Rusmore (Author)
Key Phrases: coastal trail, regional park, discovery site, San Francisco, Skyline Boulevard, The North Bay (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On a network of paths that ring the San Francisco Bay, high on the ridge line, the Bay Area Ridge Trail provides quickly accessible recreational opportunities for Bay Area residents and visitors alike to hike, mountain bike, and ride a horse. When complete, this 550-mile trail will link more than 75 public parks and open spaces. With over a dozen new hikes, the fully updated third edition of the official guide to the trail covers the more than 300 miles that have been opened to date. Each trail-segment description includes information on amenities such as restrooms and water, driving directions, and accessibility logistics for those traveling by foot, mountain bike, horseback, wheelchair, or public transportation.

This official guidebook is published in cooperation with the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, which plans, promotes, and constructs the Bay Area Ridge Trail and offers outings, volunteer opportunities, and membership benefits. ". . . excellent historical information in addition to detailing the hiking route." --Backpacker Magazine

About the Author

Jean Rusmore is coauthor of South Bay Trails and Peninsula Trails and has worked for Bay Area green spaces for many years. She was recently profiled as one of 50 extraordinary Bay Area elders in Legacy (UC Press, 2006).

Product Details

• Paperback: 313 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; 3 edition (June 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899974694
• ISBN-13: 978-0899974699
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #223,133 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Summary of the Present; Some Questions about the Future, June 22, 2008

By	Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

One of the more interesting hiking developments over the last few decades has been the creation of longer "scenic" trails. Modelled upon the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, these new trails cover many miles (though they are generally shorter than the aforementioned routes) and offer the opportunity for extended recreation. Some of these, the Tahoe Rim Trail, for example, have turned into stellar routes worthy of a week (or longer) backpack trip. But others, most notably the Backbone Trail of the Santa Monica National Recreational Area, are essentially expensive "feel good" projects with little recreational value due to extensive regulations on camping and use. The Bay Area Ridge Trail, one of the largest of these projects, is about 60% complete. It covers some truly scenic land and when finished, it will extend almost 500 miles. This book, now in its second edition, is an excellent guide to the completed portions of the trail. But as I read it, I was unsure how the trail would ultimately turn out. Will it become a fabulous mid range distance hike, open to users from all over, or will it be merely an expensive resigning of existing routes that will only see day use, and then only over portions of the trail?

Rusmore is an experienced hiker, having cut her teeth on the San Gabriel mountains in southern California before moving to the more beautiful, but less rugged, Bay Area. She has explored the area extensively for decades and her guidebooks are very detailed. Every stretch of trail described in this book that I have hiked is accurate. In addition to very detailed trail descriptions, this book includes topo maps showing both the main (hiking) route and alternative biking and equestrian routes. She also includes notes on side routes where appropriate and such camping options as are available. Some sections of the Ridge Trail can be hiked continuously, and she gives added treatment to these areas, most notably the East Bay Skyline Trail and the trail in the Marin Headlands. In all this is a very well done book and those hoping to hike the parts of the trail now open, as well as those seeking extended day hikes and a few point to point backpack trips would be well advised to buy this book.

But having read the book, I worry about the future of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Three concerns come to mind. First, camping opportunities are not very abundant. This problem can effectively kill a trail as a through hike. Indeed, the Backbone Trail is effectively pointless for this very reason. Of course, it is true that people might simply seek day hike opportunites, but the Bay Area has no shortage of these (despite its relatively small size, the Bay Area is by far the largest chapter of California Hiking and has numerous hiking opportunities.) To justify a trail of this scope and expense, camping opportunities for a through hike are a must. And this leads to problem 2: to complete this trail, either some private land must be crossed or various public agencies will have to purchase, at great expense, considerable additional land in the part of the country that boasts the most pricy real estate in the nation. I think the most cost effective way to do this would be by use of eminent domain. Unfortunately, local government officials would much rather condemn private homes to build a new Walmart or sports arena than to pay property owners for the use of a trail through their lands. As a result, eminent domain now has a pretty bad name and is being restricted by concerns citizens who (rightly) do not trust their local government to use it wisely. I have no solution for this problem (though it should be noted that some landowners, notably George Lucas, have graciously allowed trail building and public access through their property.) I do, however, think the author's claim that these problems will be solved and the trail completed by 2012 is overly optimistic. If all the relevant public agencies work together, maybe, but this leads to... Problem 3: multiple agencies means multiple regulations which can kill through hiking opportunities. Already hikers need a special permit on East Bay Skyland lands, fees in various county and state parks, etc. This is reasonable for day hikes, but unrealistic for longer backpack trips.

So in conclusion, I think the Bay Area Ridge Trail shows a lot of promise. It certainly covers a lot of nice country which this book glowingly describes. And, as the author notes, it remains a work in progress. Whether it becomes the preeminent urban-wildlands trail, or just an expensive proposition in doing "something" remains to be seen. I am cautiously optimistic that it will become more like the Tahoe Rim Trail and less like the unfortunate Backbone Trail. It could easily be more scenic than both, if the sharp black and white photos in this book are any guide. But only time will tell.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars San Francisco "Bay Area Ridge Trail", September 15, 2009

By	Land Lubber - See all my reviews

I decided that hiking the BART trail would be a nice challenge & began to pursue hiking on it in order to cover it over a years time. Since the trail is over 500 miles in total length, a hiker can complete it in less than year by doing weekly hikes of only 10 miles or so. And its a great idea for a trail because its pretty much a beginner trail but with great views and minimum hiking experience works just fine.

After having completed roughly 50 miles of trail, I've got a few things to share with people.

First, the "official" book titled "Bay Area Ridge Trail" by Jean Rushmore has some negatives to it.

The text describes the trail in a clockwise manner. Meaning, if you prefer to hike the opposite direction to more easily overcome prevailing wind or to hike from higher to lower rather than climbing from lower to higher, you have to follow the book trail segments in a backwards reading. A good example is hiking the section between Olema, CA, and Muir Beach, CA. The author describes the hike in two segments while hiking Northbound. But, thats actually the harder way of doing it and not as nice for novice hikers. To hike it Southbound FROM Olema is the easier route as that direction allows the hiker to move downhill more than uphill from the beach and with the prevailing wind at your back while hiking that 22 or so miles.

Secondly, the directions within the book on following the trails are buried within all of her descriptive text. So, if you prefer to simply follow a trail segment one day without reading about her description of flowers and such, you can't do it. You'll have to underline the direction within the reading material to be able to make use of them. And making use of the directions is sometimes needed because the trail, it turns out, isn't marked at all junctions. The directions on navigating the trail twists and turns are blended in with her observations. The only trail information that is separated out of her descriptive text are the maps of the route (which are not detailed enough to keep you on track) and the trail head locations.

Thirdly, the title of the route itself is a bit misleading. The "Bay Area Ridge Trail" conjures up all sorts of mental visuals for hikers. But, the truth of the matter is, there are places where no "ridge" nor open space exists on the "official" route. i.e. hiking through urban San Francisco is one example or across the Golden Gate Bridge which is a genuine, heavily travelled freeway with sidewalks.

One item all hikers will learn is that certain segments cannot be hiked at all without making a reservation with a government agency i.e. San Francisco Water Department. In order to hike over their property in San Mateo County, hikers can only go on escorted hikes. No hiking off the trail. You must travel at their speed. And, most importantly, the dates are of their choosing and not open to requests for something else. It isn't a horrible thing, but its just an example of how one must approach the trail as a hiker because the "trail" isn't really anything but 500 plus miles of routing which crosses hundreds of properties owned by different people and agencies.

Finally, I was a bit disappointed in that I discovered sections where the trail is either poorly marked or not marked at all. i.e. in the hills around the Boy Scout property above Woodacre, CA. There is no marking at all on Sir Francis Drake Blvd near Samuel P. Taylor State Park where hikers have to exit the roadway and walk back into a fire road about a 1/4 mile before a BART trail marker is posted. When I contacted the official website with my observations that the markers had either never been installed or were missing, they didn't have the decency to respond. In my humble opinion, they are in the midst of creating their own publicly funded bureaucracy to keep themselves in a job, yet don't have time to respond to hiker suggestions for trail maintenance. I might add that the effort to replace the 2 inch x 2 inch trail marker literally would take one of their people about three minutes. But they didn't bother to respond. Wasn't that sweet?

So, the book by Jean Rusmore will get you going. But, its not organized as well as it could be. And the trail itself, despite twenty some years of bureaucracy, has all sorts of gaps where the hiker must turn back due to private property (i.e. above Big Rock in Marin County) or stop & drive to the next segment miles down the road.

Still, as I mentioned, its a worthy challenge. At a minimum, it encourages people with novice experience to actually get out & hike which is great for exercise. And, it affords people the chance to actually circle the entire San Francisco Bay on foot which allows a perspective on the region that probably less than 1% of the population ever attains.

My advice: buy the most recent edition of the book because older editions wouldn't even be useful with newer trail information. And, buy the book used. I bought a new version & I'm already underlining the information needed because I don't want to read her descriptions of every flower or bug. :)

There you have it.