Awesome Bay Area Hikes to Bring a Date On
As Bay Area inhabitants we have some amazing nature all around us. Tahoe is a few hours North, Big Sur is a few hours South, Yosemite a few hours East and the Pacific Ocean is to the West. Now, I don’t camp. I don’t see the appeal of sleeping on the ground, in dirt, with bugs flying in my nostrils and mosquitos eating me alive. Hiking is my thing though…go see Nature, then go home to my bed. Hopefully not alone.
There are many day hikes that can be taken all throughout the Bay Area with a bit of planning. Nature is a fairly cheap, great way to impress a date with Broke-Ass flair! These hikes are not last minute “What do you wanna do?” “Uh, whatever. I don’t care.” kind of dates though; they do take a bit of foresight.
First of all, these hikes are a day long event. You better want to spend a whole day with that person. There are rocks, dirt, puddles, sometimes even small creeks to walk through. Bring shoes with tread that you don’t mind getting dirty. Leave your TOMs at home. Pack a lunch that can hold up in a backpack for a few hours. Sorry, there are no food trucks in Nature.
Here are a few hikes just an hour or so away from SF that you can hit up on a date or with friends(with or without benefits.)
Alamere Falls
1) Alamere Falls – My personal favorite day hike. The Palomarin Trail in Bolinas leads to Alamere Falls, a waterfall that crashes down a cliff onto the beach! It is an amazing sight to see. The falls are stronger after rainy months but as its a drought year it will be a calm stream and not a raging flow of water. This is a pretty popular hike…its fairly easy and flat most of the way. It passes three large lakes and if you veer off the main path to Bass Lake you can go swimming! There’s even a rope swing! But be careful making your way there, its full of overgrown branches and the path is a bit hidden. Eat your lunch on the beach or on the top of the cliff looking over the Pacific Ocean! I mean really, how can anyone say no to “Let’s go on a day hike to see a waterfall?”
TIP: Arrive no later than 11am. Trails get busy by noon.
Quarry Beach – Angel Island
2) Angel Island – So close yet so far away. Take the ferry, take a lunch and hike around the Island! Visiting the internment camps isn’t exactly romantic but the views are gorgeous! The Angel Island Loop Trail is 5mi long and goes around the whole island. Veer off the loop you’ll find various points of historical interests. There are two beaches, on the West and East sides of the Island. Take a blanket and upgrade the typical Dolores Park date with some prime beach-side blanket action! The views are amazing and many romantic moments can be shared here. The island even has a cantina for some boozetastic fun!
TIP: Ferry schedules are strict. Adhere to departure times on both ends of the trip.
Big Basin Hike
3) Waterfall Loop – Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz. This one I haven’t visited…the drive to Santa Cruz makes me car sick. This hike offers multiple waterfalls throughout the 11mi loop hike. Rocks, steep incline and decline and creeks are all a part of this pretty strenuous hike. If a rougher type of Nature gets the flames hot in your nether regions then this is the hike for you! You can lunch at the base of the waterfall at the end of Berry Creek Falls Trail. Take a camera and click away at all the flowers, trees, plants, waterfalls and have a full on Nature orgy to post on Instagram!
TIP: Take good shoes and layers. Parking is $10
Tide pools at Bean Hollow Beach
4) Bean Hollow State Beach – South of Half Moon Bay on Highway 1. The trail is called Arroyo de los Frijoles!!! The trail connects Bean Hollow Beach and Pebble Beach (not the golf Pebble Beach) and is about 2 miles round trip. You’ll see tide pools, wild flowers, seals and sea birds and is a lovely beach hike and day hang with a date. Picnic tables are available for lunch. The drive there will be beautiful on its own. Take a cruise down the coast and enjoy the California shoreline!
TIP: Currents are not safe for swimming. Bathrooms are porta-potties.
Go forth and have Sexy Time among the trees and waters of Nature! Don’t forget to hydrate! Nothing kills the mood like heat stroke. True Story.
Images courtesy of gowaterfalling.com, angelisland.com, jane huber, alltrails.com
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