Andrea and Richard

Now that the weather is beautiful (sunny days with nice blue skies), Andrea and I are doing something we haven’t done in awhile: hiking. A great way for us to get out, get fresh air, for me to take pictures, and both of us to get more exercise.

Our first trail hiking of this month takes place at San Bruno Mountain State Park. San Bruno Mountain State Park is next to San Bruno and Brisbane. It’s an easy drive to get to. There is plenty of parking. You do have to pay for parking. When you arrive at the entrance, you’ll notice it is unattended and all parking is self-registration. There are envelopes where you deposit the money into and a stub that you put inside your car. According to the signs, parking is verified by Park Rangers. The cost is $5. The total elevation is about 1530 feet and according to MountainWatch.org, San Bruno Mountain State Park “is the largest urban open space in the United States - 3,300 acres of undeveloped open space.” The views from the top are amazing. You can see San Francisco, Daly City, Brisbane, SFO, and more.

The Bog Trail is one of the easy trails offered in San Bruno Mountain State Park. It’s almost half a mile (0.4 miles) loop that starts at the Picnic and Restroom area (the only man-made restrooms are located here). There is very little elevation change (30 feet) and no climbing is necessary. The trail is well paved with rocks and there are rest benches every 10-15 feet. There is quite a bit of vegetation and shade deeper in with wild raspberries growing about 0.2 miles in. They seem to be safe to eat as Andrea still seems fine. There isn’t much of a view other than plant life and trees. Becareful of some of the plants that have thorns. We didn’t notice any poison ivy, but it’s always best to keep alert. Nothing worse than an uncontrollable itching episode. There are a few wooden bridges to cross, nothing major.