Читать книгу 101 Hikes in Northern California. Exploring Mountains, Valleys, and Seashore онлайн

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To Reach the Trailhead Take Hwy. 84 to the east side of the Dumbarton Bridge and exit at Paseo Padre Pkwy. Head north on Paseo Padre for 1 mile and turn left onto Patterson Ranch Rd., following it for 1.5 miles to the visitor center at road’s end. There is a $5 entrance fee per vehicle. The park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset.

Description From the visitor center parking lot, go through the gate and take the paved Bayview Trail, skirting the edge of the marsh partly shaded by small willow and sycamore trees. A chittering of birds and croaking of frogs keep you company. The trail passes a few Monterey pines before reaching the junction for Lizard Rock Trail at the far end of the marsh—go right toward the red rock outcrop. This outcrop is Franciscan chert, formed from the silica-rich skeletons of microscopic sea creatures that collected on the ocean floor over millions of years. All of Coyote Hills is composed of this chert, which gains its red color from trace amounts of iron. Highly resistant to erosion, chert has withstood the elements while the surrounding area eroded and became covered with thick layers of mud and silt washed down from the hills. In a sea of mud, Coyote Hills is an isolated island of bedrock.