Welcome to Spring, and welcome to my inaugural blog entry. As a native of the San Francisco Peninsula, and a Belmont resident, I hope to share my love of the outdoors with you, the reader.
Geographically, we are in a 'sweet spot'. To our south, west and north we have beaches, mountains, small lakes and streams. To the east we have San Francisco Bay, Mount Diablo, the East Bay hills, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Within an hours' drive, two hours if you feel like a bit more time in the car, you can be in some fantastic outdoor locations.
More importantly, Belmont its immediate vicinity offers a plethora of hiking trails, open spaces, parks and other forms of outdoors recreation. This entry will be basic, but look for future installments to focus on detailed reviews of local and remote destinations catering to mountain bikers, hikers, bird watches, wildflower fans, photographers and fishers.
First and foremost is Waterdog Lake. This park, located in southwestern Belmont offers miles of hiking and biking trails, great vistas and a small lake formed by the impoundment of Belmont Creek. The easiest way to access the trail system is to take Ralston Avenue north from Alameda, go left onto Hallmark Drive and then left onto Lake Road. From here you'll have street parking and will see the entrance to the park. There is an extensive network of trails running south from Ralston Avenue to the southern border of Belmont. The trails are multi-use, meaning foot and bike traffic are both welcome, as are dogs, so long as they remain on a leash.
The Belmont Department of Parks and Recreation has a free map available at its web site (http://www.belmont.gov) showing all the trails and other access points. There are a few things to keep in mind before you go. First, bring water and snacks. You can easily burn a day on these trails. Next, poison oak is a reality in the coastal range and Belmont is no exception. Learn to recognize it and leave it be. Also, the vistas and scenery deserve to be captured on film, so bring a camera. Lace up some comfortable shoes, pack a lunch with suntan lotion and go to it!
Next time: Basic things to carry with you in the outdoors.
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