COMING SOON-- WORKSHOPS
What really goes in the blue bin
--and what doesn't
Deepen your outdoor experience
--Use a topo map and compass
COMING SOON-- PHOTO GALLERY
Browse photos of a coming tour
--or of the tour you just took
ARMCHAIR TOUR!
Movie: Monumental: David Brower's Fight for Wild America
--Chronicles the life and times of David Brower, the Sierra Club's legendary first Executive Director.
--An avid mountain climber, he led campaigns to protect national parks and other wildlands in the 1950s through the 1990s.
-- He inspired millions of Americans to become environmentalists!
Book: California's Wild Gardens: A Living Legacy
--From the California Native Plant Society (www.cnps.org)
--If you lived to be 100 and hiked every day throughout California, you couldn't see as many species of wildflowers and different habitats as in this beautiful book. A biodiversity feast for the eyes!
Music: Beethoven's 6th Symphony, the Pastoral
--By Ludwig von Beethoven
--Portions of this symphony, composed two centuries ago, provide the soundtrack for parts of Walt Disney's animated 1940 film, Fantasia. Whether you've seen it or not, hear the entire masterpiece that paints a peaceful rural landscape in music, as a storm moves over it.
TOUR TIP
Summer in the San Francisco Bay Area means lower temperatures at the coast and hot temperatures inland. Always carry water, and dress in layers, because the day can warm up, then cool off again before sunset. It can be 60 degrees F., windy, and cool on the Golden Gate Bridge at the same time it's 97 degrees F., hot, and no wind at Mount Diablo, just 30 miles inland!
CUSTOMIZE
Not sure which tour is right for you? Special event coming up? A topic you're especially interested in?
Let us create a tour just for you!
Learn more today.
ECO-HISTORY FACT
Back in 1875 logger William Waddell became the San Francisco Bay Area's last man to be killed by a grizzly bear. You can retrace his final steps along the waterway named after him, Waddell Creek, on our Redwoods and Waterfalls Walking (or mountain bike) Tour.
No worries about marauding grizzlies, though -- the Bay Area's last grizzly was shot at Bonny Doon Mountain, only a few miles away from Waddell Creek, in 1886. The grizzly is California's official state animal, seen on the state flag, but it's been extinct in California since the 1920s!
Waddell Creek is also a great place for an easy 2-day backpack trip in the redwoods -- only three miles each way, and no uphill. If you're interested, let us know when you'd like to go.
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San Francisco Hike: Golden Gate Coastal Trail Hike at CaliforniaNatureTours.com
San Francisco Hike: Golden Gate Coastal Trail Hike
San Francisco hiking is best on the Coastal Trail, from the Golden Gate Bridge through the Presidio and Land's End to the Cliff House. San Francisco's best hike -- new sections of Coastal Trail opened for the first time in Summer 2008!
San Francisco Hiking on the Coastal Trail
Golden Gate Bridge on the Coastal Trail with group from Belgium
- San Francisco's best coastline places
- Presidio, Baker Beach, Land's End
- The Wild Side of San Francisco
- 10yrs, 4m/5k, 3hrs
- $29 USD
- Golden Gate Bridge to Cliff House
FAQ, Contact David
San Francisco Hiking At Its Best
San Francisco hiking on the Coastal Trail starts at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge at the Presidio, where we walk through historic forts that once trained massive guns on the Golden Gate. Then we head downhill on a new trail through some of the wildest, most untamed land in San Francisco -- you'll forget you're still in the city as you gaze on sea, sky, the Marin Headlands, and Mount Tamalpais! We'll continue onto Baker Beach, through the wealthy Sea Cliff neighborhood, and then trace the route of an abandoned scenic railroad through rugged Lands End, with its dramatic vistas of the Golden Gate. You'll use binoculars to spy on the abundant sea birds and seals that find refuge here. And finally, we'll reach the ruins of once-opulent Sutro Baths, the Cliff House, and the Pacific Ocean.
This unforgettable hike is an easy 3.3 miles/5k -- mostly downhill or flat. Plenty of stops to look at the fantastic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, and the Pacific. Wildlife, wildflowers and rare native dune plants!
Meet at: Parking lot on Lincoln Blvd., 200 yards east of Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza, in Presidio of San Francisco CA.
FAQ, Contact David
DON'T WANT HIKE ALONG SAN FRANCISCO'S COAST FROM GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, THROUGH PRESIDIO, SEA CLIFF, AND LANDS END?
Below are the top six tours. Or see QuickView list of All Tours.
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Action Alert
Help Save Bay Area's Greenbelt!
If you enjoy the San Francisco Bay Area's natural beauty, you should find out how local residents have been working together to preserve it since 1958 with the Greenbelt Alliance -- and if you live in California, get involved!
The redwoods were AMAZING! . . . a truly magical experience . . . I felt transported to another world, every step
yielding amazing sights, and
David has so much knowledge
about the flora and fauna
as well as local and national history . . .
I highly recommend David's unique personalised tours . . .
You'll remember it always, I know I will!
Kim H.
Manchester, England
I was thrilled to find
California Nature Tours--
a San Francisco Bay treasure!
My tours to Muir Woods and
Point Reyes National Seashore
were relaxing, educational, and just magnificent.
I highly recommend David Schmidt and California Nature Tours.
You will come away feeling great and knowing you have seen California through the eyes of someone extraordinary.
You will love it!
Ms. G. K.
Washington, D.C.
Thank you David, for your
hike at China Camp.
It was a beautiful setting and we saw deer at close range.
But what made it especially interesting & memorable was your knowledge of the area.
Thanks again and regards,
Ms. A.V.
Oakland, CA
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
John Muir
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