Post by jonsdigs on Nov 30, 2006 17:42:13 GMT -5
SITTING ON THE TOP OF THE BAY
5 best rocks: Whether you hike or climb, several Bay Area formations offer stellar views and even a few surprises
Tom Stienstra
Thursday, November 30, 2006
San Francisco Chronicle
Mount Diablo State Park's Rock City area offers a sandstone adventure for visitors. There are trails, caves, views and rock formations for hikers and picnickers. Chronicle file photo, 2002, by Michael Macor
Rock City, Mount Diablo State Park
Rock City's sandstone monolith provides a perch with a cliff-top edge. You can lie prone and peer straight down over the side -- a surreal, even eerie experience. For rock climbers, though, they set up ropes and, with a partner on the bottom, belay down the side like a scene in a Batman movie. From the road, hikers can trek down an unsigned but well-worth-it path to the midlevel edge of the rock formation. From here, bear right and pick your way through a well-worn route that leads to the top. Great trekking.
Wind Caves, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
This is a hike more than a rock trek. The payoffs are long-distance views of South San Francisco Bay and then a steep descent to see a series of sculpted wind caves and outcrops.
The first goal is Rocky Ridge and its 2,024-foot summit. To the west, Crow Canyon plunges at your feet, and beyond are spectacular views of the South Bay. To the east, you can see miles of wilderness foothills, the Interstate 680 corridor, and a pretty long-distance scope of Mount Diablo.
Tafoni Monolith, El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve
The Tafoni is a series of 50-foot-high sandstone monoliths. For newcomers, it is a real stunner that formations this dramatic are hidden in the Peninsula foothills near Skyline. The monolith is etched from pelting by rain, creating deep fissures, hollows and formations that some say look like tree trunks. Reaching the Tafoni takes a short hike.
From the entrance, take the Tafoni Trail for 1.2 miles to a junction. Turn right, hike a quarter mile and look for another fork on the right (signed Tafoni). From here it is a short descent to the Tafoni Monolith.
Vasco Caves, Vasco Regional Preserve
Of the treasures in the Bay Area, Vasco Caves is the one that is the least seen, yet perhaps most unusual. The star attraction here is ancient rock art, a series of faint American Indian paintings on the sandstone walls. The "caves" really aren't much like caves at all, more like sandstone hollows, but the trip here is like a walk into the past. Wildlife and raptors sightings are also often good here. This park is an archaeological treasure, so all trips are guided.
Full Article
5 best rocks: Whether you hike or climb, several Bay Area formations offer stellar views and even a few surprises
Tom Stienstra
Thursday, November 30, 2006
San Francisco Chronicle
Mount Diablo State Park's Rock City area offers a sandstone adventure for visitors. There are trails, caves, views and rock formations for hikers and picnickers. Chronicle file photo, 2002, by Michael Macor
Rock City, Mount Diablo State Park
Rock City's sandstone monolith provides a perch with a cliff-top edge. You can lie prone and peer straight down over the side -- a surreal, even eerie experience. For rock climbers, though, they set up ropes and, with a partner on the bottom, belay down the side like a scene in a Batman movie. From the road, hikers can trek down an unsigned but well-worth-it path to the midlevel edge of the rock formation. From here, bear right and pick your way through a well-worn route that leads to the top. Great trekking.
Wind Caves, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
This is a hike more than a rock trek. The payoffs are long-distance views of South San Francisco Bay and then a steep descent to see a series of sculpted wind caves and outcrops.
The first goal is Rocky Ridge and its 2,024-foot summit. To the west, Crow Canyon plunges at your feet, and beyond are spectacular views of the South Bay. To the east, you can see miles of wilderness foothills, the Interstate 680 corridor, and a pretty long-distance scope of Mount Diablo.
Tafoni Monolith, El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve
The Tafoni is a series of 50-foot-high sandstone monoliths. For newcomers, it is a real stunner that formations this dramatic are hidden in the Peninsula foothills near Skyline. The monolith is etched from pelting by rain, creating deep fissures, hollows and formations that some say look like tree trunks. Reaching the Tafoni takes a short hike.
From the entrance, take the Tafoni Trail for 1.2 miles to a junction. Turn right, hike a quarter mile and look for another fork on the right (signed Tafoni). From here it is a short descent to the Tafoni Monolith.
Vasco Caves, Vasco Regional Preserve
Of the treasures in the Bay Area, Vasco Caves is the one that is the least seen, yet perhaps most unusual. The star attraction here is ancient rock art, a series of faint American Indian paintings on the sandstone walls. The "caves" really aren't much like caves at all, more like sandstone hollows, but the trip here is like a walk into the past. Wildlife and raptors sightings are also often good here. This park is an archaeological treasure, so all trips are guided.
Full Article