Does anyone have ideas for a night hike near SF? As far as I know most of the parks close at sunset which excludes most places I'd want to be. I'm fine with breaking the rules a bit as long as I have plausible deniability for my parking spot;)

I'd prefer a trail that's not overly rocky (don't want to stare at my feet the whole time) and preferably one that's not forested. Mt. Tam seems perfect but parking might be problematic. 2-4 miles would be ideal.

Has anyone done this?

Mission Peak (behind south Fremont).

--B.G.--

Thanks Bob.

Whenever there is a comet or similar astronomical event, we need to view it in a dark sky, so we hike to the back side of Mission Peak.

There are legal places to park, and then there are illegal places.

--B.G.--

I've done Briones a couple of times. Last month saw a couple of coyotes. You might have to park outside the entrance, but the road has wide shoulders and very little traffic. I've finished up at Las Trampas by moonlight as well, but I'd recommend starting before sunset for that. The parking lot outside the official entrance doesn't close.

I haven't gotten around to doing Mission Peak yet, but I've seen a bunch of pictures taken there by night hiking enthusiasts - here's one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steventheamusing/4783301248/


edit to add: Wildcat Canyon is also mostly unwooded, and has a healthy coyote population (it's also grazed, so you need to watch out for cattle droppings).

Edited by squark on 10/29/2011 19:18:59 MDT.

Thanks Sharon. I'll have to check out Briones as well.

The only place I've been at night so far is China Camp State Park for Perseid viewing a couple of years ago. It was nice (still too much light pollution) but we didn't hike much.

I'll be keeping an eye on the weather/moon for an upcoming night out.

I've done Mission/Monument peaks (Stanford Ave lot open until 9 or 10), Windy Hill (Alpine Rd parking until 9), Almaden Quicksillver and once with a Sierra Club group Orinda to Berkeley.

The best bet is to look for residential, on-street parking next to the trailheads or park entrances. I rarely see rangers in broad daylight so discrete after-dark hiking is unlikely to warrant attention.

Another option is to camp overnight and hike after dark. Angel Island and Mt Tam would be good spots In fact, now that I think about it, a full-moon hike on Mt Tam sounds fantastic; I may have to look into doing that one myself someday.

A Mt. Tam night hike might be worth an overnight at the Pantoll Ranger Station camp ground.

Good idea!