Blithedale Ridge

Near: Mill Valley
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation: 200 - 900 feet
Vegetation: Oak and Redwood
Last visit: 4/16/2017

Blithedale Ridge is the easternmost piece of the Marin county open spaces surrounding Mt. Tamalpais.  We took a light hike up to the highpoint on a rainy April Sunday.   I've seen this ridge from Mt. Tam plenty of times, so I know it's got several open spots with clear views of the mountain and surrounding towns, but they weren't in evidence for us.  While we were just out for a short jaunt, you could always use the trails and fireroads in this area for a jumping off point to climb Mt. Tam from the northeast, with routes running around 10-15 miles round trip.

Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park

Near: Hayward
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation: 100 - 1200 ft
Last visit: March 2017

Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park is another grassy collection of East Bay hills.  There's not much unique about it, but it does provide some nice views of the south bay and a satisfying hill climb to see it.

Harvey Bear Ranch

Near: Gilroy
Trip type: Trail Run
Distance: 7 miles
Elevation: 800 - 1,300 feet
Vegetation: Pasture with some oak and pine forest
Last visit: March 2017

Harvey Bear Ranch County Park sits on a low ridge overlooking Gilroy.  This loop circles over Mummy Mountain, a rise on the southern end of the ridge.  Most of the park is open pasture land.  The open western slope of the ridge offers long views towards Gilroy, but I preferred the more wooded eastern slope overlooking Coyote Lake.