On Presidents’ Day we ventured over the Richmond Bridge to the Cataract Falls Trail on Mount Tamalpais. This trail is spectacular after rain, and the weather obliged – plenty of water in the stream, but not too much mud. We started at the top at the Rock Spring Trailhead, made our way down the trail to Lake Alpine, where we enjoyed a well-deserved lunch, then climbed back to the cars, taking time to catch our breath/admire the cataracts on the way back up the hill.
What better way to start a new year than to hike with the VeloRaptors? We followed a similar route to the October 2024 hike, but this time we “visited” the ladybugs wintering along Stream Trail, and tested the new bridge on Starflower Trail that has been constructed from a fallen redwood tree.
An adventurous group met at the Ferry Building in San Francisco and took the ferry to Angel Island. We hiked up Mount Livermore, where we enjoyed lunch with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate. There was time to learn more about the history of Angel Island at the U.S. Immigration Station before catching the ferry back to civilization.
A small but select group met in Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park at the Canyon Meadow Staging Area, and headed up Stream Trail to Tres Sendas, then headed up Starflower Trail to French Trail. After meandering through redwoods and bay-oak terrain, we braved the steep descent of Orchard Trail to Bridle.
The inaugural VeloRaptor hike on 9/20/2025 was in Anthony Chabot Regional Park. 20 intrepid members followed a beautiful loop from the Clyde Woolridge Staging Area down the Jackson Grade to the Stone Bridge, picked up the Brandon trail and went south to Two Rocks trail, from which we dropped down to the Columbine trail, then returned via Lake Chabot on the Goldenrod trail.
