Destination: San Bruno Mountain, Brisbane
Hike to the summit of San Bruno Mountain
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying with my kids once social distancing and shelter in place isn’t the norm any longer.
By Bastique — Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4639556
Social Isolation — Day 47
I attended my first Zoom video happy hour with some old work colleagues tonight. It was totally a last-minute thing, but I’m so glad I went. Honestly, I hadn’t seen most of the people on for over 10 years and wasn’t expecting to be on long, but the call ended up being over two hours. It was probably the most social interaction I’ve had in weeks and the most enjoyable time I’ve had in ages.
Destination: San Bruno Mountain
Hike the Summit Loop Trail
Summit San Bruno Mountain
If you’ve ever driven from the Peninsula up to San Francisco, it’s hard to miss San Bruno Mountain. It is usually where the fog gets caught as it moves in from the coast. Hiking up to the summit is a three and a half-mile hike with around a 700-foot elevation gain. On a clear day, you can see the ocean and the bay, all of San Francisco, and much of the Peninsula.
There isn’t a lot nearby, and the hike will leave you tired afterward, so I’m not including supplementary locations for this day trip adventure. I might suggest heading down to Brisbane for a burrito once you finish — you deserve it!
Hike the Summit Loop Trail
By User:Serouj — Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19988413
The first time I hiked the Summit Loop Trail was with an organized hike guided by a ranger. My girls were 5 and 9 years old, as we made good time getting to the top. It’s a hike with a decent elevation gain, but it’s steady climb with a good payoff at the end, especially on a cloudless day.
With a 700-foot elevation gain over a couple of miles to the summit, keep a steady pace and take breaks where you can.
Summit San Bruno Mountain
By User:Serouj — Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19988487
Once you are at the top, have a look around. I really enjoy taking turns with my kids spotting recognizable things all around. As you hike the summit loop, it also intersects with the Ridge Trail which follows the top spine of the mountain range out toward the bay. If you are feeling adventurous, you can follow this along as a nice detour, then return to the Summit Loop to finish your hike.
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book, 52 San Francisco Bay Area Weekend Adventures, Day Trips With Your Kids!
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 29 April 2020