Journeys›Photograph

January Hike on Nimitz Way in Tilden

·San Francisco, California·#winter#bay area#family#hike#east-bay
Panoramic landscape of rolling hills and a valley with houses under a bright sky, framed by dark trees and rocks.

A January hike on Nimitz Way, starting from Inspiration Point off Wildcat Canyon Road. The trail runs paved about four miles one way along the ridge — it was built as an access road for air-defense sites during World War II and the Cold War, then named for Admiral Nimitz in 1955, which explains why a footpath through the hills feels like a road.

The pavement made it work with the kids and the dog. The older one claimed the leash early and got towed along by all fifteen pounds of dog, then handed it off when the rocks near the trailhead got more interesting. There was a stretch of standing on boulders and jumping to Grandpa, which repeated as many times as he'd allow.

The hills below were still mostly brown from the dry fall, green just starting to come in on the north slopes. By the end everyone was sitting in the middle of the trail — kids, dog, Grandpa on one knee — which is as far as the four miles got.

A wide view of rolling green hills with trees, a distant town, and a utility pole.A child in pink on a rock reaches for an adult in a red vest, with trees and a parking lot in the background.A child in pink on a large rock, an adult man with a leash gesturing, an adult woman, and another child outdoors.A child in pink holds a dog's leash on a paved path with hillsides and trees in the background.Two children and a dog on a paved path amidst trees; one child squats, the other walks holding the dog's leash.A man kneels on a path with a dog, while two young children stand nearby, surrounded by trees and a stone wall.A man kneels with a dog on a leash as one child runs and another child sits on an outdoor path by a hillside.A man kneels with a dog and two children on a path, framed by dense green trees and an overhead branch.

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