Huckleberry
Botanic Regional Preserve, 
This hike is described
and mapped in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco, by Jane Huber (yup,
that's me, the creator of this website). Order
this book from Amazon.com. Sometimes
I wish every park or preserve district in the bay area had a botanic preserve
like Huckleberry. It's an oasis, and an educational one at that. When many
of the bay area preserves are unbearably hot, Huckleberry is cool and shaded. With
so many plants in various stages of bloom and fruiting, if you love plants,
it's definitely worth scheduling at least two trips to Huckleberry a year. In
the late winter you won't want to miss pink-flowering currants, in the spring
there are wildflowers and new leaves on the deciduous trees, in summer thimbleberries
abound, and in late summer and early fall there's no better place to admire
the huckleberries (see the page edibles
for some photos of huckleberries and other berries).
Be sure to pick up the pamphlet "Huckleberry
Self-Guided Nature Path," from the information signboard. Seventeen numbered
signs along the Huckleberry Path identify plants and plant communities.
Start on the trail to the right of the information
signboard, hiking-only Huckleberry Path. A few steps down the narrow trail,
at a signed junction, the trail splits. Bear left and descend along some
switchbacks. Soon you'll come across the first identified plant, a
pacific madrone. An evergreen tree canopy will shade you almost completely,
breaking only now and then for views to the northeast of Sibley
Volcanic Regional Preserve. At about 0.4 mile, at a signed junction,
head uphill to the right, remaining on Huckleberry Path. (The trail
to the left connects to Sibley.)
During some gentle climbing you will pass a variety
of ferns, as well as toyon, gooseberry, creambush, currant, huckleberry, California
hazelnut, and 
California
bay. Just before you reach the mile mark, at a signed junction Huckleberry Path
shoots sharply uphill to the right. (If you want to extend your hike, continue
straight at this junction on the Skyline Trail for 0.4 mile, then turn right
onto the Huckleberry Path for 0.35 mile to rejoin the loop. You won't miss any
of the plant identification signs by extending the loop). For this hike, take
Huckleberry Path to the right at the junction and ascend some steps on the
only moderate portion of the hike.
At the signed junction and a crest, turn
right (still on Huckleberry Path) and then look for a small signed trail
to the right. Walk down the path a few steps out to an open, exposed
manzanita barren. These shrubs bloom in the winter, putting forth bell-shaped
white flowers as early as December. A large chinquapin, with some distinctive
spiny burs drawing attention to itself in summer, holds court among
the manzanitas. Near the edge of the belvedere, a bench makes for a nice rest
stop. Retrace your steps and continue along the Huckleberry Path.
The remaining portion of trail is very narrow
and nearly flat, with tall shrubs (lots of huckleberry) towering over the path
on both sides, blocking almost all of the views. Monkeyflower makes a cheerful
showing, with orange blossoms persisting well into summer. The next three plant
identification signs are down another narrow trail to the right (look for
a small sign pointing the way to numbers 8-10). More manzanitas hunker down
against the ground in a clearing with a great view of Mount Diablo. Return
back to the main path and continue to the west.
Lots more huckleberry bushes crowd the trail
here, as well as some more unusual plants such as silktassel, pallid manzanita,
and a few more chinquapin. After the last identified plant, pink-flowered
currant, the trail meets up again at a previously encountered junction with
the other end of the loop trail. Coast live oaks and California bays provide
most of the shade through here. Continue straight to the parking lot.
On the way back, look for a large display of creambush on the left side of the
trail.
Total distance: 1.7 miles
Last hiked: Sunday, January 5,
2003
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