Bair
Island,
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
San Mateo County
In brief:
3 mile loop on the bay, very close to U.S. 101.
Getting there:
From US 101 in San Mateo County, exit Whipple Road. Drive east on Whipple, and
where the road curves sharply right (just past the 101 northbound entrance/exit
ramps), carefully pull off into the small dirt lot on the left.
Trailhead details:
No parking or entrance fees. Room for perhaps 15 vehicles in an unimproved and
rutted dirt lot. No facilities. There's a map posted on the information signboard.
There are no designated handicapped parking spots, and trails access is obstructed
for wheelchairs. There is no direct public transportation to the park.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, restaurants, and stores back on Whipple. No camping.
Rules:
Open sunrise to sunset. Dogs are permitted, but they must be leashed, and are
prohibited to stray from the trails into the vegetation or water. Bicycles and
equestrians are allowed, but this refuge is primarily used by joggers and walkers.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
Trails are perfectly flat and the 3 mile loop hike is easy.
The Official Story:
Refuge headquarters 510-792-0222.
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay
Wildlife Refuge
Map Choices/More Information:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there (or better yet,
the AAA Palo Alto map)
• Don
Edwards San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge brochure (pdf)
• Visit P.O.S.T.'s
website for more information about Bair Island
Bair
Island in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured
hike.
View photos from this hike
There are other more scenic, peaceful, and 
user-friendly
shoreline parks and preserves on San Francisco Bay, but Bair Island, like the
underdog in a football game, is a place you'll find yourself rooting for. Purchased
by Peninsula Open Space Trust and now under the stewardship of the Don Edward
San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge, Bair Island is being restored to tidal marsh,
and will support wildlife including migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and at least
two endangered species, the clapper rail, and salt marsh harvest mouse. Currently
visitors walking the three-mile perimeter loop may see birds and animals such
as cottontail rabbits, egrets, terns, and stilts. The land has historically been
used to graze cattle and for salt harvesting. Redwood City residents rejected
development plans in 1982, and after a long struggle, P.O.S.T. acquired Bair Island
in 1999. As the property is restored, vegetation and animal life will become more
varied and healthy, so it'll be interesting to watch the transformation of the
3,200 acre preserve. Restoration should bring facilities typically found at a
shoreline preserve, such as restrooms and wildlife viewing platforms, but for
now Bair Island remains in an undeveloped state.
Bair Island is comprised of 3 islands separated
by sloughs. 
Only
the western island is publicly accessible, and unfortunately, it is directly adjacent
to Highway 101. Access is easy from nearby peninsula towns, making Bair Island
a convenient destination for jogging or dogwalking. It takes a bit of selective
hearing to ignore the persistent highway traffic noise, as well as the drone of
airplanes landing at San Carlos Airport, just to the north of Bair Island.
Start at the gated entrance to Bair Island.
Once you've squeezed through the gap between the gate and fence, you are presented
with three trail choices. You can head left or right for the three mile loop,
or take the shortcut trail straight ahead. Turn left.
The flat wide trail heads north. Highway 101 is
visible and audible. Cordilleras Creek (which originates in Pulgas
Ridge Open Space Preserve) feeds into the marsh from the west, but the levee
trail keeps fresh water from penetrating the dry cracked dirt on the right side
of the path. Pickleweed is common, and you might also see curly dock, New Zealand
spinach, sea fig, fennel, and sea lavender. 
When
I visited I saw a vulture sitting a few yards from the highway, picking at some
poor creature thankfully obscured by the surrounding vegetation. When you reach
the northern edge of the island, the trail turns east. Traffic noise is dampened,
but never recedes completely. Respect the signs prohibiting exploration of the
area to the right, and stay on the trail (dogs as well). The trail turns south
at Smith Slough. Look for wading birds picking their way through the mudflats.
The rest of the Bair Island property sits to the west, but public access is not
yet permitted. At about 1.9 miles, the shortcut trail departs to the right, heading
back to the trailhead from an unmarked but obvious junction. Continue straight.
Across the narrow channel to the south you can see
docked boats at Pete's Harbor, and a newish housing development. Once again you
run out of land, and the trail curves right, to the west. An old footbridge is
still visible to the left, partly connected to a metal power tower. Some of the
bridge is still standing, but key sections hang in defeat. Rabbit droppings are
conspicuous along the trail. At about 3 miles, the trail returns to the trailhead.
Total distance: about 3 miles
Last hiked: Friday, July 20, 2001
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
user-friendly
shoreline parks and preserves on San Francisco Bay, but Bair Island, like the
underdog in a football game, is a place you'll find yourself rooting for. Purchased
by Peninsula Open Space Trust and now under the stewardship of the Don Edward
San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge, Bair Island is being restored to tidal marsh,
and will support wildlife including migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and at least
two endangered species, the clapper rail, and salt marsh harvest mouse. Currently
visitors walking the three-mile perimeter loop may see birds and animals such
as cottontail rabbits, egrets, terns, and stilts. The land has historically been
used to graze cattle and for salt harvesting. Redwood City residents rejected
development plans in 1982, and after a long struggle, P.O.S.T. acquired Bair Island
in 1999. As the property is restored, vegetation and animal life will become more
varied and healthy, so it'll be interesting to watch the transformation of the
3,200 acre preserve. Restoration should bring facilities typically found at a
shoreline preserve, such as restrooms and wildlife viewing platforms, but for
now Bair Island remains in an undeveloped state.
Only
the western island is publicly accessible, and unfortunately, it is directly adjacent
to Highway 101. Access is easy from nearby peninsula towns, making Bair Island
a convenient destination for jogging or dogwalking. It takes a bit of selective
hearing to ignore the persistent highway traffic noise, as well as the drone of
airplanes landing at San Carlos Airport, just to the north of Bair Island. 
When
I visited I saw a vulture sitting a few yards from the highway, picking at some
poor creature thankfully obscured by the surrounding vegetation. When you reach
the northern edge of the island, the trail turns east. Traffic noise is dampened,
but never recedes completely. Respect the signs prohibiting exploration of the
area to the right, and stay on the trail (dogs as well). The trail turns south
at Smith Slough. Look for wading birds picking their way through the mudflats.
The rest of the Bair Island property sits to the west, but public access is not
yet permitted. At about 1.9 miles, the shortcut trail departs to the right, heading
back to the trailhead from an unmarked but obvious junction. Continue straight.