Bog Loop,
San Bruno County Park,
County of San Mateo Parks,
San Mateo County

In brief:
0.8 mile easy loop hike great for kids and beginners.

Getting there:
• From southbound US 101 in San Francisco County, exit #429B Third Street/Cow Palace. Drive south on Bayshore to the junction with Guadalupe Canyon Parkway in Brisbane. Turn right and drive about 2 miles uphill to the park entrance on the right side of the road.
• From Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, exit #50 Mission Street, then take Market to Guadalupe Canyon Parkway and drive east to the park entrance on the left side of the road (it's about 3 miles from 280).

Trailhead details:
$5 entry fee (self-register if kiosk unoccupied). Drive straight past the kiosk and park in the large parking lot (not really visible from the kiosk). Maps available at entry kiosk. Pay phone in lot. Restrooms near the picnic area, just north of the parking lot. There is no direct public transportation to the park.

Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, stores, and restaurants on Mission and Bayshore. No camping.

Rules:
Bikes permitted on a few trails. Horses and hikers share the rest. No dogs.

Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 0.7 mile loop hike is on an almost flat trail, with one little hill, and is very easy.

The Official Story:
CSMP's San Bruno page.
Park office 650-992-6770

Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Map from CSMP
• Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area, by David Weintraub (order this book from Amazon.com) has a great map and descriptions of a San Bruno hike.
• Trails of the Coastside and Northern Peninsula (map) is a good guide (available from Pease Press).
• Peninsula Trails, by Jean Rusmore, has a simple map and descriptions of trails (order this book from Amazon.com).
• The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book, by Tom Taber, has a simple map and trail descriptions (order this book from Amazon.com).

• View 20 photos from this hike.

Bog Loop, a short and easy circuit at San Bruno Park, is a great trail for families with young children. The 0.7 mile loop is close to restrooms, parking, and San Bruno's picnic area. Winter and early spring bring muddy conditions, and the best time of year for a visit is probably spring, when the grass is green and wildflowers are abundant. Some poison oak is present, so be sure to educate children about the hazards of that plant before you hit the trail.
     Start at the parking lot and walk around the fire road gate. Bear left, and look for the signed, but easy to miss start of the Bog Trail, which is closed to cyclists. Turn left onto Bog Trail. Coyote brush and California coffeeberry punctuate the grassland, while cypress and eucalyptus stand off the trail to the right. After about 100 feet, the trail splits. Turn left.
     The narrow path runs parallel to Guadalupe Canyon Parkway, and traffic noise can be annoying. You may see lots of birds through here. Blackberry brambles are common, and dogwood and willow thrive in moist spots. As Bog Trail turns north, away from the road, the path enters a shaded section, lush with ferns. Cypress arch over the trail, which crosses a creek on a bridge, then emerges into grassland. Look for lupines in spring. At 0.4 mile, the trail reaches a signed junction. Turn right.
      Bog Trail drifts down to run along a creek. Cotoneaster, blackberry, willow, coffeeberry, and cypress frame the trail. Rest benches provide pit stops, or places to sit and think or observe nature. Continuing a level course, Bog Trail sweeps through the shrubby grassland, and meets the previously encountered junction at 0.7 mile. Continue straight and retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

Total distance: 0.7 mile
Last hiked: Friday, November 17, 2000

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