Tunnel Crew
            I love tree tunnels, and love finding and exploring new ones with my regular hiking crew, my family.
            Surrounded by a green halo ahead, the other end of the tunnel is a mystery until you walk through it. We’ve walked through magical golden tree tunnels of autumn leaves that exhilarate us, and dark Hansel-and-Gretel, deep-forest tunnels that leave us feeling spooked.
            Both the bright and somewhat darker experiences are easier to walk through with a familiar set of people you trust, a kind of walking comfort zone.
            Life tosses dark, unknown paths before us, sometimes in the form of unanswered questions such as where and how we can live, whether our health will hold up, or if we have enough money to cover expenses. These bring anxiety and trepidation about walking forward.
            Passing through these figurative dark tunnel times is when we need our trusted crew the most, whether it be family, friends, or coworkers.
            Who walks with you through dark times and light? Thank your crew for being there when you need them, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, San Bruno Mountain – Saddle Trail, leads readers on trails with open sky views as well as some tree tunnel spaces.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 20: San Bruno Mountain – Saddle Trail

Love Affair with a Bridge
            Whether as orange-red triangles peeking out from layers of fog, or the full double-tower span gleaming orange against a deep blue sky as it spans from San Francisco to the Marin Headlands, the Golden Gate Bridge stirs my heart.
            I never get tired of driving across it from the San Francisco side, or approaching it from the tunnels on the Marin side, a drive that creates its own magical postcard each time the bridge comes into view through the round frame of the tunnel.
            Is it possible to love a structure? It is. I’ve never lost that magical feeling about the Golden Gate Bridge in the decades that I’ve lived here. I love it under every weather and visibility condition—mysterious and enticing when barely visible behind dense fog, and blasting the senses when it towers vibrantly in the sun.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Golden Gate Overlook to Warming Hut, takes readers from a spot where visitors can enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge from a variety of viewpoints. The varied scenery and trail segments merited a larger than usual photo gallery.
            Do you have local scenic spots that you never get tired of? Enjoy those special places, and keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
New this week:
Hike Notes 232: Golden Gate Overlook to Warming Hut

Meandering Together, Apart
            Whether along a dirt path, a snowy field, a pine-covered forest floor, a grassy meadow, or along the water’s edge, I have loved walking outdoors since I was a young child. I loved walking alone, with my beagle, with my brothers, dad or friends.
            When I got married and had my own family, I wanted to share that same love of walking under the open sky or the canopy of a forest with my two sons and husband. We have walked thousands of miles together over the years.
            Looking back at photos of us hiking, I realize how easy it is to fall into a rhythm as we walk together, and how nice it would be if we could all always be together for our walks, but with one son far away in London, that’s not possible.
            Modern technology means that we can text and have video chats easily. I’ll text my son to say we’re heading out for a weekend walk, and he asks me to send a photo of where we went. It’s a way of connecting over the distance and remembering the unspoken camaraderie of just being out walking as a unit.
            Do you have favorite walking partners? Do you like walking alone? Enjoy your walks, whoever you’re with, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives takes readers around the Bald Hill from Deer Park, introduces one of countless hike options from Deer Park in Fairfax. The climb up Bald Hill is worth it for the scenery along the way and the views from the top.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page for products that embody the "Just Get to the Trailhead™" spirit! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 65: Bald Hill from Deer Park

A Different World
            Orange and red ice plants meld into a background of pale, medium and dark greens like hot lava oozing out of a plant covered landscape. Hills rise in a mixture of jagged edges and soft curves. It feels like another planet, or at least another continent, but this alien scene is only eight miles from my home.
            Varied geological formations and microclimates within a relatively small area can create vastly different landscapes within a short distance from each other. That is one of the things I love about living where I do. I can be on a steep mountain, in a deep forest, a grassy meadow, chapparal terrain, or on a beach with crashing waves all within a half hour drive.
            Do you have varied landscapes where you live, or are the differences more subtle? Make the most of the landscapes near home, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Avalon Canyon, introduces a stunning walk that features a fascinating color palette on canyon walls on the trail leading down to the beach.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 118: Avalon Canyon

I Spy
            For long drives to my grandmother’s house or on our way to camp in the Adirondacks, we kids in the back of the station wagon would stave off boredom by playing a guessing game for things we saw out the window.
            “I spy with my little eye, something that starts with the letter ___.”
            It was usually a cow, or a horse, or a barn, not that hidden from view. The challenge was probably more the fact that the car was moving in relation to what we were looking for.
            In the photo for this Insights post, my puzzle for readers is to see if they can spot the Golden Gate Bridge.
            Not only is the bridge somewhat hidden yet still iconic in this view, but the viewpoint itself is not that easy to find. I like to explore as many trails as possible, and years ago I saw the name Fort Miley noted as a scenic spot in my neighborhood. Every time I was in the vicinity I would look around for it, but could not see anything but the parking lot near Lands End. I felt like I was in some sort of magic disappearing spot.
            It turned out that this site is really a patch of land perched on a hill where entry trails or roads are not easily visible. Once I finally found it, I discovered that it was a hidden treasure with its own wonderful views, including the peek-past-the-trees view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Fort Miley at Lands End, takes readers to a named site that feels like it’s hidden in plain sight.
            Do you have any hidden treasures near you? Enjoy discovering new places, and keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 124: Fort Miley at Lands End

Short Distance, Big Views
            No matter what else is happening in our lives, when a Saturday, Sunday or holiday arrives and our autistic son does not have his program to go to during the day, we are out walking somewhere, rain or shine.
            We’ve hiked thousands of miles by this point, and have covered a wide variety of terrain in the San Francisco Bay Area. I love all the places we hike, but Marin County has always had a special place in my heart.
            When we’re tired or overwhelmed with too many other obligations, we choose someplace close to home. One day when I was quietly chiding myself for taking an easy option for our walk, I realized that the place we were visiting was a stunning spot with a big payoff in views for minimal walking. Somehow I’d set this location in my head as not meriting its own hike description for HikingAutism.com, but that day it struck me that it’s a wonderful place to visit for anyone needing an easy outing.
            My respect for this spot rose again when we went back to take proper photos, because I was paying more attention and realized I hadn’t fully appreciated how much it has to offer visually.
            Feeling a bit fatigued and overscheduled doesn’t keep us from getting out, and our son’s life and ours has been all the better for it. The effort we make to get up and out has kept all of us on a positive trajectory that we didn’t always feel was possible.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Battery Mendell-Marin Headlands, takes readers to a low-effort-high-reward spot in rolling hills of the Marin Headlands, offering views of the Golden Gate Bridge from one side and vistas of the vast Pacific from the other. The interesting visuals at the aging structure led me to give it a larger than usual photo gallery.
            Find an easy walk location to visit when your energy is low, and keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
New this week:
Hike Notes 231: Battery Mendell-Marin Headlands

Wild Irises
            I love the name “wild iris.” It sounds like a flower making merry on the party scene. 
            I’ve enjoyed seeing irises that are safely ensconced in flowerpots and backyards in recent days. These stunning flowers grown from store-bought bulbs brought memories of the wild irises I’ve seen over the years hiking in Marin County. For some reason, I especially remember seeing bewitchingly beautiful irises when walking around Lake Lagunitas. 
            I didn’t take my best iris photos there, but I decided that if my memory kept coming back to the irises of Lake Lagunitas, that’s where this week’s archive hike should be.
            As a kid growing up in farm country in the Adirondack Foothills, there weren’t many occasions for me to see commercially grown roses. What I do remember are the wild roses that grew along the old stone fence at the edge of our backyard. I knew the flowers by sight but not by name when I was little. When someone said, “Those are wild roses,” it added an exciting new dimension. Having the name “wild” in front gives a flower an appealing flair.
            Do you have a type of flower that you know both commercially cultivated varieties and wild varieties for? Do you like one or the other better?
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives takes readers around the Lake Lagunitas Loop, a hike on one of five pretty lakes in the Marin Watershed that is a family friendly distance of under two miles for the full circle around the lake.
            When you’re out on a trail, keep an eye out for wild blossoms, which sometimes peek out from under surrounding plants. Keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 15: Lake Lagunitas Loop

Yellow Brick Road
            “Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road,” sing the Munchkins as they instruct Dorothy and her dog Toto to follow the road that spirals colorfully outward from Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz.
            Are they really convinced that they’ll find the great Wizard of Oz, or is the instinct to simply move forward on this unfamiliar road in hopes it will lead them to better circumstances than they’re in now?
            Trying new things and exploring new places can be scary, but it also keeps our minds and bodies sharp as we adjust to something different from what we’re used to.
            Wrapping ourselves in things that are familiar and comforting can bring a sense of peace, rest, and healing. When we have energy and strength, though, we benefit from exploring new places and activities.
            Every time I try a new trail, I feel my brain cells being energized, just by processing something new. Because my top choice for trying something new is nature trails, I always discover fresh beauty and inspiration.
            Find opportunities to walk new paths and see where they take you. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Rhubarb to Miwok Trail Overlook, introduces a hike that starts near Tennessee Valley on the sometimes spooky, moss-blanketed Rhubarb Trail, then takes a northward rising turn on the Miwok Trail for uplifting views in all directions.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 52: Rhubarb to Miwok Trail Overlook

Name That Blossom
            “The plum blossoms are pretty well gone,” I said, looking inquisitively at a blossoming tree.
            “And they don’t look like plum blossoms,” my husband added.
            “Cherry blossoms are coming out in other parts of the park,” I said, with a tone of skepticism about whether these were a match.
            “These don’t look quite like cherry blossoms,” he said, confirming my doubt.
            I looked at the pale, delicate petals for another minute. An image from childhood memories struck me.
            “These look like the apple blossoms on the trees where I grew up,” I said. “Apple blossom” sounds so comforting and down-to-earth.
            “Crabapple trees!” my husband said with satisfaction, looking up from his phone where he confirmed the hallmark blossoming trees in San Francisco’s Shakespeare Garden.
            This is not the first time we’ve had this conversation about these very trees. It’s not that we’re losing our memory. We’re just lazy. Maybe it’s that we’re blessed with an overabundance of riches with flowering trees where we live.
            I do like knowing the names of trees and flowers, but it’s not all-important. Enjoying the plants and trees around me in the moment is enough. I can always look up names later.
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Shakespeare Garden-Golden Gate Park, takes readers to a charming section of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park featuring plants that appear in the works of William Shakespeare.
            Don’t worry if you can’t immediately pin down the name of a bird, flower or tree you see that fascinates you. Enjoy the moment and research it later. Keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 183: Shakespeare Garden-Golden Gate Park

Hitting the Trifecta
            Every so often I hit a round number in my Hike Notes posts, and do a special feature with an extra large photo gallery. This time I decided to celebrate with Hike Notes #230 as it coincides with reaching eight years of creating HikingAutism.com.
            I started HikingAutism.com in March 2018 for a number of reasons. One reason was to share knowledge about inspiring nature locations and insights I accumulated over the years. 
            A second reason was to process grief over the loss of our magical “autism whisperer” who helped my profoundly autistic son Sean and our family pull ourselves from the edge of despair by getting out on nature trails.
            A third reason was to help others work past the isolation that accompanies navigating life with exceptional challenges.
            That is my holy trinity for starting HikingAutism. I still feel motivated and uplifted each week when I click to post new content.
            As for the other lucky three number, the trifecta, that’s what it felt like on my most recent hike on the Steep Ravine Trail on Mt. Tam in Marin. The photo montage for this week’s Insights image features photos from Steep Ravine Trail. 
            On previous hikes doing the Dipsea-Steep Ravine loop from Pantoll, there was not enough light to reach through the dense forest to get good photos on the Steep Ravine section. There was also never a fully running waterfall by the ladder next to the falls that is a highlight of this hike. On top of that, weekends get very crowded on that trail, and I rarely have a chance to get away from home and office on weekdays to avoid the crowds.
            This holiday season I hit the Steep Ravine trifecta for a good photo shoot. My older son was home from London and he and I headed out on one of the only non-rainy weekdays left during his visit. Not only was it sunny enough for sufficient light to trickle down into the forest to get photos, but the waterfall was running at full force. Our weekday excursion meant the trail was not crowded. 
            This was the trio of factors I needed to get a decent set of photos for the Steep Ravine Trail. I was so happy to have good light, great waterfalls, and no crowds on the trails, and to be walking with a favorite companion. Steep Ravine Trail from Pantoll seemed like a great Hike Notes to celebrate a HikingAutism.com milestone with.
            Thanks to all the readers over the years. I’ll continue sharing free hike and insights information going forward. The HikingAutism site has led to a publishing deal for Autism Outdoors: A Guide to Spending Time in Nature, and I’ll share more as the book is closer to hitting the bookshelves.
            Thanks again to readers for walking along the trail together, and keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
New this week:
Hike Notes 230: Steep Ravine Trail from Pantoll