Urban Nature

Urban Nature
            I love San Francisco. As a country girl—raised among the forests, creeks and farmland of the Adirondack Foothills—whose consistent saving grace was time spent in nature, even I might not have expected me to choose a city for living the majority of my adult life and raising my children. But I did.
            Why? As I write about frequently in HikingAutism, I am so grateful that in addition to living in a city that offers major arts and culture benefits, my family and I have easy access to stunning nature sites in every direction. 
            I can walk to the Pacific Ocean from my house. I live less than a block from expansive Golden Gate Park that is home not only to a historic herd of bison but also to free-running coyote, skunks, raccoons, and an amazing array of birds, highlighted by red-tailed hawks, great blue heron, and hummingbirds.
            A short drive north takes me across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County with its countless mountain and beach trails. A short drive south offers a wide variety of hikes in San Mateo County and points south, and a drive to the East Bay presents more bayside and hill areas to explore.
            I sense the accessibility of natural wonders in San Francisco so strongly that I simply assumed it must be near the top of a list of cities with nature easily at hand.
            To my surprise, there are numerous cities with an even higher nature accessibility index. That theme is featured in an article from Kühl, The Nature Deficit Index: How American Cities Are Losing Access to the Outdoors (Ivan Slovic), which highlights issues relating to city dwellers’ access to nature. You can find a link to Kühl’s other hiking features on the HikingAutism Links page.
            Regardless of where your place of residence ranks on a nature accessibility index, there are ways to incorporate the positive forces of nature in your life. It may take a bit of planning if you want to go to open nature spaces. It is also possible to enjoy flowers, plants and wildlife in small city parks and gardens. We can also just step to our front door or back window and look at the sky, watching and listening for birds to pass by.
            Take the time to see what treasures of nature are on hand around you, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Sand Ladder to Baker Beach, leads readers down the long, sandy stairway in San Francisco’s Presidio to popular Baker Beach, with dramatic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands.
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This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 135: Sand Ladder to Baker Beach