Bay Trail

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Location

The Bay Trail wraps all the way around the bay... or it will soon. Now, segments link up fairly well from Redwood City South to San Jose. It also wraps around San Francisco, from the Golden Gate Bridge and Park South to the Embarcadero. Other segments exist. It is hoped that after all segments are linked up, there will be about 400 miles of a Bay Trail loop.
The Bay Trail is in varied conditions. Here are some trailheads:

One of San Francisco's Trailheads is at Golden Gate Park. To get there, see information about Golden Gate Bridge and Park.
A second San Francisco span of the trail is in Crissy Field. To get there, see information about Crissy Field.
A third San Francisco span of the trail is along the Embarcadero. To get there, see information about Embarcadero.
A trailhead for the Bay Trail in Redwood City / Shores, Belmont, and Foster City is at the corner of Oracle Pkwy and Marine (World) Pkwy just off of Highway 101. To get there, take the Marine (World) Exit, driving East on Marine Pkwy. Take an immediate left onto Oracle Pkwy, and an immediate left into the park / parking area. For directions, use Mapquest's Map of [100-108] Oracle Pkwy, Redwood City, CA 94065, US.
Palo Alto's trailhead for the Bay Trail is at Byxbee Park, which has coarse gravel, dirt, and paved trails. To get there, see information about ByxbeePark.
The Redwood City trailhead for its coarse gravel / dirt trails is at the Westmost end of Marsh Road. To get there, from Highway 101 take the Marsh Road exit, and turn West. The trailhead and parking are almost immediately visible, at the end of the road.
A Mountain View trailhead is at Shoreline Park, beginning at the lake. To get there, see information about Shoreline Park.
Another Mountain View trailhead is at the Westmost end of Stevens Creek Trail. To get there, see information about Stevens Creek Trail.
A Sunnyvale trailhead for a coarse gravel portion of the trail is at the SMART station along Caribbean Drive. To get there, take Hwy 237's Caribbean / Lawrence Expressway exit, and head West on Caribbean. Follow signs to the SMART station / Bay Trail. The Bay Trail parking lot is at the North end of the station, at the end of the road. For directions, use Mapquest's Map of Borregas Ave & Carl Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, US
Another Sunnyvale trailhead is at Baylands Park, at the Southmost parking lot. To get there, see information about Baylands Park.
Alviso Marina County Park and Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge host miles of the Bay Trail. For more information, see Alviso and Don Edwards Page .

Attractions:

Beautiful wetland / estuary feel of the baylands in the South, salt evaporation ponds and wavy water in the center and South, and ocean beaches to the North!
Wildlife include ducks, geese, herons, egrets, pelicans, seagulls, and other birds. Also keep a look out for skunks, lizards, squirrels, dragonflies, and butterflies. In the North, see sea lions, seals, and the occasional otter.
As these trails are all around the bay, a hiker can link them up (sometimes with some creative navigation) to make a hike of many distances.
Often placards occur along the paths to educate the hiker about the history and biology of the area. For instance, there's a great placard facing the SMART station, discussing garbage.
Bicycles are permitted in most places, and in fact some of the hilly regions make great places to learn to mountain bike.
Dogs allowed on leash in most places - see recommended route descriptions to verify this.
The trail runs through several parks, which offer several amenities. See Shoreline Park, Baylands Park, Alviso and Don Edwards and Crissy Field for example.
The more urban parts of the trail run past several historic areas and business areas. See Embarcadero for instance.

Limitations:

Some spans of the trail are not well used, so may feel unsafe to the lone traveler. Consider travelling with an adult or canine companion.
There are not generally a lot of places for breaks along the trail, unless the trail runs through a park like Shoreline Park , Baylands Park , Crissy Field, Golden Gate Bridge and Park, or Embarcadero.
The trail sections are not all linked up, so be ready to do some research on how to creatively navigate to get from one section to the next, if that is your goal.
Stay on the trails to avoid ticks and poison oak!

Season:

Year round, about 8 am to sunset in rural areas.

Fees:

None.

Maps & More Information:

Maps are posted at many trailheads, and the path is marked every few hundred feet with a "Bay Trail" sign.
Bay Trail Map (smaller area)
Bay Trail Map (larger area)
San Francisco Bay Trail's (Government) Website
Bay Trail Activities (pdf)
San Francisco Chronicle article series with description and maps of Bay Trail

Handicapped Access:

With varied trail conditions, in general this trail is not handicapped accessible. However, trails associated with Alviso, Shoreline Park, Baylands Park, Belmont Slough Trail, Ryder, Seal Point, Harborview, and Coyote Point , Embarcadero, and Crissy Field are paved or fine gravel and flat, so seem suited for handicapped use.

Recommended routes:

Sunnyvale SMART Station Trail: Icon Legend
Begin at Sunnyvale SMART Station trailhead and head Southeast (right) at the trailhead. The trail is coarse gravel, wide, and flat, and brings you along a route with several educational placards. Enjoy bird sightings along the way. The trail ends just shy of the baseball field next to Baylands Park. Turn back to return along the path you came, or continue on to Baylands Park for a longer hike or use of their many amenities (bathrooms, picnic area, water, fields). See Baylands Park for details. Hike without Baylands Park addition is about 2 miles.

For an alternate route, head left from the trailhead and head uphill - the trail loops around the hill, bringing you back to the SMART Station. There are several detours possible, tracing the perimeters of the water treatment ponds East of the business parks. Total distance ranges from 1 to 5 miles .

Belmont Slough North Through Foster City: Icon Legend
Begin at the Oracle Pkwy / Marine (World) Drive trailhead. Walk along the path in the small park, Northeast, passing picnic tables and lawns, to a bridge. Cross the bridge and turn right past the fountain. Continue along this paved trail as far as you would like. It passes a few parks and play areas, as well as labelled workout areas for adults. Enjoy sights, smells, and sounds of the bay to the South, as well as some of the more beautiful business buildings in the bay area (like Oracle's cylinders). Turn back when you reach Bay Marshes Open Space, or continue to Seal Point and Ryder Parks and beyond. Turn back the way you came. Round trip with turn-around at Bay Marshes is about 8 miles.

Belmont Slough South to Bair Island: Icon Legend
You can also complete part of the Bay Trail South to San Carlos, by walking on the trail East of the Oracle Pkwy / Marine (Drive) parking area and on the other side of the Belmont Slough, but NOT crossing the bridge. This trail will lead you to out to the bay and alongside Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and back inland on the Northwest side of Bair Island Ecological Reserve. Turn back the way you came or brave traffic crossings (not recommended) along Twin Dolphin Drive to get back to the parking lot. Total distance is about 8 miles.

See Alviso Marina County Park and Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

See Baylands Park

See Shoreline Park

See Byxbee Park and Emily Retzel Wetlands

See Ryder, Seal Point, Harborview, and Coyote Point Parks

See Crissy Field

See Golden Gate Bridge