In a naturally, socially distanced experience, paddle up the Elkhorn Slough with a kayak at your own pace. For land lovers, surrounding trails provide access to the beach and the slough entrance. For a more laid back experience, boat tours provide the most relaxed journey.

Elkhorn Slough Background

Located 20 miles north of Monterey, the Elkhorn Slough is the 2nd largest Californian estuary and sits at the center edge of Monterey Bay. Located at the site of a primordial river drainage basin, the current slough was only recently reconnected to the ocean in 1946.

Getting to Moss Landing

Take 880S to San Jose through the 101 interchange where it will turn into 17S to Santa Cruz. At Santa Cruz, follow the signs to highway 1S. Moss Landing is directly off of highway 1.

Alternatively, you can take 101S. Exit to 156W before Prunedale, and then exit 1N to Moss Landing.

Most of the activities are at north harbor, off of Jetty Rd. The power plant is an unmistakable landmark that is located to the south of Jetty Rd.

Accommodations, restaurants and most boat tours are in the south harbor, further south on 1, off of Moss Landing Rd.

Moss Landing Activities

Hiking

Jetty Road leads into Moss Landing State Beach. From here, you can view wildlife across the north harbor.

The Moss Landing State Wildlife Area across highway 1 from the north harbor is frequented by fishermen along the shores of the estuary. Check their website for the latest information.

Kayaking

Kayaking outfitters from the north harbor (Jetty Rd), offer rentals and quick training courses to set you on your way. The water in the slough is extremely calm, however paddling in/out can be a workout depending on the flow of the tide (see tip below). I’ve tried Monterey Bay Kayaks at Elkhorn Slough and always had a good experience.

An alternate to kayaking are “hydrobikes”. The main advantage the bikes have over kayaks is that they’re higher up over the water and extremely stable. This means bringing large gear (like a large DSLR w/zoom lens) is a lot safer than on a kayak. The downside is that they have a propeller that requires a minimum depth and can get tangled in sea grass or fishing line. Try calling Monterey Bay Hydrobikes to check pricing as they sometimes offer day-of discounts depending on their schedule.

Tip: Check the tide tables for the high tide time. Ideally begin your journey before high tide to let the tide push you into the slough. Start returning to the harbor after high tide, and kick back as the ebbing tide pulls you back in.

Boating Tours

Typically located at the south harbor, boating tour operators offer a leisurely experience into the slough. The advantage is that you have a guide and boat do all the work for you. The disadvantage is that you have less control over your view and ability to explore according to your own interests.

Otter Pictures

Taken from a hydrobike (see above under Kayaking).

Related

• Point Lobos State Reserve
  • Just south of Monterey, plenty of hiking along craggy shore where you’ll spot seals and otters in the water.
• Año Nuevo State Park
  • A regular breeding ground for elephant seals.
• Geologic history of Elkhorn Slough

The post Moss Landing and Elkhorn Slough appeared first on East Bay Wild!.

Shadow Cliffs sits in the the “Chain of Lakes” area of Pleasanton, created by gravel mining operations run by the Kaiser Sand and Gravel Company started in 1938. Donated by Kaiser Industries in 1971, the Shadow Cliffs regional recreation area provides swimming, boating, fishing, and hiking activities as part of the East Bay Regional Park District.

Shadow Cliffs Levee-Arroyo Trail Essential Info

Length: 3mi
Time: 1.5 hr
Difficulty: Easy
Alltrails link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/shadow-cliffs-levee-and-north-arroyo

Fees: $6 per vehicle, $2 per dog
Trail Map: https://www.ebparks.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=24403
Hours:

Nov – Feb
7am – 5pm
Mar – Apr
6am – 7pm
May – Labor Day (Sep)
6am – 9pm
After Labor Day (Sep) – Oct
6am – 7

Getting There

Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area lies situated in Pleasanton near the border with Livermore.

To get there, Take 580E towards Tracy and exit Santa Rita Road, going South. Turn left at Valley and then make another left at Stanley. The park entrance will be on your right hand side.

The Trail

Checkpoint: Parking Lot

Relative to most of the EBRPD parks, Shadow Cliffs has a huge parking lot. For this guide, we start out in the parking lot furthest away from the entrance located in the boat launch area. All of the parking lots have easy access to the Levee trail. The 2nd parking lot features solar panels providing shady spots and are probably the most ideal choice.

Checkpoint: Levee Trail Start

Depending on the parking lot, look for signs directing you towards the Levee trail. The Levee trail runs along the back side (the direction opposite of the main lake) of all three parking lots. There will be a short climb up to the top of the levee where it then flattens out.

Make a left when you reach the top of the levee. The main recreational lake and parking lots should be on your left hand side and the Arroyo Del Valle on the right hand side.

This long flat trail is popular with trail runners and provides decent views of Mt Diablo over the main lake (our featured picture at the top of this page). On the right hand side runs the Arroyo Del Valle which sources from the hills of Santa Clara County, through Del Valle Lake, and eventually flows out to the San Francisco Bay via Alameda Creek.

Continue along the Levee Trail until you dead end at the park boundary.

Checkpoint:  Boundary

From the boundary, turn back towards the direction you came while looking out for the North Arroyo Trail turn off on the left hand side.

Checkpoint: Arroyo Trail

When you find the turn off, descend down the levee onto the North Arroyo Trail. It should take you close to the bottom edge of Island Pond then turn away to follow the Arroyo Del Valle which runs parallel to the Levee Trail.

Follow the Arroyo Trail where you can get close to the water’s edge. Fishermen kick back from the shoreline or float on un-powered inner tubes in Boris Lake to catch the catfish, trout, largemouth bass, and bluegills that are regularly stocked.

Checkpoint: Lake View

Boris Lake, along the Arroyo Del Valle, is a popular place for fishermen and dog walkers during the summer where their furry friends can take a quick dip in the shallow lake waters.

Checkpoint: Crossroads

Proceeding down the Arroyo Trail you’ll come to a crossroads in sight of the entry kiosk and the first parking lot. Here you can choose to continue on the Levee Trail to circle around the Rimillard Marsh (as shown in this guide), cross the Arroyo Del Valle to the South Arroyo trail (note this is not a loop), or head towards the parking lot and finish your hike.

If you choose to circle around the Rimillard Marsh, continue on the Levee trail and then be on the lookout for the signs to  return back to the parking lot. The trail otherwise continues towards a BMX bike park at the outskirts of Shadow Cliffs.

Shadowcliffs Alternates

• Del Valle Lake
  • Livermore, Fishing, Hiking, and other water activities.
• Los Vaqueros Reservoir
  • Livermore, Fishing and Hiking
• Sunol Regional Wilderness
  • Sunol, Hiking, Little Yosemite

The post Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area – Levee and North Arroyo Trails appeared first on East Bay Wild!.