The Best Bay Area Hikes for Spotting Wildlife

From coyotes to monarch butterflies and river otters to banana slugs, the Bay Area — and California more widely — offers an incredible array of wildlife and biodiversity on our front doorstep.

And if you have loved ones visiting for the holiday season, it’s a great time to get outdoors on a hike to see the many species of slimy, furry, majestic animals California has to offer.

Jump straight to:

• Wildlife hikes in San Francisco
• Wildlife hikes in East Bay
• Wildlife hikes in North Bay
• Wildlife hikes in South Bay and the Peninsula

California is home to over 30,000 species of plants and animals — and over half of them are in the Bay Area alone. The state is a hotspot for biodiversity thanks to its Mediterranean climate, our huge degree of latitudes and the wide range of habitats for plants and animals. With our soaring mountains and low-valley deserts, we also have the greatest range of elevation of any state.

“Those latitudinal gradients also create all these different climates for different plants and animals to live in as well,” said Alison Young, co-director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences.

The Bay Area has many different ecosystems, from oak woodlands to shrubby chaparral, grasslands and redwood forests, said Julie Andersen, senior wildlife biologist at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Each area hosts unique animal species, from acorn woodpeckers to kangaroo rats, burrowing owls, banana slugs and migratory birds. We are also located along the Pacific Flyway, a major flight path for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia.

“Learning how to coexist with nature, providing pathways for wildlife, and being respectful will hopefully allow our amazing wildlife species to continue to thrive,” Andersen said.

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All this means that we’re spoiled for choice in the Bay Area and beyond for hikes that offer the chance to see a wide range of wildlife. And as for where the experts themselves favor, Young, a marine biologist, said she especially loves exploring the different tide pools in the Bay Area. Nudibranchs, seastars, and anemones are some of her favorite finds when out tide pooling, like those at Duxbury Reef, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve or Pillar Points and Mavericks Cliffs Trail. (Mark your calendars for the best times during the day to enjoy tide pools around the holidays, according to Young: The weekend after Thanksgiving, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas.)

“When I talk to people about tide pooling, everyone’s always like, “Oh, like it’s great, but you just have to wake up so early in the morning. I just can’t do it.” But this time of year in the winter, our low tides are actually in the afternoon,” Young said.

For an optimal tide-pooling experience, Young advises people to look for low tides between -1.0 feet and -1.4 feet on tide charts like Saltwater Tides or NOAA Tide Predictions. She also advises folks to wear rubber boots or shoes with good tread to avoid slipping.

Keep reading for a list of some favorite Bay Area trails from the California Academy of Sciences and KQED staff that showcase our magnificent biodiversity. Be sure to download the iNaturalist app, log your sightings, and have a great time admiring our wonderful wildlife. You can also consult our map of the best wildlife hikes around the Bay Area:

Wildlife hikes in San Francisco

• See the red-tailed hawk in the Golden Gate Park.
• While you’re in the area, don’t forget to pay a visit to the bison paddock at Golden Gate Park.
• See some wild parrots on Telegraph Hill.
• Don’t forget about the sea lions on Pier 39 in Embarcadero.
• See swans and turtles at the Palace of Fine Arts.
• If you’re on Ocean Beach, be on the lookout for Snowy Plovers (and if you’ve got a pole and snare, Dungeness Crab!)
• There are a few places in San Francisco where you might be able to see coyotes, such as Glen Canyon Park, Presidio, McLaren Park and Golden Gate Park. However, be warned that the number of conflicts between coyotes and people with dogs has been on the rise. Here’s a guide about how to keep yourself and your pets safe with coyotes around.

Wildlife hikes in North Bay

• Head on over to Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin to see tule elk, a native to California.
• Armstrong Redwoods in Sonoma is a great spot to see some banana slugs, especially after the rain.
• One recommended spot to see spawning salmon is the Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area in Marin. The best time to see them is from early October to late December.
• If you’re at Muir Woods National Monument, be sure to look around for banana slugs.
• See river otters at Spring Lake Regional Park in Sonoma. Take part in the Otter Spotter, a community science program designed to collect, map and save otter sightings.
• Looking to do some kayaking to see some bioluminescent plankton? Book a tour in Tomales Bay or read our KQED guide to spotting bioluminescence.
• The annual gray whale migration blows through Sonoma County from January to May, with good opportunities for whale spotting all along the Sonoma Coast, like at Salt Point State Park. Read KQED’s guide to seeing whales around the Bay Area.
• Duxbury Reef in the southernmost part of Point Reyes in Marin is a great spot for tide pooling.

Wildlife hikes in East Bay

• Head to Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, to see banana slugs, newts, and salamanders. Take note that some roads in the park are closed to make way for newt crossings during newt migration season from November until March.
• Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is also another great place to see banana slugs and salamanders, especially during or after the rain. “I think visiting the redwoods when it’s raining is one of the most magical things you can do,” Young said.
• Not a trail, but a great spot to see the fastest bird in the world, the Peregrine Falcon. The falcons have called the Historic Campanile on the UC Berkeley Campus their home since 2016. See them live via their webcams.
• You might also be able to see more Peregrine Falcons in Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area, Contra Costa.
• If you’re looking for tarantulas during their mating season (peaks in mid-October), Sunol Regional Wilderness and Mount Diablo are great places to see them.
• To see some turkeys in the area, you can head on over to the Strawberry Creek fire trail in Strawberry Canyon in Berkeley.
• You can see rabbits, lizards, snowy egrets, scaup and many other birds at Martin Luther King Shoreline Park in Oakland.
• Bat rays and night herons at Lake Merrit are animals you can look out for in Oakland.
• During the winter, western monarch butterflies make their way to a number of overwintering sites in the Bay Area. You can also see them at the Ardenwood Historic Farm, Berkeley Aquatic Park, and Albany Hill Park.

Wildlife hikes in South Bay and on the Peninsula

• The Franklin Point Trail in San Mateo leads to dunes and magnificent empty beaches. Once on the lookout, you might be able to get quite close to elephant seals. There’s also a chance to see whales, dolphins, and seabirds around.
• During a low tide, the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in San Mateo is a great place to enjoy the tide pools. You can see sea creatures like nudibranchs and sea stars.
• The Mindego Hill trail in the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve is a favorite location for bobcats and rabbits. If this strenuous hike is not for you, another recommendation is the Ancient Oaks trail — a great place to see woodland birds.

Beyond the Bay Area

• You can see western monarchs overwintering at the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz.
• The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz, just south of the Peninsula, is a great hiking area, and you’re bound to see a banana slug or two on your hikes.
• Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton has some great trails to see banana slugs.
• See California condors and rare bats at Pinnacles National Park.
• Enjoy a coastal hike and see some cool tide pools at Pillar Point and Mavericks Cliff trail in Half Moon Bay.
• See migrating Sandhill Cranes near Lodi in the California Delta.

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This story was originally published on November 24.