Walking the Dog on Bair Island

"Bair Island stands as a challenge to civilization. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley's expansion to the north, next to Highway 101, and surrounded on three sides by extensive urban development, it is seen every day by harried commuters rushing through Redwood City on their way to work. Few recognize the glorious natural resource just a stone's throw away." -from a brochure published by the Peninsula Open Space Trust

Directions: From Highway 101, take the Whipple Avenue exit and go east to the end, where Whipple ends and takes a hard right onto East Bayshore Road. Park along the roadside or at the parking lot at the end of Bair Island Road.

Grade: Easy.

Distance: Three-mile loop.

Time: One hour.

Special Conditions: The trail is not maintained and is often muddy during rainy season. Hours are dusk to dawn. Keep your dog on leash and on designated trails.

Our hiking habit has taken an unexpected turn. My wife--and constant hiking partner—Veralyn tripped and fell on a city sidewalk, breaking a bone in her foot. It could have been on a beautiful trail in the deep redwoods, but no, this trip and fall happened on a city street when one foot failed to maneuver around the other, then a stumble and a fall, and so she is on crutches for the next six to eight weeks. The best thing about crutches is that you can get to the bathroom unassisted. After that it’s life in the really slow lane.

So now my hiking companion is Mack, my grandsons’—John and Bobby’s—8-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever. This means we are on the search for dog-friendly hikes. This week we revisited Bair Island—that multiple island of bayfront wilderness located between the San Carlos Airport and Pete’s Harbor.

Bair Island, purchased by Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) in 1997, is now managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. That was great news for the many environmental groups and conservation advocates who tirelessly campaigned for years to save the island from residential and commercial development. The POST purchase ensured that Bair Island would forever be a refuge for 126 species of birds, 13 types of animals, and 63 species of fish that consider Bair Island their home or a rest stop on their migrating pathway.

Not so certain is how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will "manage" the property as far as hiking trails and public use is concerned. It seems clear that the dikes and levees that were created to form salt evaporation ponds will eventually be breached so that tidal action will return the area to marshlands. We hope the property managers will establish a system of bridges and levee trails, which will allow public hiking and biking access out to the outer island so people can enjoy all segments of the re-created 1,600-acre wetland.

While events unfold, you may still hike or bike around the inner island—the smallest of the three and the one nearest to Highway 101. The trailhead and parking area are located at the east end of Whipple*

To reach the trail from the end of Whipple, go around (or crawl through) the blue iron gate. The footing is often slippery around the concrete columns, so watch your step. Once through the gate, you may turn left or right on the levee trail for the three-mile loop. You can also go straight ahead through the old salt evaporation pond and cross to the east side, although this area is often wet, and portions could be underwater during the winter months. We usually turn to the left or north and walk parallel to Highway 101. As you proceed, an extension or feeder to Steinberger Slough is on your left, and the San Carlos Airport is straight ahead. A few minutes into the walk, notice a culvert system under Highway 101 in the vicinity of the new office building on the site of the former Circle Star Theater. This culvert drains Cordilleras Creek, which originates in the Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve and drains the southern part of San Carlos and the watershed along Edgewood Road. Farther on, as the levee nears San Carlos Airport and turns east, you will see another culvert under the freeway, which drains Pulgas Creek from its origin in the Devonshire Canyon area of San Carlos. When the tide is high, you will see that the slough level is at or near the top of the culvert, so you can easily imagine how rushing storm water meeting a high tide can result in flooding upstream.

The levee trail passes under the San Carlos Airport flight path and then breaks away from the Steinberger Slough and continues along the Smith Slough. This portion of the walk is quiet and more relaxed, away from the freeway noise. A few years ago, this slough had several abandoned, partially submerged boats dotting the shoreline. These have been removed, but you may see an occasional seaworthy vessel anchored in deep water at the center of the slough. To the east and south are good views of the Port of Redwood City and Pete’s Harbor with its recreational boat-docking facility and popular restaurant.

Turning back to the west, you will see a new condo project across the slough and a collapsed wooden PG&E bridge under high-tension lines. A few years ago we could exit Bair Island across the bridge and walk to Pete’s Harbor for fish and chips. Now the bridge is gone and the path blocked, so there is no exit from the island except at the blue gate.

There is a certain free, uncontrolled feeling about the trail. It’s a good place to watch birds, to examine forming salt crystals, to poke the mud flats, and to enjoy the fresh bay air for an hour or so. And most importantly—to walk you dog. But be sure to keep your friend on leash—no chasing shorebirds—and take along a few plastic bags just in case. The downside features of freeway noise and sometimes-muddy trails are a small price to pay for this bayside wilderness experience.

*Currently (Nov. ’03), parking is not allowed at the end of Whipple Avenue due to Highway 101 auxiliary lane construction. Park along the east side of East Bayshore Road in front of the car dealerships or farther east at the end of Bair Island Road.

Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome.

Email <tom@tomdavids.com>

Footnote: Check out the Weekly Walker Web site at www.weeklywalker.com.