Weekly

Walker

By Tom Davids

"From Garbage to Parks"

Shoreline at Mountain View

"Some of our landfills are now richer in resources than some of our mines." -Denis Hayes, 1989

Directions: Take Highway 101 to San Antonio Road East, Mountain View, to the end. Park in designated area.

Grade: Easy, level.

Distance: Three miles round trip to Stevens Creek Nature Study Area.

Time: Two hours.

Special Conditions: Picnic facilities at Meadowlands. These are multi-use trails. Watch for skaters and bicyclists.

The Palo Alto Baylands Preserve and Shoreline at Mountain View is a paradise for those who see the Bay marshland as more than a wasteland of brine, muck, and weeds. While the marsh may look like a wasteland, it is actually one of the most productive living communities on Earth. Billions of microscopic animals–shellfish, worms, and insects–live in the water and mud. It is said that a handful of San Francisco Bay mud may contain more than 40,000 tiny living creatures. Food and nutrients are carried by the tides from these marshes to the deep-water bay and into the ocean, providing food for the lower part of the food chain–clams, worms, and small fish. These, in turn, are eaten by seals, birds, and other large fish and animals, which in turn, are lunch for others and eventually for us. We also know that this marsh area is home to two endangered species–the salt water harvest mouse and the California clapper rail, neither of which I’ve ever seen, but I’m assured they are in there somewhere working to increase their numbers while avoiding those who would do them in.

Both the Palo Alto Baylands (Byxbee Park) and the Shoreline at Mountain View have a rich history associated with the garbage industry. Since time began (or at least since the mid-1800s), the bayfront was the dumping ground for the growing Peninsula population. An endless stream of trucks hauling garbage, soil, and other debris visited the water’s edge. And today we see many strange hills along the bay shore that were once garbage dumps. Some lay idle, but others have been capped and converted into parks. This is true of the Mountain View Meadowlands (part of the Shoreline Park) as well as Byxbee Park, Palo Alto; Bayfront Park, Menlo Park; Shoreline Park, San Mateo; and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, San Francisco.

Shoreline’s Meadowlands was a carefully engineered facility on 500 acres designed to receive garbage from the City of San Francisco. The facility operated from 1908 to 1983, when Mountain View closed the dump, installed landscaping, and began to restore the nearby wetlands.

Some 10 miles of trails wind through the shoreline area. Some are paved, and some are dirt, but all are well placed on levees or through the park passing by the sailing lake and the restored Rengstorff House.

Access the area from the foot of San Antonio Road. Park in the designated area, and begin your hike on the dirt levee trail. At the first junction, you can turn left and follow the trail back to Highway 101, or cross the Adobe Creek Bridge and head north to Embarcadero Road, or continue straight past the pump station to the next junction. Here you can continue east along the Charleston Slough and continue all the way to the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Interpretive Center. Or, to reach Shoreline, turn right at the junction, pass by the Coast Casey Forebay, and head toward the tree-lined ridge ahead. This is an area known as Meadowlands, a nice place to stroll with good views in all directions and tons of San Francisco garbage underneath. There are many varied trails through this area. A few months ago, we took the low trail along the slough to Stevens Creek, followed the creek upstream to the bridge, and crossed over to the Stevens Creek Nature Study Area. We walked north on the levee toward the bay until we ran out of time and then doubled back. Along the way, we observed duck blinds and moored boats waiting for duck hunting season.

There are many bayfront trails on the Peninsula, but Shoreline at Mountain View adds a nice mix of city park amenities–a lake with windsailing, picnic areas, a golf course, and several miles of more remote levee hiking trails.

Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome. Fax to the Independent at (650) 692-7587, or e-mail to: trekertom@aol.com.