Redwood Regional Park (San Francisco Bay Area)
Redwood Regional Park contains the largest remaining natural stand of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) found in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The 1831-acre park is part of the East Bay Regional Parks District. A map of the district shows just how many parks there are, and their locations, as I discussed awhile ago. Redwood forests are more commonly found nearer to the coast (where the air is cool and humid year-round) in the Bay Area, but the geography of the area funnels cool winds from the Golden Gate into the park. The extensive logging of the 1800’s in the region that is now the park is over, and a forest of 150-foot coast redwoods has replaced the forest that was cut down.
In addition to the redwood forest, the park contains other evergreens, chaparral, and grasslands. Wildlife within the park includes golden eagles, the Alameda striped racer snake, deer, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional “wild turkey-that-followed-me-home.” 
The turkey walked through the meadow parallel to my path on the trail and about 50-75 feet away, until it almost walked into a group having a picnic. The behavior was unusual (since turkeys have better color vision than humans and are normally quite wary, since they are hunted), but it allowed photography without a “long” telephoto lens.
Redwood Creek flows through the park and provides a spawning ground for rainbow trout (no fishing is allowed in the park). The creek also helps to maintain cool conditions in the valleys, providing comfortable hiking conditions on otherwise hot summer days. The cooler air, and hiking paths that beckon, make creek-side hikes a welcome getaway for folks from the warmer interior valleys of the East Bay in summer.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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