Bike riding is a beautiful thing. Peaceful and serene, flowing and artistic, freeing and blissful, pedaling a bike over hill and dale is ethereal.”
—Ted King
In the midst of Silicon Valley lies a man-made oasis that includes Shoreline Park and the vast Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve. Both offer a unique blend of natural beauty and diverse ecosystems, making them invigorating, peaceful and abundant spaces to hike, bike, golf and go bird watching. Both locations feature stunning views of the San Francisco Bay, marshlands, salt water ponds, and surrounding hills, offering a picturesque backdrop for many activities. All and all, the natural surroundings provide a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Shoreline Lake, which is part of Shoreline Park is a 50-acre salt-water lake that is part of the San Francisco Bay estuary system that lies under the Pacific Flyway, a migratory bird path. In order to reach warmer habitats, around a billion birds migrate along this route each spring and fall. The lake and its connecting estuaries are full of natural life such as fish, crabs, vegetation, crustaceans and mollusks, and is a great haven for a large variety of birds that feed on them, including herons, egrets, ducks, seagulls and pelicans.
The varied terrain trails offer a mix of flat, easy paths and more challenging routes. We enjoyed extending our ride by riding the sand dune-like trails that border many of the estuaries and to circumnavigate Palo Alto small craft commuter Airport where you can view aircraft take off and land.
We ended our 29-mile sojourn by riding the trail passing the futuristic Google Headquarters that overlooks the marshlands and continuing on to downtown Mountain view for lunch at Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen.
