Strawberry Canyon and Claremont Canyon Hike (long sequence)

Strawberry Canyon and Claremont Canyon Hike (long sequence)

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Oakland and Berkeley California

This is the longer sequence, showing most of my usual route. There's also a shorter sequence of some favorite shots, and (for any extreme canyonheads) a ridiculously complete sequence of many of the Strawberry Canyon photos that I've kept. The photos are mostly from 2009 through 2011, where the number on the left of each title is a date in YYMMDD format.

After first heading up through the UC Berkeley campus, I like to start at Canyon Road at the Southeast corner of Memorial Stadium and head up the narrow paths that cross the fire trails and lead up to Panoramic Ridge between Hamilton Gulch and Claremont Canyon. Then head out along the ridge on the Stonewall-Panoramic Trail, which becomes the East-West Trail at some point, then return along the upper Jordan Trail (the middle leg of the fire trails), and finally come down Stonewall-Panoramic Trail behind the Clark Kerr campus. Some of the names of things here are my own made-up names (generally lower case). Let's continue to preserve this special nearby open space!

UC Berkeley has been planning a major tree cut and ongoing herbicide applications here, as part of more FEMA-funded tree cutting all along the East Bay Hills. Groups opposing the plan include Conservation Sense and Nonsense, the Hills Conservation Network, the TreeSpirit Project, the Coalition to Defend East Bay Forests, and East Bay Pesticide Alert.

My photos of some of the threatened trees are at bapd.org/treestalk.html. For an outline of arguments against the cuts, see bapd.org/treenotes.html.

Point-and-shoot photos by Ken Cheetham.
Disclaimer: Some of my species identifications may be incorrect, as I am definitely not an expert.
Copyright Ken Cheetham. These photos are free for any not-for-profit use.

090528 04 approaching UCB West path entrance

090528 09 lower Strawberry Creek

090528 10 UCB eucalypti behind other trees

090405 02 Sather Gate

090419 02 the Campanile

110327 01 this squirrel likes me

090819 11 Senior Men's Hall at UC Berkeley

090412 03 International House dome

090528 17 Bancroft Steps

090528 18 entrance to Canyon Road

090528 21 straight path at end of Canyon Road

110407 01 bottom of far Canyon Road trail

091227 01 moss on the minor sideways tree

110407 02 sideways tree on climb to lower redwoods

110528 03 looking down from lower redwoods

110629 03 lower redwood grove above Canyon Road

090809 03 lower redwoods straight up

110629 04 down into cypress trees below Lower Jordan

110407 05 Canyon Road trail exits onto Lower Jordan

091227 08 Lower Jordan below California bay laurel

110629 07 stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) with red buds

090528 37 coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) on Lower Jordan

090528 39 foggy gnarly oaks below lower Jordan

091101 13 Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)

091227 09 mossy oak near Woodbridge Metcalf Grove

090705 15 two law-abiding deer on Centennial

090610 03 California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) on Centennial

091231 02 Lower Jordan trailhead on Centennial

110605 03 waterfalls in creek by Centennial Drive

090610 08 Strawberry Creek waterfall near Centennial

090703 07 north lower Jordan behind blackberry

090711 16 north lower Jordan Trail behind creek

091231 06 poisonous big Periwinkle (Vinca major) on Lower Jordan

091213 05 mossy foggy rainy trees (Lower Jordan)

110528 06 Woodbridge Metcalf sign and entrance

100124 02 upward at Metcalf redwood bark

090528 45 trail in middle of Woodbridge Metcalf grove

110629 11 straight up a redwood trunk

090711 21 at top of Metcalf trail

090405 15 Berkeley Lab from upper Jordan Trail

091101 05 Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source synchrotron

090419 16 upper Jordan from upper Woodbridge Metcalf

090528 88 approaching fog toward Panoramic Ridge

110717 03 Oakland from top-of-Panoramic knob

091213 09 cypress trees in foggy rain behind California bay laurel

091213 08 pine cones and copper needles in rain

090531 19 pines behind Panoramic Ridge cypress trees (threatened by UC)

100314 01 Golden Gate from top-of-Panoramic knob

090405 24 fork on top-of-Panoramic knob

090809 17 French broom (Genista monspessulana)

100103 08 fly amanita (Amanita muscaria) mushroom

100131 09 pines on the way to poppy knob (threatened by UC)

100404 09 Pinus radiata on the ridge (threatened by UC)

161029 06 California bay mingling with red pines

090816 26 up into lone redwood with reddish bark

090819 20 holes in pine bark at first connector trail (threatened by UC)

110313 01 Pinus radiata on the first connector (threatened by UC)

130623 10 Pinus radiata on first connector in fog (threatened by UC)

130623 09 straight up Pinus radiata in the fog (threatened by UC)

110629 17 poison oak on a Pinus radiata trunk

090819 23 bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) going to seed on first connector

130818 01 Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) near first connector

090531 22 climbing under the pines to poppy knob (threatened by UC)

090822 19 southward pine branches beyond lichen (threatened by UC)

091213 15 southward pine limbs in foggy rain

160717 17 a euc among California bay on poppy knob

090412 18 Claremont houses behind California poppies

100314 02 pines on the ridge trail from poppy knob (threatened by UC)

090902 13 San Francisco from poppy knob (zoomed)

110717 05 spiral knob

090528 57 short connector to upper Jordan Trail

090528 59 tricky steps at bottom of short connector

090718 12 upper Jordan Trail below cypress trees in grass

100328 04 Claremont Canyon behind sagebrush (Artemisia californica)

110717 08 view from base of spiral knob 3

090819 32 coyote bush in bloom (Baccharus pilularis)

090528 63 narrow trail up to spiral knob

090412 28 Oakland behind spiral (top of spiral knob)

110327 13 some green grass in the spiral

110407 09 trails below silver lupines on spiral knob

090528 66 fog behind spiral knob plants

100328 06 California poppy on rock, top of spiral knob

090610 34 cloudy Golden Gate behind lower spiral

091206 04 limb sculpture on spiral knob

090412 50 Marin Headlands near sunset

090828 07 setting sun glows behind Mount Tam

110407 10 Claremont Canyon below lupines and sagebrush on spiral knob

090819 35 Common Madia (Madia elegans) on spiral knob

090902 12 lichen on coast live oak on spiral knob

090819 34 red & green poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)

090531 34 upper Jordan from near spiral knob

110717 10 Upper Jordan and Chaparral Peak from spiral knob

100314 11 Star Lily (Toxicoscordion fremontii, poisonous) just past spiral knob

091227 14 eucalyptus bark in California bay laurel

140302 09 eucalyptus not yet destroyed by UC (threatened by UC)

160717 19 a trail down through the eucs past spiral knob

110629 20 broom and hemlock encroach on Side Hill Trail

110605 15 obnoxious poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)

110327 14 silver lupines along Side Hill Trail

090531 39 Indian paintbrush flowers (Castilleja affinis)

090531 42 paintbrush and monkey-flower on rock

110605 13 monkey flower and paintbrush up close

090606 15 rock phacelia (Phacelia imbricata)

090606 21 Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa)

090614 26 Tangier pea (Lathyrus tingitanus) in branches

090528 78 foggy ridge trees near Grizzly Peak Boulevard

090412 39 gate on other side of Grizzly Peak Boulevard

160717 35 a clearcut to the east of Chaparral Peak

090703 18 heading back down from Chaparral Peak

090419 45 big loose rocks down from Chaparral Peak

090718 31 down last connector to upper Jordan

091101 08 Marin Headlands beyond Hamilton Gulch

090610 24 into Hamilton Gulch from upper Jordan

110612 04 poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) blocking the view

090610 25 start of path to twixt-hamil-straw knob

090610 26 down toward twixt-hamil-straw knob

090603 11 down into Hamilton Gulch from hamil-straw knob

090606 14 falling trees on twixt-hamil-straw knob

090531 46 friendly poison oak on hamil-straw knob

090606 13 spiral knob from twixt-hamil-straw knob

090610 27 back out from twixt-hamil-straw knob

090517 35 lookout bench on upper Jordan Trail

110731 04 a bunch of sticky monkey flower (Mimulus aurentiacus)

110710 04 sticky monkey flower closer

090822 15 stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

090528 82 milk thistle (Silybum marianum)

090610 22 a dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) on Upper Jordan

090610 20 clouds and bay behind dark trees

090531 29 up at short connector from the East

120408 14 edible miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) with poison hemlock creeping in

100117 09 California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) in the rain

110313 02 conical tree and leaning trees in gulley

130623 14 20,000 more of these are on the way

091206 05 cape ivy (Delairea odorata)

100103 01 cape ivy smothering a tree

111113 02 looks like edible field mustard (Brassica rapa)

110629 26 big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) on Upper Jordan

090606 07 down at Panoramic Trail from top of hillside path

090606 05 Golden Gate from upper hillside path

090419 17 Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

090614 13 blackberry blossoms at top of Panoramic Way

090614 11 stranded quail chicks at top of Panoramic 2

120304 03 hillside trail behind top-of-Panoramic flowers

090902 15 Golden Gate and Mount Tam after sunset

090419 22 bench at top of Stonewall-Panoramic trail

090614 07 Golden Gate beyond upper steep Panoramic

090722 22 hiking poles on steep Panoramic Trail

090822 25 Amaryllis belladonna near mid-Panoramic rock (probably planted)

090531 17 Claremont Canyon hillside

090614 02 lower hillside trail from Panoramic Trail

091122 06 start of trail to dry Clark Kerr creek

090531 12 a fallen tree to climb under

090711 25 dead skunk on Panoramic Way 1

090711 25 dead skunk on Panoramic Way 2

090610 43 goats employed to clear the hillside

090610 45 pretty goat grazes near electric fence

091122 04 down at precarious hillside trail steps

160717 05 eucs and people just past Stonewall junction

130623 01 eucalyptus on lower Stonewall-Panoramic Trail (threatened by UC)

090606 27 Claremont Preserve gate on Stonewall Road