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