Shoreline Interpretive Trail

love this trail! love, love, love…
whether it’s strolling, power-​walking, jogging or speed/​interval training, this is where i make it all happen.
i only recently discovered that there is a dedicated parking area along terminal blvd, as well as a bathroom and water fountain (v important for me just before i begin a long run).
the trails can take you south to shoreline park and stevens creek trail, which are more paved/​asphalt surface, or north toward baylands nature preserve and byxbee park, which are a gravel/​sand, softer surface. i enjoy going in both directions just to mix it up. you can easily get up to 15 miles roundtrip, whether you’re heading north or south, so this is great for runners and bikers alike. the trails are also very flat which makes them ideal for speedwork and interval training.
caveat: watch out for the geese, who can become irritated if you get too close to them. and watch out for their droppings as well, which are usually scattered all over the trail. what can you do? that’s nature!

The Shoreline Interpretive Trail
is a pleasant place to hike, stroll, ride bikes, or go bird watching. It’s in Mountain View, at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay. There are miles of trails (mostly gravel) that wind through and around it, and their elevation varies almost not at all, so before I finally discovered it’s real name, I always called it «The Flats».
Are the Flats beautiful? Theirs is a subtle beauty; nothing that will take your breath away. There are hundreds of gloriously beautiful hiking venues in the Bay Area, with the level of physical exertion required ranging from minimal to Herculean. Their locations can be found all across the area, but most have one thing in common: When the annual Monsoon Rains begin, they are either closed outright for a time, or too dangerous to hike in. For me, it’s during that time that the beauty and usefulness of The Flats becomes apparent.
I grew up in a cold climate, and first went to school in a place where it rained or was heavily overcast 350 days out of 365; one of the many reasons I love California is the sunny weather. 2012 has had one of the most incredibly dry, sunny, and warm Winters I remember. Most years, I have to stop hiking on my preferred trails because once the rainy season starts (often as early as November, but rarely later than December), everything turns to mud for a month or three. That didn’t happen in 2012; it didn’t rain enough to melt any of the wilderness trails until March!
One week in the middle of March, it finally began to rain steadily for enough days in a row that my preferred wilderness hiking trails weren’t usable, so rather than just hiking on the streets, Teal’c and I set out on our first real rain hike of the year — we went to The Flats. I’ve been coming to the Flats for years, but this was the first time I went there since I joined Unilocal,and I was amazed to discover that this close to Unilocal Mecca, there was not one, but two fairly popular experiences which hadn’t been Unilocaled yet, which is why this review is an FTR. I made mental notes on both of them, and took lots of pictures at this one (why I couldn’t take pictures at the first location will be revealed when I post the second FTR from that day).
Ignoring the signage for the moment and just looking at scenery, you may note that on a rainy day in the middle of a Monsoon, the lack of lush greenery and the brooding tone of the rain-​swollen sky gives The Flats a very distinct feel:
While I’d much rather be hiking someplace more picturesque, The Flats can still totally get the job done. Rain hikes can either be really enjoyable or quite an unpleasant trudge; it depends more on how water-​resistant the terrain you’re hiking on is, and how much rain there’s been in days preceding. The one I did that day was actually pretty nice; the rain was light enough that I only needed a ski coat and a ski hat, and Teal’c (who like all labs is totally waterproof) needed nothing more than his always-​happy demeanor.
The Flats is more than just a good place for a rain hike; it’s part of the San Francisco Estuary
and is home to a fairly wide cross section of birds and other wildlife. On a Fall day when it wasn’t raining, I took a bird watching-​crazed out-​of-​town visitor there once several years ago, and got several beautiful shots of pelicans at rest and then in flight.
With a wilder, more natural beauty that outshines all-​weather hiking destinations like The Dish, The Flats is my favorite rain-​hiking venue. A solid four-​star destination, I recommend it to anyone who’d rather hike when it’s wet than get their cardio indoors.