Completed: October 15, 2023 | Elevation: 950′ | Trail: Coastal Trail from Rodeo Beach | Distance: 3.8 miles
With our hike to the top of Hill 88 we reached another significant milestone – completing seventy, or almost 80%, of the Nifty Ninety Peaks. We had done this hike before, though from a different trail.
On a very foggy Sunday afternoon we parked in the Rodeo Beach lot and headed out on the Coastal Trail. For the first section we followed the hiking path which veered left and switchbacked up the bluff. In less than half a mile it joined the paved biking route and we stayed on this past Battery Townsley.
At the next junction, we turned left to follow the Coastal Trail a half mile up the hill.
Out in the distance we had an endless view of the fog. The peaks of various San Francisco hills poked through the marine layer.
Instead of staying on the Coastal Trail to Hill 88, we continued past the unnamed battery on the left and went up the hill directly in front of us to catch some views above the fog line from the concrete ruins at the top.
From here, we followed the path across the tops of smaller hills until we re-connected with the Coastal Trail just before the intersection with Wolf Ridge Trail. After a short, steep hike we were on Hill 88. We wandered alone among the abandoned structures, some painted over with cool graffiti.
After admiring the views of the city and the East Bay, we retraced our steps, taking the Coastal Trail back down into the fog that still enveloped Rodeo Beach.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.