Welcoming the Winter Solstice

Late dawn. Early sunset. Short day. Long night.

Today is the Winter Solstice, marking the longest night and shortest day of the year as well as the beginning of winter.

After the Winter Solstice, the days will get longer, and the nights shorter. It’s a seasonal shift that nearly everyone notices, and there’s no better way to experience the Winter Solstice than to be outside on the shortest day of the year.

Take a hike to see signs of the solstice in nature. Notice the late dawn and early sunset, and the low arc of the sun across the sky during the day. The sun appears especially low in the sky at noon. Also check out your noontime shadow. It’s your longest noontime shadow of the year.

Here are three winter hikes on the Peninsula and South Bay recommended by Bay Area Hiker, an online source of hiking trails in the San Francisco Bay Area, including photos of wildflowers, animals, trees, plants, and butterflies:

Año Nuevo State Reserve

Año Nuevo State Reserve encompasses miles of San Mateo County coastline and a separate backcountry area, but most people know the reserve as the place to see elephant seals.

During the elephant seals' mating and birthing season, from December to March, the only way to see the seals is on a docent-lead walk. Reservations are hard to come by so sometimes it's easier if you can schedule a weekday visit.

Solstice hikers can explore Año Nuevo's undeveloped coastline north of the protected area from a string of small trailheads along Highway 1, where trails wander through sand dunes to beaches.

The reserve also manages a backcountry, which stretches east uphill into the Santa Cruz Mountains. While this unit, called Cascade Ranch, is attached to the bulk of the reserve's coastline property, it feels completely separate, and doesn't have any of the amenities offered at the park headquarters.

San Pedro Valley Park

The waterfalls at San Pedro Valley Park, just south of San Francisco in Pacifica, are seasonal and usually in full force over the winter months when the rain is its heaviest. Foliage plants at San Pedro Valley Park are also spectacular during winter. The display actually starts around Christmas, when manzanitas blossom in full bloom.       

San Pedro is a small park with three looping trails. You could hike them consecutively in one visit, for a seven-mile grand tour. If you have a little more time and want to explore some more, walk the short Plaskon Nature Trail. This trail, behind the Visitor Center, follows the South Fork of San Pedro Creek, where steelhead salmon spawn in winter. 

Uvas Canyon County Park

Uvas Canyon County Park is a refuge for hikers in the South Bay because horses and cyclists are not allowed on any of the trails. The park offers a few loop opportunities, and one steep roudntrip option.

Many visitors go no further than the Waterfall Loop. A one-mile route along both shores of Swanson Creek, the loop includes a self-guided nature trail. The toughest hikes in the park are the treks to Nibbs Knob and Knobcone Point. Nibbs Knob is a 3.6 mile roundtrip hike. The trip to Knobcone Point is a less strenuous climb because the trail only extends 0.4 mile.

Although Uvas Canyon County Park offers a feeling of rugged remoteness there are also 25 campsites with drinking water and restrooms available on site.