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By the light of the moon: hike, kayak, and stargaze in Bay Area parks after sunset - Travel - San Francisco Bay Area

Lisa Taggart

Everything changes after dark. Silvery moonlight cloaks a familiar landscape in mystery. Starlight catches wings overhead, but you'll see owls instead of songbirds.

At this time of year, balmy evenings provide a chance to stretch your summer fun into the night. On these excursions around the Bay Area, you can see your favorite wild places in a new light.

"The light in the evening is just beautiful," says Dave Husted, who organizes sunset and moonlight hikes in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties through his outdoor-gear store, Outside Interests. "You get a different perspective on the terrain. You can see views of the canyons and peaks under moonlight--it really is incredible."

Trekking out after sunset can increase your chances of seeing wildlife, says Muir Woods ranger Heather Boothe, who leads full-moon hikes in the park. "We see bats and hear spotted owls," she says. "And there are fewer people."

Volunteer Jim Brainerd leads tours of Point Bonita Lighthouse. He says the darkness helps visitors imagine the isolation early settlers experienced at the windy outpost in the Marin Headlands, back when the 5-mile trek to Sausalito was done on foot.

Get out on the bay on a moonlight kayak paddle in Main County, and you might see the water's bioluminescence. Or ferry across San Francisco Bay as the sun is setting for a tour of infamous Alcatraz--the clang of prison-cell gates slamming shut echoes that much more eerily after dark.

Evening hikers on Mt. Tamalpais can stroll to a moonlit natural-history talk in the Mountain Theater, then gaze at stars with expert astronomers. Volunteer guide Robert Larson says a lot of folks think that the stars seem just a little bit closer when seen from the mountain. Must be the magic of the night.

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