The rougher, more scenic side of Benicia State Recreation Area

This was the second visit to the park for Coppertone and me.  Our first visit a week ago was mostly spent on the paved Mike Taugher Trail and small trails on the east side of Southampton Bay.  This time we intended to tackle the rougher trails on the bay's west side.

We parked near the Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanical Garden and picnic area and started off on the Benicia Bay Trail.  This snakes atop the small bluff overlooking the Carquinez Straight.  At some point this turns into a portion of the Bay Area Ridge Trail though the official map is a bit unclear on the subject.  Just followed the main trail, turning left where possible to both stay in the park and roughly follow the shoreline.

There is only one short paved trail segment here, so expect to get more of a true hiking experience.  At numerous spots along the way one is afforded beautiful views of the Carquinez Straight and the hills of Contra Costa County across the water.  Eventually you'll also see the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, a.k.a. the Carquinez Bridge.

The trail heads west in the direction of that bridge.  It won't reach that far but will instead run into the adjacent Glen Cove Waterfront Park.  We completed the trails in that park today as well, though we logged it as a second hike.  Strangely, the trail in this park ends in a small loop.  But a continuation of the Bay Area Ridge Trail resides on the opposite side of nearby Elliot Cove and its marina. That disconnected segment continues all the way to the Carquinez Bridge.  It would be a nice addition to hiking in the area if the trails could be connected.

We doubled back to the core of Benicia SRA and mapped the various other trail segments that connect our trailhead, an alternate trailhead leading into a neighborhood, the huge PG&E transmission tower and a scenic overlook.  There are a few more segments in the botanical garden that we'll have to visit during a return trip.  We logged about 4.5 miles in this park and perhaps a half mile in Glen Cove.