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The parking lot only had a few cars when I arrived around 8am.
There are bathrooms and water here if you need it.
We crossed the street and then went through an entrance gate to
start the hike proper.
Bridge at the start of the trail
There are essentially two parts to this hike. We started off
to the right, which is a short 0.3 mile path to an observation
platform. The trail is hard-packed gravel raised above the marsh.
There are lots of various birds in the area, and I stopped to
take pictures of an egret here. There were also a few
boats in Smith Slough.
Egret
Canadian geese
Various birds at the marsh
We soon reached the observation platform. After taking in the views,
we turned around and headed back the way we came. Then we
started the longer path (the left fork at the beginning), which
leads to a second observation path. Both observation platforms are on Inner
Bair Island (there are actually 3 islands: Inner, Middle, and Outer).
Birds in flight
Bird in flight
Birds in formation over the marsh
The freeway is visible on your left, with the marsh on your right.
At times there were large numbers of birds visible in the marsh.
This longer path is about 1.7 miles to the observation platform.
More birds
Close-up of the birds
Birds over the marsh, with Mount Diablo in the background
You'll see small airplanes flying into nearby San Carlos airport as you
continue on the trail. The observation platform has another view
of Smith Slough. After taking in the views, we
returned the way we came, back to the trailhead and back to the
parking lot.
Rower in Smith Slough
View of the marsh and the city
There's not a lot to this hike, but if you decide to go, I'd recommend going
as early in the morning as you can while it's still peaceful and you can
enjoy all the birds without too much traffic noise or sun (there's no
shade at all).
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