Hike the Albany Bulb: Sweeping SF Views + Life-Size Driftwood “Dinosaurs” (Jan 11-12)

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Here’s a great free weekend hike idea from Madeline Wells of SF Gate.

Hike the Albany Bulb for Sweeping SF Views and the Whimsy We Need Right Now

Offering both sweeping views of the San Francisco skyline and human-made sculptures crafted from found materials, these days, the former dump that is the Albany Bulb evokes more of a sense of whimsy than it does the desolation of a landfill.

Wet dogs pitter-patter gleefully down dirt trails, and children exclaim with wonder as they discover life-size dinosaurs made of driftwood and rebar. This strange little slice of land now known as the Bulb sprouts from a century of systematic filling of the shallow bay and its adjacent wetland, mostly with construction debris such as concrete and rebar.

These days, blackberry bushes, eucalyptus trees and hundreds of species of birds have taken up residence on its 33 acres — along with the art. Surely, it’s the most weirdly beautiful a landfill has ever looked.

The trail is open to the public daily year-round, 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m

For more details and photos on the hike check out How a former landfill became one of the most popular hiking spots in the Bay Area on SF Gate