The Year's Most Popular Hikes, Stories and More

Phew!

2021 was another wildly successful year for us here at POST and so much of that is thanks to y’all — the community that supports our work protecting open spaces on the Peninsula and South Bay.

To help celebrate the year’s end, we’ve compiled 2021’s most popular hikes, stories and big wins for local conservation — a chance to look back and relive all that we’ve been through, accomplished and experienced together. But before we get into all that, all of us at POST would first like to share our sincerest appreciation for another amazing year:

You make it possible – thank you.

Since I don’t think we can say it enough, thank you for everything you do for POST. From your generous donations to attending our events, watching our videos, reading our newsletters, tuning in on YouTube or following along on Instagram, we appreciate each and every one of you and what you do to support our organization.

As a testament to your enthusiasm, this last year we saw more traffic to our website than ever before. It is clear that finding open spaces to explore with friends and family has been critical to healthy living throughout the pandemic. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the year’s most popular hiking trails, activities, stories and more.

Our Most Popular Hikes in 2021

As a land trust, POST works to protect land on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. Many of these landscapes have since been transferred to public agencies for long term management and are open to the public for you to visit.

We have many of these destinations listed here, a collection of local trails to keep even the most avid hiker, walker and casual stroller busy for long time. Of these trails, however, some were more popular (received the most web traffic) than others over the last year. They’re all great places to visit, but these are the ten most popular hikes people viewed on our website in 2021.

Stories You Don’t Want to Miss

We’ve been busy. Despite working remotely and adjusting to all things pandemic, we’ve achieved a lot this year for local land conservation. The stories below offer a small sampling of these efforts, a snap shot into all that we’ve achieved together as a community.

Since our founding in 1977, we have protected more than 80,000 acres of open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. These landscapes now span San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, a growing network of protected open spaces. This year’s achievements build upon our past success, a foundation of protected redwood forests, wetlands, oak woodlands, coastal prairies and verdant farmland that will sustain generations of Bay Area residents.

Top Posts from POST

We’d be remiss to not also share some of our top performing blog posts from 2021. Although some of these stories are from previous years, they are among the most visited pages on our site this year — and for good reason. Below, you’ll find recreational tips, a globally viral video of a coyote and badger, strange mating rituals of banana slugs and much more. If you live here in the Bay Area, you need take a closer look these:

The Road Ahead

By now you’re probably catching on that our work at POST is about more than protecting land from the threat of development. It’s also about:

• Safeguarding the open spaces wildlife need to roam, adapt and colonize as climate change pushes them to new territories.
• Preserving the agricultural heritage of the San Mateo Coast, key to our region’s local food system.
• Stewarding our redwood forests, some of the best trees on the planet at trapping greenhouse gases.
• Striving for equitable, public access to nature for all and tending to the places where generations can safely reconnect with nature and with one another.

None of this is possible without the generous support of people like you. Thank you again for another great year. Looking forward to what lies ahead.

See you down the trail.