General relocation aka can we afford to live there question

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by HockeyMac18

Muir Woods is often a default answer for hikes in Marin for many people - but it is VERY popular (very annoyingly, in my opinion), and while it's nice - it's not really challenging. If you can go there on a weekday, and preferably really early in the morning, you are likely to be there with few people, and you can really have a great experience (and understand why it's a special spot for many). Keep in mind, it is possible to hike in the back side from outside (such as on a Mt Tam <-> Stinson hike), but if you just want to see Muir Woods, you'll have to enter and pay the fee.


If hiking/backpacking/outdoor adventure is what you're after, the Bay Area has phenomenal access to destinations near and far.

The last time I posted that Muir Woods was mainly for easy walking and not somewhat more rigorous hiking, someone corrected me, and said there were more challenging trails there, as well. I'm not familiar with any terrain like that that might be there, but apparently there are side trails off the beaten tourist track.

Big Basin would be good not only for day hikes (a long drive from SF just for a day hike, IMO...) but also for camping, like for a weekend getaway to a radically different environment than the city. Just thought I'd mention that.

OP, many Bay Area-ites, especially families that go back a few generations, are all about the outdoors, and appreciating the beauty and special environments that characterize the region. I think in that respect, you'll be happy with the move. It's the affordability issue that would be a challenge in the beginning, until you started getting pay raises and promotions. And I don't know if you would chafe at having a 3-member family in a 2-br. apartment, though some of those Richmond Dist. apts. are spacious. Just something for you to think about.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The last time I posted that Muir Woods was mainly for easy walking and not somewhat more rigorous hiking, someone corrected me, and said there were more challenging trails there, as well. I'm not familiar with any terrain like that that might be there, but apparently there are side trails off the beaten tourist track.

The main trails in Muir Woods are very much flat and designed for access for people of all fitness levels. I believe a few of the trails can easily be done with a wheelchair.

There are some trails leading out of Muir woods (which I mentioned as ones you can connect into the park on the backend), and they're steeper - but I wouldn't consider them very challenging. Keep in mind, Muir Woods itself actually has very few trails (it really isn't a big park).

It's possible that the person that disagreed with you thought they were in Muir Woods when they were in fact not (perhaps on some trail adjacent to it). Or it could just be that the person that disagreed with you has a different definition of challenging.

I actually don't think many trails in Marin (especially the Mt. Tam area of Marin) would qualify as challenging since they're very well-maintained (all class I hiking - no scrambling anywhere). The main challenge is just really distance there (if you're doing a Mt. Tam <-> Stinson hike, it can be on the longer side for most people, as an example), and the elevation change (which isn't huge - but there is some).

Either way, Muir Woods is significantly overrated, and the hiking really is about as easy as it gets. It's a nice place when no one is around (early morning on a weekday, for instance) - but I find it's a bit much in typical situations. And there are equally-nice/better redwoods elsewhere in the Bay Area.

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Big Basin would be good not only for day hikes (a long drive from SF just for a day hike, IMO...) but also for camping, like for a weekend getaway to a radically different environment than the city. Just thought I'd mention that.

I'd say anything in the 1 - 1 1/2 hour range is very much a day-hikeable location. I do 2 hour drives for day hikes all of the time.

I did advise spending more time in Big Basin in my post - but one can easily check out a few things in it and Portola Redwoods in a day if that's all they have. And it's a really nice drive (one could even loop down the coast for the beginning/end of the day, if they have time).

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by jade408

My friends pay$1600+ around here (my Silicon Valley friends), so that is the number I have in my head. I have no clue what costs are in Contra Costa County. A decade ago my coworker's wife ran a pretty good day care in a middle middle class city and it was $1000, so I assume that is a lot more these days.

In San Francisco, my stepson and his wife pay $2100 a month for childcare (one 3 year old)