Usually when I go hiking in the Bay Area I go to the North Bay or somewhere else along the coast. I love the lushness of the plant life there and also love the views of the ocean on those hikes. However, I have been hiking in the East Bay a few times, which has a completely different feel to the nature. It is drier, yellower, flatter … Not in all parts, of course, but so far that’s been my experience of East Bay hikes compared to North Bay hikes in general.