For sun-filled days, head to the East Bay. The region is home to the Bay Area’s driest and warmest microclimate, with a mixed landscape of oak-dotted hills, grassy ridgelines, forested valleys, and rock-studded peaks. The East Bay Regional Park District’s 73 parks and preserves contain a whopping 1,250 miles of trails, nearly a dozen freshwater lakes, 40 miles of shoreline, two islands, and hundreds of acres of undeveloped inland hills and valleys. Mighty 3,849-foot Mount Diablo is the centerpiece of Mount Diablo State Park. History buffs will enjoy the coal mining history at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. Bird-watchers flock to the bay’s edge at Coyote Hills Regional Park. Geology fans are fascinated by Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. And for tree lovers, the coastal redwoods at Redwood Regional Park await.
2 TWO TRAILS AT CARQUINEZ STRAIT
3 SAN PABLO RIDGE AND WILDCAT CREEK LOOP
4 WILDCAT PEAK AND LAUREL CANYON LOOP
7 STREAM, FERN, AND WEST RIDGE TRAIL LOOP
8 ROCKY RIDGE AND DEVIL’S HOLE LOOP
11 ROCK CITY AND WALL POINT SUMMIT
13 STEWARTVILLE AND RIDGE TRAIL LOOP
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, Pinole
Distance: 5 miles round-trip
Duration: 2.5 hours
Elevation Change: Negligible
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers, cyclists, leashed dogs ($2, not allowed on pier)
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: $3 day-use per vehicle on weekends and holidays April-October
Maps: A map is available at the entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Easy walking not far from East Bay cities leads to close-up bay views and a glimpse at Point Pinole’s fascinating past.
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is a little park with a big heart, a place of tranquility not far from the urban bustle of the East Bay. Few visitors other than avid anglers and dog walkers make the trip to Point Pinole’s tip, but those who do are surprised at this small park’s varied offerings. In addition to inspiring bay views, an intriguing history as the site of a dynamite factory, and consistently good pier fishing, the park has volleyball courts, picnic areas, and more than 12 miles of winding dirt trails suitable for hiking or mountain biking. Many areas including the Bay View Trail and Point Pinole Trail are ADA-accessible.
Don’t be put off by the drive into the park. Point Pinole Regional Shoreline has some odd neighbors, including Chevron’s oil refineries and a juvenile detention center. The Southern Pacific Railroad runs along the park boundary. But once you’re inside the gates of Point Pinole, all is peaceful.
Start your hike on the main paved trail by the entrance kiosk. You’ll notice a small mound planted with flowers and a plaque denoting the site of the Giant Powder Company from 1892 to 1960. When massive explosions destroyed its Berkeley and San Francisco factories, Giant Powder moved to remote Point Pinole to manufacture dynamite. Here they built a thriving company town and local railway. More than two billion pounds of explosives were produced here by various dynamite companies before East Bay Regional Parks acquired the property in 1973.
Follow the paved road for 200 yards to a railroad bridge. Cross the bridge and take Bay View Trail, the signed trail on the left. The wide dirt trail skirts the edge of Point Pinole’s peninsula and supplies continuous views of San Pablo Bay. To the southwest, plumes of gas and steam rise from Chevron’s oil refineries. To the west, Mount Tamalpais looms over Marin County. In the foreground are miles of open bay water, interrupted only by the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge and East and West Brother Islands. A few duck blinds dot the shoreline. Seabirds gather on the mudflats during low tide.
Point Pinole entices hikers with grass-lined trails that lead to blue bay waters.
The trail moves away from the bay and into a eucalyptus grove for a brief stretch before returning to the meeting of land and sea. The aromatic trees were planted as a buffer against potential explosions from the dynamite factory. Just under 2 miles from the trailhead, the path curves around the tip of Point Pinole’s peninsula to reach its 0.25-mile-long fishing pier. A the pier’s end, stop and sniff the salty air while you admire views of Mount Diablo on your far right and Mount Tamalpais on your left. Look back toward shore and note the rugged coastal bluffs rising 100 feet above the bay. Point Pinole is the only place on this side of San Pablo Bay with shoreline cliffs; elsewhere, the water is surrounded by flatlands.
The pier’s Plexiglas shelters provide protection for anglers and hikers when the wind howls. If you’re interested in fishing, note that you don’t need a license to pier fish here (but you do need one to fish from the 5.5-mile shoreline). For those with Neptune’s luck, the catch may include sturgeon, striped bass, bay rays, and kingfish.
From the pier, follow the paved road 100 yards south to a wooden bus shelter. (Shuttle buses ride this paved route from the parking lot to the pier every hour 7:30am-2:30pm. For $1, anglers who don’t want to walk to the pier can catch a ride.) Beyond the bus shelter, take the signed Marsh Trail on the left. In just under 0.5 mile, a small pond appears on your right; turn left by the pond to stay on Marsh Trail.
Now facing eastward, your perspective on the bay is totally different. The Carquinez Bridge appears, as do Vallejo and Napa. A large salt marsh lined with pickleweed borders the trail. The wide, gentle waters of San Pablo Bay remain constant.
At the junction of Marsh Trail and Cook’s Point Trail is an odd structure sheltering a large hunk of metal. It’s a black powder press remaining from the heyday of the Giant Powder Company. Head past it on Marsh Trail to the edge of the bay, or make a short loop to the right along the shoreline. Bird-watching is usually rewarding near the salt marsh. More than 100 species of birds have been sighted within the park.
The return leg of the loop is Cook’s Point Trail, which leads you all the way back to the picnic areas. From there it’s a short stroll over the railroad bridge and back to your car.
If you enjoy the bay shoreline at Point Pinole, check out the trails at Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline (900 Dornan Dr., Point Richmond, 888/327-2757, 5am-10pm daily), near the foot of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (access is off I-580 and Dornan Drive/Garrard Boulevard). The park is favored by kite flyers because of its consistent winds. Two loop trails provide hiking choices: On the bay side of the park, a 1-mile loop circles a lagoon. On the inland side (across Dornan Drive), an access trail leads uphill to a 2-mile loop on Old Country Road, West Ridge Trail, Crest Trail, and Marine View Trail. Don’t miss a visit to False Gun Vista Point and East Vista Point—high knolls that offer views of the San Francisco skyline and Mount Tamalpais.
While visiting Richmond, consider a guided kayak trip to Brooks Island and a 2-mile hike around its shoreline. Tours to the 373-acre island, located just off Richmond Harbor, are held in summer only; public access is limited to these trips. Make reservations with the East Bay Regional Park District (888/327-2757, www.ebparksonline.org) and sign up for an outfitter-led trip ($100 fee includes kayak rental). The all-day adventure includes an easy, short paddle to the island in stable single or double kayaks, followed by a guided hike.
Or, for a more leisurely afternoon, stop in at the Golden State Model Railroad Museum (900 Dornan Dr., Point Richmond, 510/234-4884, www.gsmrm.org), across the street from the Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline entrance. Stretch your legs as you walk alongside tiny model trains that chug alongside a 200-foot-plus stretch of public walkway.
From I-80 in Richmond, exit at Richmond Parkway. Follow Richmond Parkway to the Giant Highway exit. Turn right and drive 0.75 mile to the park entrance on the left. Or, from U.S. 101 in Marin, take the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge east (I-580), then take the first exit east of the bridge, signed for Castro Street and Richmond Parkway. Drive 4.3 miles on Richmond Parkway to the Giant Highway exit. Take the exit and drive 0.5 mile, then turn right on Giant Highway. Drive 0.75 mile to the park entrance on the left.
Note: An ADA-accessible entrance is available at the end of Atlas Road off Giant Highway.
Public transportation: AC Transit Bus #71 stops at the park entrance. For AC Transit information, phone 510/891-4777 or visit www.actransit.org.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°99147’ W 122°35552’
Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline, between Crockett and Martinez
Distance: 1-3 miles round-trip
Duration: 1-2 hours
Elevation Change: 150 feet
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers, cyclists, leashed dogs
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: Trail maps are available at the entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Two appealing trails explore the grassland bluffs bordering the narrow waterway between San Pablo and Suisun Bays, the intersection of the mighty Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers.
Although San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay are as familiar as the local freeways to most Bay Area residents, the waterway at Carquinez Strait is far less known. Even the name “Carquinez Strait” sounds foreign and exotic. The northeastern arm of the conglomeration of waterways that constitute the bay and river delta, Carquinez Strait forms the narrow passageway between San Pablo and Suisun Bays. It’s the meeting place of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, where they join together to flow to the Pacific Ocean through the Golden Gate.
The bluffs above Carquinez Strait are a marvelous place for an easy saunter through rolling grasslands with eye-candy water views. Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline encompasses 1,415 acres of land on the strait’s south side, separated into two parcels located along Carquinez Scenic Drive near the cities of Crockett and Martinez. Unfortunately, the parcels aren’t contiguous because sections of Carquinez Scenic Drive washed out in a landslide in 1982. So the people of Martinez have one slice of the bluffs above Carquinez Strait, and the people of Crockett have a separate slice. Both are worth a visit.
To see the western side of the park, drive to the Bull Valley Staging Area near Crockett, just a few miles from the Carquinez Bridge. From the parking lot, take the trail at the cattle gate by the portable toilet. Head east along the grassy bluffs, which are littered with owl’s clover every spring. The green hills stand in sharp contrast to the bright blue of the strait. You may hear the sound of a commuter train roaring past on the tracks hugging the shoreline, or the horn of a tugboat working the waterway. Part of the joy of this walk is watching the parade of ships, large and small, as they journey in and out of the strait. You might see anything from a windsurfer to a freighter to a tugboat.
Benches found along the Carquinez Strait bluffs make view-filled resting spots.
Where the wide double-track trail forks, bear left and walk through a planted eucalyptus grove until your view of the strait is unobstructed again. At a second junction, bear left again; the right fork is the return of a short loop through the trees. You might choose to skip the loop and simply return the way you came; the views of the strait are well worth a second look. Along the way, you’ll find a few well-positioned benches and picnic tables with wide views to the north, east, and south. Benicia State Recreation Area is visible across the strait, plus the houses and businesses of the town of Benicia, but what captures your attention is the broad expanse of blue waterway.
Consider the story of Carquinez Strait. Hundreds of thousands of king salmon once passed through these waters on their way to the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers to spawn. Native Americans lived off their abundance for centuries. In the 1800s, white settlers set up commercial fishing operations and canneries along the strait. Salmon ran the economy of this area until the mid-20th century, when laws were passed that banned all commercial fishing east of the Carquinez Bridge. This was a great victory for the conservation movement and the future of fish populations, but it made ghost towns out of the bustling communities along Carquinez Strait.
To see the eastern area of the park, drive to the Carquinez Strait East/Nejedly Staging Area in Martinez. Follow the Hulet Hornbeck Trail from the far end of the equestrian parking lot (don’t take the Rankin Park Trail from the left side of the lot). Head uphill through a shady ravine filled with oaks, bays, and eucalyptus. In 0.3 mile, turn left and walk the 2-mile Franklin Ridge Loop. You leave the trees in the canyon below; up on the ridge, native grasslands sway and dance in the breeze, and raptors soar overhead. Lucky hikers may spot a bobcat or fox as it darts across the trail. From atop Franklin Ridge, you can see Mount Tamalpais to the west and Mount Diablo to the east, plus the grassy ridges of Briones and Las Trampas Regional Parks to the south. Combined with the long blue stretch of Carquinez Strait to the north, the overall effect is stunning.
Another worthwhile trail in the Martinez area is the Mount Wanda Trail near the John Muir National Historic Site (4202 Alhambra Ave., Martinez, 925/228-8860, www.nps.gov/jomu, 10am-5pm Wed.-Sun.), home of the great American conservationist and writer. The trail leads from an entrance gate near the Park and Ride lot on Franklin Canyon Road and Alhambra Avenue. A 1-mile uphill trek leads to the two highest points in the park, Mount Wanda at 660 feet and Mount Helen at 640 feet, named for Muir’s two daughters. Muir often took the girls on outings in these hills to teach them about the natural world. Pick a cool day to visit (temperatures frequently rise above 100°F in the summer), or sign up for a ranger-led full moon hike, held May-September. While you’re in the park, be sure to tour the three-story, 17-room Victorian that Muir lived in with his wife and daughters from 1890 until his death in 1914.
For the Crockett trailhead: From Highway 4 west of Martinez, exit at Cummings Skyway. Turn right on Crockett Boulevard and then right again on Pomona Street. As you head east, Pomona Street becomes Carquinez Scenic Drive. Continue 2 miles to the Bull Valley Staging Area on the left. (If you are coming from I-80, exit on San Pablo Avenue or Pomona Street in Crockett and follow Pomona Street east as described.)
Crockett GPS Coordinates: N 38°04902’ W 122°19711’
For the Martinez trailhead: From Highway 4 in Martinez, take the Alhambra Avenue exit and drive north through Martinez for 2 miles. Turn left on Escobar Street, drive three blocks, then turn right on Talbart Street, which becomes Carquinez Scenic Drive. Drive 0.4 mile to the East/Nejedly Staging Area on the right. Begin hiking on the Hulet Hornbeck Trail from the far end of the horse trailer parking lot.
Public transportation to the Martinez trailhead (East/Nejedly Staging Area): County Connection Bus #116 runs from Pleasant Hill BART. County Connection Buses #108 and #118 run from Concord BART. All buses stop at the Park and Ride lot on Alhambra Avenue in Martinez. Walk the final 0.5 mile to the trailhead by following the driving directions described earlier. For more information, phone 925/676-7500 or visit www.cccta.org.
Martinez GPS Coordinates: N 38°01852’ W 122°14719’
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, Berkeley
Distance: 6.8 miles round-trip
Duration: 3 hours
Elevation Change: 1,200 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists, leashed dogs
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: Trail maps are available at the parking area or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, 510/544-3092; East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Enjoy rolling hills, waving grasslands, and wide-angle views of the bay.
Never judge a trail by its trailhead, seasoned hikers say. When you park your car at Wildcat Canyon Regional Park’s Alvarado Staging Area, you’ll think, “This must be a forested hike through eucalyptus and oaks.” But looks are deceiving at Wildcat Canyon. What begins as a tree-shaded paved trail quickly becomes a dirt path through the grasslands that leads you up 1,000 feet for wide views of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Begin your hike by walking 0.5 mile on Wildcat Creek Trail, an old paved road that begins on the east side of the parking lot. At the trail sign for Belgum Trail, turn left and begin climbing up the grassy hillside. The wide dirt path makes a moderate ascent, passing two stately palm trees that mark an old homestead. The surrounding hills are dotted with nonnative purple thistles, which in autumn and winter bear dried, puffy pom-poms. They grow as tall as four feet high. Several slopes at Wildcat Canyon are covered with entire armies of them; their spine-tipped leaves provide thorough protection against grazing cattle. In spring, you find big yellow mule’s ears and plenty of blue-eyed grass.
Keep looking over your right shoulder as you hike. In short order, you gain enough elevation to be rewarded with wide-angle views of the San Francisco Bay Area, from Vallejo to San Francisco and the southern East Bay. On a clear day, it’s fun to pick out all the famous landmarks: Bay Bridge, Transamerica Pyramid, Twin Peaks, Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, and so on. (In ranking hiking vistas, I’ve always preferred a sea of conifers to a sea of civilization. Still, this vista—truly an urban view—makes a lasting and memorable impression.)
In less than a mile, Belgum Trail meets up with a junction of several trails, both formal and informal. Bear left to stay on Belgum Trail (don’t take the hard left on Clark-Boas Trail). After curving around the north side of a grassy hill, turn right on San Pablo Ridge Trail. The short climb that follows is memorably steep. But once you complete it, you’ve gained San Pablo Ridge, and the rest of the walk is an easy cruise.
Views of the East Bay and San Francisco can be seen from San Pablo Ridge.
No matter how calm and warm it was when you started your hike, it’s likely to be windy on top of the ridge. Numerous raptors and songbirds, including red-winged blackbirds, take advantage of the lofty breezes up here.
You just cruise along, stopping when you feel like it to enjoy the sights from your top-of-the-ridge perch. At a cattle gate, the trail turns from dirt to pavement. You leave San Pablo Ridge Trail and follow Nimitz Way Trail, a paved path that is popular with bicyclists and hikers. (Most of them access the trail from Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park.) The trail hugs the ridgetop, and the vistas keep changing with every footstep. San Pablo Reservoir and Briones Reservoir lie behind it, plus looming Mount Diablo, all on your left. Then San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Angel Island are on your right. At every turn in the trail, over every hill, you get a slightly different twist on the view. The Richmond Bridge drops into sight, the Gold Coast comes into frame up ahead, San Francisco disappears, and the Brother Islands come into view. Suddenly Napa and Carquinez show up to the north. And so it goes.
After 0.75 mile on paved Nimitz Way, turn right on Havey Canyon Trail. (At this book’s press time, the Havey Canyon Trail bridge is under construction; check for a status update before you visit.) The path narrows as it descends, closely following a spring-fed stream. You leave the sunshine and wide-open grasslands for a forest of willows, oaks, bay laurel, and a plethora of vines. The trail drops gently over 1.5 miles, never leaving the canopy of shade until it bottoms out at Wildcat Creek Trail. Turn right to finish out your loop, walking a level 1.5 miles back to your car.
Northeast of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park lies Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve (access off Castro Ranch Road, El Sobrante, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org). From the trailhead staging area, follow Sobrante Ridge Trail as it curves around the ridge and then heads due south. In addition to enjoying the expansive ridgetop views, you should take two short side trips: one on the tiny Broken Oak Trail Loop, and the other on Manzanita Trail to access the short Manzanita Loop. Sobrante Ridge is home to one of the last stands of the rare and endangered Alameda manzanita, a chaparral-type shrub, and this loop leads through a large grove of it. The out-and-back trip, including the Manzanita Loop, is 2.4 miles.
From I-80 heading north in Richmond, take the Amador/Solano exit and drive three blocks east on Amador. Turn right on McBryde Avenue and drive 0.4 mile, bear left on Park Avenue, and enter Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. The trail begins on the far side of the parking lot and is paved at the start. (Heading south on I-80, take the McBryde Avenue exit, drive east, and then bear left on Park Avenue.)
Public transportation: AC Transit Bus #68 stops at McBryde Avenue and Arlington Boulevard. Walk uphill on McBryde Avenue and then Park Avenue for a short distance to the park entrance. For AC Transit information, phone 510/891-4777 or visit www.actransit.org.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°95174’ W 122°31985’
Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley
Best: Peak Vistas
Distance: 3.5 miles round-trip
Duration: 1.5 hours
Elevation Change: 500 feet
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: A map is available at the visitors center or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: Tilden Regional Park, 510/544-2233; East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
This easy trail to the summit of Wildcat Peak makes a perfect leg-stretching hike for a Sunday afternoon.
Most people think of Tilden Park as a place to take the kids. The park has pony rides, a carousel, a miniature train, a swimming beach at Lake Anza, and lots of other diversions that keep children occupied and happy. But over on the northwest edge of the park lies the Tilden Nature Area, a very different part of Tilden Park. Here, the only amenities are trail signs, and the only diversions are the natural beauty and the views.
Start your trip at the Tilden Environmental Education Center at the northwest end of Central Park Drive. Take a look around this marvelous visitors center and then walk out its back door to access Laurel Canyon Trail. Its trailhead is located to the left of Little Farm and to the right of Jewel Lake Nature Trail. Oddly, Laurel Canyon Trail isn’t signed with its name, but with a symbol: a narrow bay laurel leaf and a berry. You follow these iconographic trail markers through several junctions.
Start hiking gently uphill through an aromatic eucalyptus grove. The narrow, well-built trail dips and rolls, gaining elevation very slowly. In the rainy season, Laurel Creek runs nearby, making delightful water music. You reach several junctions in the first 0.5 mile, but just keep following the laurel leaf symbols. The path departs the eucalyptus and enters a dense grove of canyon oaks and bay laurels. Leaves crunch underfoot as you tunnel your way through the forest. Where the trees open up, look up to your left to spot your destination: Wildcat Peak.
A mile up the trail, take the trail fork signed to Nimitz Way. Where Laurel Canyon Trail tops out at a wide dirt road (Laurel Canyon Road), turn right and continue uphill for a short distance to Nimitz Way. This paved multiuse trail runs along the ridgetop from Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. It’s one of the East Bay’s greatest bicycle trails. Turn left and follow Nimitz Way for just under 0.5 mile and then turn left on Wildcat Peak Trail. The dirt trail makes a 0.5-mile climb to the summit of Wildcat Peak, elevation 1,250 feet. (This is the steepest section of the loop, but even so, it’s quite easy.)
San Pablo Reservoir as seen from Wildcat Peak
Wildcat Peak’s summit vista is surprising. From the stone overlook platform on top, you can see all of San Pablo Reservoir, the edge of Briones Reservoir, and mighty Mount Diablo to the east. San Pablo Bay appears to the north. To the west, you gain a wide view of famous landmarks. San Francisco Bay sparkles in the sunlight. Mount Tamalpais, Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Richmond Bridge, the Bay Bridge, and downtown San Francisco are easily recognizable. You’re directly across from Brooks Island, a large, flat island south of Richmond that was once owned by a private hunting club and is now managed by the East Bay Regional Park District.
Wildcat Peak’s stone overlook is marked with a sign denoting the Rotary Peace Grove below, a living memorial of giant sequoia trees dedicated to people who have worked for world peace. The grove was a joint project between the Rotary Club of Berkeley and the East Bay Regional Park District.
From Wildcat Peak, head back downhill on Wildcat Peak Trail (its trail signs are marked with a rounded peak). The path descends open, grassy slopes. When you reach Sylvan Trail (marked with three trees), turn left. Follow Sylvan Trail through a eucalyptus grove back to the visitors center.
The best spring wildflower trail in Tilden Regional Park is Sea View Trail. Even if you miss the flower show, the wide and easy trail is pleasant in any season because it travels along a high ridgeline, affording marvelous views. Most of the flowers are easily identified, common varieties: mule’s ears, California poppies, silver bush lupine, California buttercups, and checkerbloom. Hike out as far as you like and back; a suggested destination is a picnic table on a high knoll with a sweeping, 360-degree view, about 2 miles from the start. The trailhead for Sea View Trail is on Lomas Cantadas, just off Grizzly Peak Boulevard, by Tilden Park’s steam trains.
After your hike, grab a slice of deep dish at Zachary’s Chicago Pizza (1853 Solano Ave., 510/595-5950, www.zacharys.com) on Solano Avenue or enjoy an organic, vegetarian slice from The Cheeseboard Collective (1512 Shattuck Ave., 510/549-3183, www.cheeseboardcollective.coop) on Shattuck Avenue. Make a day of it by wandering downtown Berkeley’s eclectic range of shops and sites, including the storybook architecture of Thornburg Village on Spruce Street, the vast library-of-Babel book selection at Moe’s Books on Telegraph (2476 Telegraph Ave., 510/849-2087, moesbooks.com), and the sniff-worthy Aftel Archive of Curious Scents (1518 Walnut St., 510/841-2111, www.aftelier.com, open Sat. only), the first museum in the country devoted to natural fragrances. Walk around this charming cottage and smell more than 300 essences made from fruits, flowers, trees, and the like.
From I-580 in Berkeley, take the University Avenue exit and go east. Drive 2 miles to Oxford Street and turn left. Drive 0.5 mile to Rose Street and turn right. Drive one block and turn left on Spruce Street. Drive 1.7 miles on Spruce Street. Immediately after crossing Grizzly Peak Boulevard, turn left on Canon Drive. Drive 0.5 mile and turn left on Central Park Drive. Follow Central Park Drive for 0.25 mile to its end by the Tilden Nature Area and Environmental Education Center. The trail begins behind the education center.
Public transportation: On weekends and holidays, AC Transit Bus #67 stops at the Environmental Education Center. On weekdays, you must disembark at Spruce Street and Grizzly Peak Boulevard and then walk northeast on Canon Drive 0.25 mile to enter the park. For AC Transit information, phone 510/891-4777 or visit www.actransit.org.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°90844’ W 122°26431’
Briones Regional Park, Martinez
Distance: 7 miles round-trip
Duration: 4 hours
Elevation Change: 1,400 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists, leashed dogs
Season: Spring and winter
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: Trail maps are available at the entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
This pastoral loop hike in Briones’s less visited northern section leads past a miniature waterfall, two duck ponds, and miles of cow-populated grasslands.
Briones Regional Park is more than 6,000 acres of grasslands and oaks that were once part of Rancho San Felipe, a Spanish land grant. In the mid-1800s, this was an important fruit-growing region. Today it’s the grassy home of grazing cows and is frequently visited by hikers, mountain bikers, dog walkers, and horseback riders.
I wouldn’t want to be accused of overselling Briones. Its sunny exposure, wide dirt roads, and large expanse of open grasslands are perhaps better suited to bikers and equestrians than to hikers. But on a breezy spring day when the wildflowers are blooming and the grasslands are glowing green, it wouldn’t be hard to wax poetic about the place. And considering the fact that Briones is bordered on three sides by freeways—Highway 4, I-680, and Highway 24—it’s a miracle that this giant open space even exists. For residents of Martinez, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and Lafayette, Briones is only a stone’s throw away and a welcome vacation from urban life.
Briones has three main staging areas—Bear Creek, Alhambra Creek, and Lafayette Ridge—but this loop hike starts at a less developed trailhead at the end of Briones Road. As the crow flies, it’s only about a mile from the Alhambra Creek Staging Area, but it’s much higher in elevation. Your car does some of the climbing for you. Also, no fee is charged at the Briones Road trailhead.
Start your hike on Old Briones Road, a gated dirt road that leads from the parking area. The initial stretch heads through a dense grove of canyon oaks. In autumn, their leaves turn bright gold and capture the low afternoon sun. In just over 0.5 mile of gentle climbing, you reach a hiker’s gate and leave the trees behind.
It’s a different world on the other side of the gate—wide-open expanses of grasslands with an occasional cluster of cows adding variety to the scene. At a junction with Spengler Trail, bear right to stay on Old Briones Road. You pass two small ponds, whimsically named Maricich Lagoons. They are naturally occurring vernal pools. One-third of a mile farther brings you to another junction; bear right on Briones Crest Trail. (You might consider going straight uphill for 100 yards to a gate with a lovely view of the valley below.)
Briones Crest Trail leads you past Sindicich Lagoons—two more vernal pools, one on either side of the trail. As the dirt road begins to climb, you gain views to the north of Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. The industrial waterfront of Martinez lies in the foreground. Hey, what are all those ships lined up down there? That’s the “Mothball Fleet”—old military ships that have been put out to pasture. Also in sight are the oil refineries along Contra Costa County’s shoreline, often referred to as the Oil Coast.
At 1.5 miles, Briones Crest Trail joins with Mott Peak Trail. Bear left, descend a bit, and then leave the trail and hike uphill to the summit of Mott Peak, elevation 1,424 feet. (It’s not the high hill lined with a fence; it’s the one beside it to the west.) A climb to Mott Peak’s grassy summit produces a 360-degree vista. In addition to views of Suisun Bay, Carquinez Strait, and smaller waterways to the north, the panorama includes miles of open parkland to the south and west, framed by the distant outline of Mount Tamalpais. Ever-present Mount Diablo towers over the eastern scenery, which includes the suburbs of Concord and Walnut Creek.
From the top of Briones Peak, you can enjoy the view of Mount Diablo or just take a nap.
Mott Peak isn’t the highest point in the park; Briones Peak is 60 feet higher. But Mott Peak is a balder summit and offers a better view. It was named for William Penn Mott, a champion of parks. During Mott’s long career, he worked as the general manager of the East Bay Regional Park District, then as director of California State Parks, and finally as director of the National Park Service.
When you’ve seen enough, return to Mott Peak Trail and head west, meeting up with Abrigo Valley Trail in 0.5 mile. In winter, the cheerful presence of Abrigo Creek is a welcome sight. Turn right and pass two campgrounds, Maud Whalen and Wee-Ta-Chi. Pay close attention to the creek just beyond Wee-Ta-Chi Camp. Look and listen carefully and you may spot Abrigo Falls dropping 15 feet over a rock face into a narrow, cavelike canyon. The waterfall is nearly hidden, and if the stream isn’t flowing strong, it can be difficult to spot. It’s located at the point where the trail makes a short, steep climb. (When the trail makes a hairpin turn to the left and moves away from the creek, you’ve passed it.)
Continue another 0.25 mile to Abrigo Valley Trail’s junction with Briones Crest Trail; bear right and then left shortly thereafter on Lagoon Trail. Follow Lagoon Trail for 1.2 miles, looping around to Toyon Canyon Trail. You enter a live oak forest, a nice change of pace from the sunshine and grasslands. Turn left on Toyon Canyon Trail, continue gently downhill for 1 mile, and then turn right on Pine Tree Trail. You have to climb a bit to finish out the loop. When you see the paved road you drove in on, follow the single-track trail that parallels it back to the parking area and your car.
To see Abrigo Falls via a shortcut, or to start your Briones trip from a different trailhead, head for the Bear Creek Staging Area off Happy Valley Road and Bear Creek Road. When the kiosk is staffed, there’s a $3 fee per vehicle. Walk an easy 1.3 miles up the dirt road that is Abrigo Valley Trail to find Abrigo Falls. Abrigo Valley Trail meets up with the Briones Crest Trail in another 0.5 mile. Turn right and hike for 0.5 mile along Briones Crest for stellar views of Mount Diablo, Suisun Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Point Pinole. Then retrace your steps or loop back on Mott Peak Trail for a 4-mile round-trip.
From Highway 4 in Martinez, take the Alhambra Avenue exit. Turn south on Alhambra Avenue, drive 0.5 mile, and bear right on Alhambra Valley Road. Drive 1.2 miles and then turn right to stay on Alhambra Valley Road. In about 75 yards, turn left on Briones Road and continue 1.5 miles to the trailhead.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°95375’ W 122°13503’
Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve, Oakland
Distance: 1.7 miles round-trip
Duration: 1 hour
Elevation Change: 400 feet
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: Trail maps are available at the entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
This peaceful trail in the Berkeley hills is shaded by a dense tree canopy and filled with plants of ecological interest.
Trailheads along Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland and Berkeley hills are about as common as the million-dollar houses clinging to steep hillsides. Home to several regional parks and a large section of the 31-mile East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail, Skyline Boulevard is a weekend recreationist’s paradise. Mountain bikers, dog walkers, runners, hikers—everybody finds a trail to suit their desires.
This being the case, your chance of finding solitude anywhere in these parks on a Saturday or Sunday is next to nil. Parking lots usually fill up before noon at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve and Skyline Gate at Redwood Regional Park. Late arrivals must squeeze into pullouts along the road.
But one park on Skyline Boulevard presents a greater chance for peace and quiet (plus a parking space): Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve. Unlike its neighboring parks, Huckleberry is designated for hikers only. No bikes, horses, or dogs are allowed, which reduces the number of visitors dramatically. Even joggers are discouraged. People come here because they are serious about one thing: nature.
The park is home to a large number of native plants that are extremely rare in the East Bay, plus some that are extremely rare, period. Even hikers who know nothing about botany can observe one obvious fact: Unlike in most of the East Bay Regional Parks, there aren’t any nonnative eucalyptus trees here.
The main trail is called simply Huckleberry Path, and it’s a well-built, narrow, meandering footpath that weaves its way through dense foliage. A self-guided trail brochure is available for free at the trailhead; it corresponds to numbered posts along the path. Unless you’re a botanist by trade, carrying a brochure greatly enhances your experience at the preserve.
Huckleberry Path is a loop with a total distance of only 1.7 miles. To hike the loop in the proper direction, bear left at the first junction. At 0.5 mile, stay right to continue on the Huckleberry Path as it merges with the Bay Area Ridge Trail. After interpretive post 5, bear right to continue on the Huckleberry Path back to the trailhead. You can easily tack on another 0.75 mile to the loop, where the trail connects with a trailhead at Pinehurst Road. Or, because part of the Huckleberry Path is the East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail, you can take the Skyline National Trail northward to Sibley Preserve (about 2 miles) or southward to Redwood Regional Park (1 mile).
Take your pick of the add-on trails or simply choose to linger within the boundaries of Huckleberry. Stay for a while at the sunny, manzanita-lined overlook by interpretive post 6, where the view of Mount Diablo is inspiring. Or take time to study or photograph the preserve’s rare plants, such as western leatherwood (look for leathery branches and bright yellow flowers December-March) and tall pallid manzanita with its delicate, pink, bell-like blossoms. Or, perhaps best of all, time your trip so you can sample the preserve’s namesake huckleberries, which fruit in late summer and early fall.
Any season is a good time to visit this preserve. The trail is completely shaded by long-limbed bay laurels plus some madrones and oaks, so it remains cool even in the heat of summer. Plentiful sword and wood ferns “green up” and come to life after winter rains. Spring wildflowers are always worth a special visit; look for purple Douglas iris in the early months and orange bush monkeyflower as summer approaches.
Only a short drive north from Huckleberry Preserve is Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (6800 Skyline Blvd., Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org). This park is the home of Mount Round Top, an ancient volcano that was the source of most of the lava rock found in the ridges of the East Bay hills. The 2-mile Round Top Loop Trail and Volcanic Trail are keyed to an interpretive brochure that explains the various geological features to be seen.
Ferns of many types can be found in the shady regions of Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve.
From Highway 24 near Orinda, take the Fish Ranch Road exit immediately east of the Caldecott Tunnel. (You must be in the right lane as you exit the tunnel.) Drive 1 mile northwest on Fish Ranch Road to Grizzly Peak Boulevard. Turn left and drive 2.4 miles to Skyline Boulevard. Turn left and drive 0.5 mile to the park entrance on the left (past Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve).
Alternatively, from I-580 in Oakland, take the Park Boulevard exit; turn north and drive for about 2 miles to the intersection with Mountain Boulevard. Turn left on Mountain Boulevard and then right on Snake Road. Follow Snake Road for 2 miles to Skyline Boulevard. Turn left on Skyline and drive 0.25 mile to the park entrance and lot on the right.
Public transportation: AC Transit Bus #59A runs from 19th Street BART and Lake Merritt BART to the Montclair Transit Center. From there, AC Transit Bus #5 runs to Colton Boulevard and Ridgewood Drive. Walk from Colton Boulevard north to Skyline Boulevard and then turn left and head to the park (total 0.5-mile walk). For AC Transit information, phone 510/891-4777 or visit www.actransit.org.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°84296’ W 122°19526’
Redwood Regional Park, Oakland
Best: Redwood Forests
Distance: 4.8 miles round-trip
Duration: 2.5 hours
Elevation Change: 700 feet
Effort: Easy/moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists (on West Ridge Trail), leashed dogs ($2)
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: $5 day-use per vehicle
Maps: A park map is available at the Skyline Gate Staging Area or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
The East Bay’s answer to Muir Woods and Big Basin are the prized redwoods of Redwood Regional Park.
They don’t call this place Redwood Regional Park for nothing. The dark, shaggy-barked trees grow more than 100 feet tall, and their shady canopy covers a vast expanse of the park. A walk among these lofty trees is the perfect antidote to too much time spent in Emeryville office buildings or on East Bay freeways.
The redwoods here aren’t first growth. Rather, they are the second-generation offspring of the original trees that once towered over this canyon. Between 1840 and 1860, logging companies constructed lumber mills and mill workers built shantytowns in what is now Redwood Regional Park. They logged the virgin redwoods to provide lumber for the growing cities of San Francisco and San Jose. In 20 years, all the giant trees in a five-square-mile area were felled.
Some botanists believe this grove’s original redwoods may have been the largest the world has ever known. The massive trees were used as navigational guides by ships sailing into San Francisco Bay before the construction of lighthouses. Located high on a ridge 16 miles from the Golden Gate, the redwoods were prominent enough to steer sailors away from Blossom Rock, submerged in the bay between Alcatraz and San Francisco. (The actual “landmark trees” were located in what is now Roberts Regional Recreation Area, next door to Redwood Park. The site is denoted by a state historic plaque.)
The redwoods aren’t the only prizes of Redwood Regional Park. Redwood Creek, which bisects the park, is home to rainbow trout that are descendants of the original, pure strain of rainbows—the ones the species is named after. In addition, the park is bordered by two high ridges to the east and west. Both afford expansive views.
Start your trip at the Skyline Gate Staging Area on Skyline Boulevard. Three trails lead from the parking lot—East Ridge, Stream, and West Ridge. You’ll start on Stream Trail and return on West Ridge Trail.
Stream Trail, a wide fire road that is closed to bikes, makes a quick drop from the trailhead. The first 0.75 mile is a mellow, shaded descent through a mixed forest of oaks, madrones, ferns, and huckleberries, punctuated by occasional tall eucalyptus. Farther downhill you enter a redwood grove and remain under the spell of the big trees for a long, dreamy stretch. In the rainy season, the sight and sound of splashing Redwood Creek enlivens the dark canyon. A split-rail fence lines the stream’s bank; it’s an attempt to keep people, dogs, and horses away from the fragile riparian habitat.
At 1.5 miles, you pass two camping and picnicking areas in a row—Mill Site on the left and Fern Hut on the right. (The camps’ stone buildings were built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s.) A few feet past Fern Hut is the right turnoff for Fern Trail. Follow it steeply uphill. A half mile of heavy breathing brings you to West Ridge Trail; turn right again.
What’s this, sunshine? Yes indeed. After a long stretch of shaded greenery, the trail opens out on sunny West Ridge. Hike northwest, climbing a bit more. An interesting side trip is possible 0.5 mile out on the ridge. Take the right fork, then the left fork immediately following, to hike up to the top of Redwood Peak, elevation 1,619 feet. As you might guess from its name, you don’t get much of a summit view. The redwoods hide most everything except for a glimpse northeast toward Moraga and San Leandro Reservoir. But the peak is littered with interesting sandstone boulders. Under the canopy of redwoods, the rocks make fine seats for lunch or quiet contemplation.
Cathedral redwoods, also known as fairy rings, are seen at Redwood Regional Park.
Backtrack to West Ridge Trail. Heading northwest, you pass the edge of the archery range in Roberts Recreation Area. The path climbs a bit farther to a eucalyptus grove, and then suddenly a surprising vista of Oakland, San Francisco, and the bay appears. Depending on the day’s visibility, this can be a breathtaking sight. The tall buildings of Oakland and San Francisco appear amazingly close. The bay’s bridges look like delightful miniatures in a train set.
West Ridge Trail’s final stretch passes by the observatory at the worthwhile Chabot Space & Science Center (10000 Skyline Blvd., 510/336-7373, www.chabotspace.org, 10am-5pm Wed.-Sun., $18 adults). The last mile is a delightfully easy cruise back to Skyline Gate through a shady forest of bay laurel, madrone, and Monterey pine. Watch for peekaboo views of monolithic Mount Diablo through the trees.
A very pleasant section of the East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail runs from the Skyline Gate Staging Area at Redwood Regional Park to Bort Meadow in Anthony Chabot Regional Park (9999 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org, 8am-10pm daily). With a car shuttle, you can hike this 7.8-mile one-way distance. Most hikers follow the route by starting out on West Ridge Trail and then cutting off on French Trail and following it through the redwoods until it rejoins West Ridge Trail. At the MacDonald Gate Staging Area, you follow MacDonald Trail up to a high ridge above Grass Valley and then down to Bort Meadow.
From I-580 in Oakland, take the 35th Avenue exit and turn north. Drive 2.4 miles (35th Avenue becomes Redwood Road). Turn left on Skyline Boulevard and drive 3.7 miles to the Skyline Gate Staging Area. (Skyline Boulevard makes a sharp right turn after the first 0.5 mile.) The staging area is located at the intersection of Skyline and Pine Hills Drive.
Public transportation: AC Transit Bus #60 stops at Moon Gate at Redwood Regional Park. The final mile of this loop, West Ridge Trail, runs right past Moon Gate. For AC Transit information, phone 510/891-4777 or visit www.actransit.org.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°83172’ W 122°18548’
Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, San Ramon
Distance: 6.8 miles round-trip
Duration: 3.5 hours
Elevation Change: 1,200 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists (fire roads only), leashed dogs
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: A map is available at the visitors center or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
A hidden canyon tucked amid burgeoning development offers surprising tranquility and a healthy hill climb.
If you have some energy to burn, Las Trampas is a great place to tromp around. Quite simply, all trails at Las Trampas go up. The park is composed of two parallel ridges—Rocky Ridge and Las Trampas Ridge—bisected by Bollinger Creek. The park road and its many trailheads lie along the creek canyon, which means that no matter where you start hiking, sooner or later you have to climb one of the ridges.
But no matter—the rewards for doing so are great. An interesting 6.8-mile loop hike can be taken on the park’s western ridge, Rocky Ridge. Starting from the end of Bollinger Canyon Road at the main staging area, you hike uphill on paved Rocky Ridge Road. Don’t let the pavement discourage you; you leave it shortly. The ascent is a bit steep, but if you turn around to catch your breath about 0.25 mile up the trail, you see the summit of Mount Diablo poking up over the park’s eastern ridge, Las Trampas.
At 0.5 mile up the trail, two single-track trails meet up with the paved trail, one shortly after the other. Take the upper trail, signed as Rocky Ridge Trail. You’ve climbed to nearly 2,000 feet in elevation. From this high ridgetop, the interstate sounds like a distant rumble, but mostly your ears are filled with the whistling of wind in the rye grass. Bald Rocky Ridge is covered with grasslands, while parallel Las Trampas Ridge is lined with chaparral and bay laurel. In spring, Rocky Ridge’s grasslands are littered with ubiquitous poppies, blue-eyed grass, and brodiaea. The ridgetop winds are fierce, but the grassland flowers are tenacious. Like the willow tree, they have learned to bend in the breeze. Bright yellow mule’s ears and purple nonnative thistles add to the show.
Rocky Ridge delivers big views of the East Bay’s wildlands.
At the next junction, take Upper Trail. (A gate on your right leads through East Bay Municipal Utility District lands; the area can be hiked only with a permit.) Follow Upper Trail south along the ridge. On your left, you look down at the park’s stables, buildings, and road. To your right is a barbed-wire fence. But have patience; in a few minutes the fence disappears, and you gain far-reaching views to the west and south. The large water body in the foreground is Upper San Leandro Reservoir. Your vista takes in the East Bay and extends down the Peninsula. To the west, views expand across San Francisco Bay to Mount Tamalpais in Marin.
A few scattered bay laurel trees grow along the top of the ridge, their lower limbs wrapped tightly around sandstone rocks. The closer you look at them, the more impossible it becomes to tell whether the trees grew over the rocks or whether the rocks grew out of the trees.
Take the right turnoff for Sycamore Trail downhill and then up again toward the huge rock outcrop 0.25 mile away. As you approach it, leave the trail and scramble up the formation to explore its wind-sculpted caves. Exercise caution—the outcrop is jealously guarded by clumps of poison oak and bay laurel. Note the rock’s many varieties of colorful lichen in bright shades of orange, green, and gray. With some careful maneuvering, you can climb all the way to its summit, where you are presented with far-reaching views, a headstrong wind, and a great place for lunch. All you can see from here is wildland—no buildings, roads, or anything “civilized.”
Continue on Sycamore Trail (it is often quite narrow and overgrown with grasses) for another mile to Devil’s Hole on Cull Creek. Set in a box canyon, Devil’s Hole’s rock-lined cascades are a delightful sight after a period of rain. Sycamore, bay laurel, and live oaks shade the stream. Then take signed Devil’s Hole Trail steeply back uphill to Upper Trail. Hike southward on Upper Trail for another third of a mile; views range to the south toward Livermore. Keep watching on your right for what appears to be a low rock wall. Examine its rocks closely for embedded clamshells, proof positive that this area was once undersea. (This also explains the sandstone on top of the ridge.)
The most direct route back to the parking area is to loop back on Elderberry Trail. But cows often graze along this trail, and if that insults your wilderness sensibilities, backtrack on Upper Trail for 0.5 mile to single-track Cuesta Trail. Then take Cuesta Trail back downhill to paved Rocky Ridge Road. Spring wildflowers are abundant in the grasslands surrounding Cuesta Trail.
From the same staging area, head straight on Bollinger Canyon Trail and climb steeply up to Las Trampas Peak, elevation 1,827 feet (bear left on Las Trampas Trail at 1.2 miles and then continue another 0.5 mile to the summit). The highest point on Las Trampas Ridge, Las Trampas Peak provides first-rate views of Mount Diablo, Carquinez Strait, and Ygnacio and San Ramon Valleys. Make your return a semi-loop by following Las Trampas Trail past 1,787-foot Vail Peak (more views) to Chamise Trail.
From I-680 in San Ramon, take the Crow Canyon Road exit west. Drive 1.3 miles to Bollinger Canyon Road and then turn right (north). Drive 4.5 miles on Bollinger Canyon Road to its end at the main parking area at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. (Go past the stables and the Little Hills Picnic Ranch.)
Or, from I-580 in Castro Valley, take Crow Canyon Road north to Bollinger Canyon Road. Turn left (north) on Bollinger Canyon Road and proceed as described earlier.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°81587’ W 122°04983’
Mount Diablo State Park, Walnut Creek
Best: Waterfalls
Distance: 7 miles round-trip
Duration: 3.5 hours
Elevation Change: 1,100 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists (fire roads only)
Season: Winter and spring
Passes/Fees: None (if using Regency Drive Trailhead)
Maps: A park map is available at www.parks.ca.gov.
Contact: Mount Diablo State Park, 96 Mitchell Canyon Rd., Clayton, 925/837-2525 or 925/837-6119, www.mdia.org or www.parks.ca.gov
A moderate hike leads to a series of surprising waterfalls on the brush-covered slopes of Mount Diablo’s less visited side.
Waterfalls on Mount Diablo? It may be hard to believe, but in the rainy season a hike along the back side of this rugged, arid mountain reveals half a dozen gushing cascades. Scattered along the hillsides on two forks of Donner Creek, the falls drop in a canyon that is notoriously dry, steep, and hot as Hades most of the year. After a good rain, though, it’s water, water everywhere.
Luckily, even if the falls aren’t flowing, a hike through Mount Diablo’s Back and Donner Canyons is a pleasure on any day except for the hottest days of summer. Unlike many of Mount Diablo’s trails, this 7-mile loop follows single-track paths most of the way, weaving in and out of the mountain’s deep northern canyons. Diablo’s fascinating geology and vegetation are close at hand.
The trailhead is located at the end of Regency Drive, a suburban neighborhood in Clayton. (You don’t have to pay the state park day-use fee here.) Walk down to Donner Creek beyond the street barrier and through the gated park boundary. Take the fire road on the right signed as Back Creek Road. (Or follow its neighboring single-track trail, which soon rejoins Back Creek Road.)
Although the hike begins in grasslands and oaks, it doesn’t stay that way for long. In 0.5 mile, Back Creek Road meets up with its namesake stream, and shortly thereafter the road narrows to single-track. As soon as the trail drops down to proper hiking width, the vegetation closes in. Back Creek Trail climbs gently but steadily amid eroded rock formations and dense stands of sage, toyon, yerba santa, and monkeyflower, heading due south toward the mountain’s summit. Watch for an abandoned mine tunnel, only a few feet deep, on the left side of the trail.
At the point where the canyon divides, turn left on Meridian Point Trail and climb more steeply through chaparral until the path tops out at Meridian Point. From the high overlook at this junction with Meridian Ridge Road, you gain a wide view of the town of Clayton and a glimpse of Suisun Bay to the northwest.
Follow Meridian Ridge Road downhill for 0.25 mile to single-track Middle Trail. Turn right on Middle Trail; you’ve left Back Canyon and are now entering Donner Canyon. The steep buttress of Mount Diablo’s North Peak towers above, at 3,557 feet.
Watch for the left turnoff for Falls Trail and then follow this rough, narrower trail for 1.25 miles as it winds along the steep slopes of Donner Creek. Whereas Back Creek is only a small stream, Donner Creek can become a wide torrent during the rainy season. Where the loop trail reaches its southernmost point and starts to curve to the northeast, you cross a fork of Donner Creek and start seeing waterfalls. Most are about 20 feet high, although one impressive 30-foot free fall drops over jagged, red-brown rock. The trail stays about 100 feet distant from the cascades, so you don’t get to admire them up close. You do get the extraordinary experience of seeing as many as five waterfalls at once in a very small area.
Mount Diablo’s multiple waterfalls are a pleasant surprise in the winter months.
Note the occasional foothill pines along Falls Trail; their cones are extremely dense and can weigh up to four pounds. Among the eroding rock formations, you find scattered juniper trees bearing bright blue winterberries.
Where Falls Trail crosses the eastern fork of Donner Creek, the cascades are left behind. Watch out for steep drop-offs as you hike downhill out of Donner Canyon, enjoying more northward views of Clayton and Suisun Bay.
At Falls Trail’s end, turn left on Cardinet Oaks Road. You make five knee-jarring, steep switchbacks downhill, cross Donner Creek again, and then turn right on Donner Canyon Road at Cardinet Junction. To finish out your hike, simply follow Donner Canyon Road all the way back to the trailhead. Or, a better option is to turn right on single-track Hetherington Loop Trail. This narrow path tunnels through bay laurel trees and skirts Donner Creek, eventually returning you to Donner Canyon Road. Then it’s a level stroll through pastoral oaks, buckeyes, and grasslands back to the Regency Drive trailhead.
Another first-rate destination that is accessible from the Regency Drive Trailhead is Mount Olympia, a rugged rock outcrop with captivating views. Follow Donner Canyon Road to Middle Trail and then take Middle Trail to Prospectors Gap Road. Turn left and climb steeply until you reach Prospectors Gap. There, turn left and follow North Peak Road and then North Peak Trail to 2,946-foot Mount Olympia. Loop back on zigzagging Mount Olympia Road to Cardinet Oaks Road, which brings you back to Donner Canyon Road. This trip isn’t for the faint of heart, however: It’s a challenging 9.9-mile hike with approximately 3,000 feet of elevation gain.
From I-680 heading north in Walnut Creek, take the Ygnacio Valley Road exit. Drive east on Ygnacio Valley Road for 7.5 miles to Clayton Road. Turn right on Clayton Road and drive 2.9 miles (it becomes Marsh Creek Road, but don’t turn right at the sign for Marsh Creek Road) to Regency Drive. Turn right and drive 0.5 mile to the end of the road and the trailhead.
Or, from I-680 heading south in Walnut Creek, take the Treat Boulevard exit and go east. In 1 mile, turn right on Bancroft Road. In another mile, turn left on Ygnacio Valley Road and drive 5 miles to Clayton Road. Continue as described.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°92207’ W 121°92700’
Mount Diablo State Park, between Danville and Walnut Creek
Best: Peak Vistas
Distance: 10 miles round-trip
Duration: 5 hours
Elevation Change: 2,900 feet
Effort: Butt-Kicker
Users: Hikers, cyclists (fire roads only)
Season: Winter and spring
Passes/Fees: $10 day-use per vehicle
Maps: A park map is available at the entrance station or at www.parks.ca.gov.
Hours: Park gates are open 8am-sunset daily, with reduced hours Wednesday and in winter.
Contact: Mount Diablo State Park, 96 Mitchell Canyon Rd., Clayton, 925/837-2525 or 925/837-6119, www.mdia.org or www.parks.ca.gov
For an unforgettable day, circumnavigate the tallest peak in the East Bay and visit its two neighboring summits, Eagle Peak and North Peak.
You’ll see the 3,849-foot Mount Diablo from just about everywhere in the Bay Area. It’s not the tallest mountain around San Francisco Bay (Mount Hamilton near San Jose is 360 feet taller), but it just has a way of making its presence known, looming in the background of the lives of millions of East Bay residents.
Before you start climbing, start at the top. Drive to the summit and see what it’s like to look at the greater Bay Area from Mount Diablo rather than vice versa. Park as close to the top as possible and then walk up to the Summit Visitor Center, a 1930s stone building with a 360-degree vista from its observation deck. On the clearest days, you can see all the way to the Sierra Nevada and Mount Lassen. Inside the building, a museum offers a variety of fascinating exhibits (925/837-6119, 10 am-4 pm daily).
After being thoroughly wowed by the summit view, you’ll be motivated to hike this 10-mile loop around the peak, which adds in two side trips to equally inspiring Eagle Peak and North Peak. The route includes substantial ups and downs, but the rewards include sweeping views and an astonishing variety of mountain flora.
Drive back downhill to Juniper Campground, park outside the camp, and walk through it to access Deer Flat Road. Head out on the wide fire road and enjoy immediate vistas to the west. On good days, San Francisco is clearly visible. With luck, you’re hiking in spring, when the grassland wildflowers explode in color. Poppies and lupine headline the show. As you circumnavigate the mountain through a variety of terrain, different flowers show themselves. Lucky hikers spot Mount Diablo fairy lanterns, which grow nowhere else in the world. They have yellow, waxy-looking, nodding heads on stalks about five inches high. More prevalent are bright yellow narrowleaf goldenbush, purple hooker’s onions (brodiaea), purple fields of clarkia, red larkspur, and delicate mariposa lilies. If you visit after the March-May flower season has passed, you still have California laurel, magnificent oaks, and foothill pines to keep you company along the trail.
Bear right at the road’s first junction and go onto Meridian Ridge Trail at 0.75 mile out. The descent steepens, and in another 0.75 mile, you reach oak-shaded Deer Flat. (It’s marked by the junction where Mitchell Canyon Road heads off to the left.) In springtime, look for patches of light blue bird’s eye gilia. In any season, watch and listen for the wealth of birdlife at Deer Flat.
Keep heading downhill on Meridian Ridge Trail, entering a canyon filled with ceanothus and bay trees. Cross tiny Deer Flat Creek and your downhill stint has ended; you are climbing for the next few miles.
A hiker conquers the Mount Diablo Grand Loop.
At Murchio Gap, take the Eagle Peak Trail left for an out-and-back 0.8 mile to 2,369-foot Eagle Peak. The trail leads along the narrow backbone of Bald Ridge with steep drop-offs on both sides and wide views all the way. Many hikers consider this stretch to be the best part of the entire loop. From Eagle Peak’s rocky summit, most impressive are the vistas of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta, Honker Bay, and Suisun Bay. Mount Diablo’s North Peak, which you soon visit, appears as an imposing pinnacle. Leave a note in the summit register and then retrace your steps to Murchio Gap.
At the gap, take your pick between following both Meridian Ridge Road and Prospectors Gap Trail or single-track Bald Ridge Trail (on the far side of the road). Both routes make their way to Prospectors Gap near North Peak. Bald Ridge Trail has many steep up-and-down sections with loose, rocky soil, so if you aren’t wearing your best hiking boots, stay on the fire road. But the narrow trail does pass some fascinating serpentine outcrops and dense groves of manzanita. Just above the distinct saddle at Prospectors Gap, you gain an interesting view of the rock quarries north of the park, the bays and delta, and the towns of Antioch and Pittsburg. At the gap, you have open views to the east and west.
If you have the energy, take North Peak Road from Prospectors Gap out and back 0.8 mile to North Peak. Mount Diablo has two summits: the main one with the paved road to the top and North Peak, which is 292 feet shorter, at 3,557 feet. If it’s a clear day, North Peak is your best bet for catching a glimpse of the Sierra.
Then follow single-track North Peak Trail to the right (south), along the rocky eastern slope of Mount Diablo. This is a particularly good area for spring wildflowers. The trail weaves in and out of chaparral and grasslands, interspersed with scraggly looking foothill pines. Views extend southwest to the windmills in Livermore and east to the Central Valley. You pass directly below the large rock outcrop called Devil’s Pulpit on Mount Diablo’s summit.
Where North Peak Trail ends at the paved park road, take Summit Trail uphill to the Lower Summit parking lot and then follow Juniper Trail downhill for 1 mile back to your car. Or, if you’re tired of climbing by the time you reach the park road, just follow the road downhill for a mile.
There are two important elements to keep in mind when hiking at Mount Diablo: First, carry plenty of water with you. Second, never hike in the blazing afternoon heat of summer. The best seasons to visit are winter, when you may be surprised to find snow on the summit, and spring, when the grasses are green and the wildflowers put on their show. Mount Diablo’s sunsets, sunrises, and moonrises are spectacular in any season.
This trail can be made shorter and easier by skipping the two side trips to Eagle Peak and North Peak. This omission shaves 3.2 miles and 1,200 feet of elevation gain off your round-trip. However, if you don’t want to miss the exciting hogback trail to Eagle Peak, you can hike there and back following the trail described. A turnaround at its scenic summit (instead of continuing on the loop) makes a 6.3-mile round-trip.
From I-680 at Danville, take the Diablo Road exit and head east. Follow Diablo Road for 2.9 miles (you must turn right at 0.7 mile to stay on Diablo Road). At a stop sign at Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, turn left. Drive 3.7 miles on Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard (it becomes South Gate Road) to the park’s southern entrance station. Continue to the junction with Summit Road and then turn right and drive to the summit (a total of 7.3 miles). After visiting the summit, drive back down Summit Road for 2.5 miles to Juniper Campground and Laurel Nook Picnic Area. Park outside the campground in the wide turnout along the road and then walk through the camp to pick up Mitchell Canyon/Deer Flat Road at its far end, near site 23.
Alternatively, from I-680 in Walnut Creek, take the Treat Boulevard exit and go east for 1.2 miles. Turn right on Bancroft Road, which crosses Ygnacio Valley Road and becomes Walnut Avenue. Drive 1.6 miles on Walnut Avenue and then turn right on Oak Grove Road. Turn left immediately on North Gate Road and continue to the junction with Summit Road. Turn left and drive to the summit (a total of 12 miles).
GPS Coordinates: N 37°87652’ W 121°93109’
Mount Diablo State Park, Danville
Best: Bird-Watching
Distance: 3.5 miles round-trip
Duration: 1.5 hours
Elevation Change: 500 feet
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers, cyclists (fire roads only), dogs (Rock City picnic area only)
Season: Winter and spring
Passes/Fees: $10 day-use per vehicle
Maps: A park map is available at the entrance station and summit visitors center or at www.parks.ca.gov.
Contact: Mount Diablo State Park, 96 Mitchell Canyon Rd., Clayton, 925/837-2525 or 925/837-6119, www.mdia.org or www.parks.ca.gov
A playground of sandstone rock formations awaits exploration on the slopes of Mount Diablo.
If you’re a kid or a kid at heart, you’ll love Rock City in Mount Diablo State Park. Set among clusters of tall manzanita, foothill pines, madrones, and live oaks, Rock City is a jumble of eroded sandstone outcroppings that form a playground for hikers and rock climbers.
Rock City was formed 40-50 million years ago during the Eocene period, when Mount Diablo was buried under a great sea. Eventually the waters receded, and the sand that was left behind hardened into a ridge of rocks that was exposed during the more recent growth of Mount Diablo. This rocky ridge has been weathered and eroded by centuries of wind and rain, creating oddly shaped boulders with small caves and Swiss cheese-style holes. They’re fun to look at and easy to photograph.
Rock City’s boulders ignite the imagination. It isn’t long before you notice that one rock resembles a barking sea lion, another looks like an elephant, and still another imitates a hippopotamus. Many paths wind over and around the sculpted rock formations, so you can just explore without having to follow a set trail.
Most visitors find their way to Sentinel Rock, a tall pinnacle of sandstone with stairsteps leading to its summit. Because the rock’s drop-offs are quite steep, the park has installed steel cables along the stairsteps and at the summit. No, it’s not Half Dome, but it’s a fun climb to the top, from which you tower over the live oaks and foothill pines in the valley below. Sentinel Rock is located about 0.25 mile from the main Rock City parking lot, heading in a northwest direction through numerous other wind-sculpted boulders. Another 0.25 mile beyond Sentinel Rock are the Wind Caves, a ridge of tan-colored rocks riddled with holes and caverns.
on top of Sentinel Rock
If you find yourself feeling annoyed at the hundreds of names and initials carved into the soft sandstone, take heart: This sandstone is so soft that the graffiti wears off in a few decades.
Hikers who yearn to walk farther than the short paths in Rock City can set out on Wall Point Road for a 3-mile round-trip to the summit of Wall Point. Wall Point Road is visible from various points in Rock City; it’s the wide fire road leading northwest (on your right as you head to Sentinel Rock). If you follow the spiderweb of paths heading west from Sentinel Rock, you eventually end up on one that connects to the fire road. If you don’t find your way, just head back to the Rock City parking lot and then walk 100 yards north on the main park road. Across from the ranger’s residence, on the west side of the road, is the start of Wall Point Road.
The trail starts out mostly level and offers views of Sentinel Rock, Rock City, and “real” cities far to the west. In just under a mile, you reach a saddle with a view over Dan Cook Canyon to the south. A half mile of climbing leads to the road’s high point near the peak of bald Wall Point. Masses of poison oak guard a narrow use trail that leads to its summit; take it if you dare.
Birders, bring your binoculars for this walk: Wall Point is considered to be one of the best birding spots on the mountain.
Anyone looking for a short and easy trail on Mount Diablo shouldn’t miss the Fire Interpretive Trail at the mountain’s summit. From Rock City, continue uphill to park headquarters, turn right on Summit Road, and head for the trailhead on the north side of the road above the lower summit parking lot. This 0.7-mile loop circles the summit with only the slightest of climbs. As you might expect, the trail serves up nonstop views of miles of Northern California terrain far, far below. Rock outcrops and wildflowers along the trail also hold your interest.
From I-680 at Danville, take the Diablo Road exit and head east. Follow Diablo Road for 2.9 miles (you must turn right at 0.7 mile to stay on Diablo Road). At a stop sign at Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, turn left. Drive 3.7 miles on Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard (it becomes South Gate Road) to the park’s southern entrance station. Continue 0.8 mile farther to the Rock City parking area on the left, signed as Rock City/Live Oak. Park in any of the main picnic area parking lots and begin hiking at the sign for Big Rock, Sentinel Rock, and Wind Caves. Or, walk up the paved loop road to campsite 20; a trail begins just behind it.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°84846’ W 121°93185’
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, Antioch
Distance: 2.5 miles round-trip
Duration: 2 hours
Elevation Change: 400 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists (fire roads only), leashed dogs ($2)
Season: March-November
Passes/Fees: $5 day-use per vehicle on weekends and holidays
Maps: A map is available at the entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Wander through a little-known slice of East Bay history on this fascinating walk through Black Diamond’s cemetery.
From 1860 to 1906, the Mount Diablo Coal Field was the largest coal-mining district in California. Located near present-day Antioch in what is now Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, this productive coalfield on the northern side of Mount Diablo prompted the digging of 12 major mines and the growth of five townships. Nearly four million tons of coal was extracted from the earth in fewer than 50 years. Much of this mining history, and a large acreage of rolling grassland hills and chaparral-clad slopes, is preserved at Black Diamond Mines.
A good introduction to the park can be gained by hiking the Nortonville Trail to a preserved pioneer cemetery and then looping back on Black Diamond Trail, Manhattan Canyon Trail, and Chaparral Loop Trail for a sampling of the region’s native flora.
From the parking lot at the end of Somersville Road, begin hiking on Nortonville Trail, a wide paved road that’s an extension of the road you drove in on. Head toward the picnic area and then bear right at the fork just before it. The trail is a wide dirt road leading uphill to Rose Hill Cemetery. You are in the old town site of Somersville, which extended throughout this basin from the area of the present-day parking lot to Rose Hill. What was once a thriving mining town is now just a large open area.
headstone at Rose Hill Cemetery
Leave the trail to explore inside the cemetery’s fence. Most of the graves are from the late 1800s, and most of the dead are Welsh. Although the Mount Diablo miners and their families came from all over the world, Rose Hill Cemetery was a Protestant graveyard. Some of the epitaphs are still visible, such as this one: “Tis God lifts our comforts high or sinks them in the grave. He gives and when he takes away, he takes but what he gave.”
When you’ve explored enough, exit the cemetery on its far side and rejoin the dirt road, continuing your uphill climb through wide-open grasslands. The native grasses bloom in spring with annual wildflowers, such as owl’s clover and brodiaea. Turn left on Black Diamond Trail and note the views you’re gaining to the north of Suisun Bay. Piles of mine tailings are visible along the hillsides. Where the trail starts to descend, watch for a single-track path on the left signed to Manhattan Canyon Trail. (Take the second cutoff, not the first.) This narrow trail makes several tight, steep switchbacks downhill until it junctions with Chaparral Loop Trail. Turn right on Chaparral Loop, a steep roller-coaster trail with a few uphill stretches that raise your heart rate. You stroll among the good company of manzanita and monkeyflower. A few coulter pines make an appearance here; they are at the northernmost edge of their range.
At a junction with Ridge Trail, consider a short out-and-back (and uphill) jaunt to gain some impressive views of Mount Diablo. Take any of the short spurs off the Ridge Trail to reach the best viewpoints. To the north, you have more wide views of Carquinez Strait and Suisun Bay, and you can look back west to the graveyard on the hill. With a stiff breeze blowing through the ridge’s pines, this could be an excellent place for a picnic. Return to Chaparral Loop Trail and turn right to return to the parking lot.
On weekends only from March to November of each year, two portals to the past are open at Black Diamond Mines. One is the Greathouse Visitor Center (10am-4:30pm), located in an underground chamber excavated by the silica-sand miners in the 1920s, which contains old photographs, displays, and artifacts from this region’s mining era. The other is the Hazel-Atlas Mine, which mined silica sand to make jars, bottles, and glasses. Visitors can tour the mine with a ranger or docent (weekends Mar.-Nov., reservations recommended, $5 per person). You’ll walk 800 feet into the mine to see ore chutes, the boss’s office, and other mine workings. To reserve your spot on a tour, phone 510/544-2750 or visit www.ebparksonline.org.
From Highway 4 in Antioch, take the Somersville Road exit south. Drive 3.8 miles on Somersville Road to the end of the road and the trailhead. (You pass the park entrance kiosk at 3 miles and then continue another 0.75 mile to the trailhead.)
GPS Coordinates: N 37°95846’ W 121°86331’
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, Antioch
Best: Short Backpacking Trips
Distance: 7 miles round-trip
Duration: 3.5 hours
Elevation Change: 1,500 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists (fire roads only), leashed dogs ($2)
Season: March-November
Passes/Fees: $5 day-use per vehicle on weekends and holidays
Maps: A map is available at the entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Some steep ups and downs lead to an 1860s mining tunnel and big views of Carquinez Strait.
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is a strange mix of elements—human history combined with natural history, wild green hills juxtaposed with industrial complexes north of the park, rare species of plants commingled with nonnative flora planted by settlers in the late 1800s. The 3,700-acre park has many moods and puts on different faces in changing seasons and weather conditions. This 7-mile loop reveals some of its highlights and adds some good exercise to the bargain.
Begin your trip at the trailhead at the end of Somersville Road. Take the paved road from the gate at the parking lot, walk about 50 yards, and then turn left on signed Stewartville Trail. Named for one of the coal-mining towns that thrived in this area in the late 1800s, Stewartville Trail is a wide dirt road that climbs moderately and steadily uphill. As you hike through open grasslands, you pass some nonnative trees that the miners planted—pepper, eucalyptus, almond, and locust. The almond trees produce fragrant flowers in the spring.
A 0.5-mile climb brings you to a cattle gate at a high point on Stewartville Trail. Go through the gate and admire the deep, green, grassy valley below you. The good news is that you’re going to hike into that bucolic valley; the bad news is that you’re then going to have to climb back out of it. On the far side of the gate, turn right to stay on Stewartville Trail. (The return of your loop is Ridge Trail, on your left.) Mount Diablo looms large to the south.
As you start to descend, watch for the single-track cutoff for Miners Trail; bear left on this trail and leave the wide roads behind. Miners Trail is a narrow, well-built footpath that descends along the shoulder of the canyon wall, cutting across its steep slope. It leads through a surprising grove of gnarled foothill pines and coulter pines. Black Diamond Mines Preserve is noted as the northernmost location of coulter pines, black sage, desert olive, and dudleya.
Where Miners Trail touches down to the valley floor, continue straight ahead to rejoin Stewartville Trail. Down in this valley, you hear nothing but wind and the sound of your own breathing. It’s hard to imagine that this wide-open space was once the site of a bustling community.
The open, exposed hills of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve make it easy to see where you’re heading.
Bear left on wide Stewartville Trail. In 0.5 mile, you pass Stewartville Trail Camp, a hike-in camp that can be reserved by individuals or groups who are willing to hike, bike, or ride horses into the camp. At a junction with single-track Star Mine Trail, consider adding on a 1.5-mile loop trip to see the closed-off tunnel of Star Mine, one of the last active coal mines in the area. (The loop brings you back to Stewartville Trail.) Or continue straight ahead for 0.25 mile, passing an outcropping of colorful boulders that is lined with swallow’s nests, to the left turnoff for Prospect Tunnel.
The tunnel’s spur trail leads a few hundred yards to an obvious opening in the hillside. You can explore about 150 feet into the mine shaft before you reach a steel gate. The air inside its sandstone walls is a little musty, but always cool. Tall hikers have to duck their heads. Daylight penetrates the entrance, but a flashlight is necessary if you want to travel more than a few feet. The tunnel was driven in the 1860s by miners in search of coal (“black diamonds”).
Back on the main path, follow Stewartville Trail for nearly a mile farther, climbing gently, and then make a sharp left turn on Ridge Trail. You’re leaving the valley now and beginning the steep ascent back to the trailhead. The roller-coaster Ridge Trail dips down occasionally but more often rises steeply. The climb is eased by the sudden appearance of views to the north of Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, Pittsburg, and Antioch.
When at last Ridge Trail returns you to the gate at Stewartville Trail, consider a rest on the bench by the gate. Once again, pause to admire the green valley below. Then it’s an easy 0.5-mile stroll back down Stewartville Trail to the trailhead.
Sometimes you just don’t want to see another human, and that’s not always easy to do in the San Francisco Bay Area. But there’s a hiking trail in Black Diamond Mines that is rarely visited because it’s not in the main trail region of the park. The loop is a figure eight around Lougher Ridge, and it begins behind a park residence across the road from the main park office. If you hike just the outside of the figure eight, it’s a 3-mile loop, but one of the best areas is the cross section, which provides high views from a 1,100-foot ridge. What’s so great about Lougher Ridge Loop? Grasslands, spring wildflowers, Carquinez Strait views, and, most important, solitude.
From Highway 4 in Antioch, take the Somersville Road exit south. Drive 3.8 miles south on Somersville Road to the end of the road and the trailhead. (You pass the park entrance kiosk at 3 miles and then continue another 0.75 mile to the trailhead.)
GPS Coordinates: N 37°95846’ W 121°86331’
Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, between Livermore and Walnut Creek
Best: Wildflower Displays
Distance: 7 miles round-trip
Duration: 3.5 hours
Elevation Change: 1,200 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, cyclists, leashed dogs
Season: Fall, winter, and spring
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: Trail maps are available at the trailhead or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
A varied loop in the green hills of Morgan Territory offers expansive views, a walk through oak woodlands, and myriad spring wildflowers.
Morgan Territory—even the name sounds wild, like a holdover from the Old West. If you’re wondering whether anything wild could still exist in Contra Costa County, wonder no more. The drive to the trailhead is a trip in itself. First, make sure you are traveling in the cooler months of the year, because the open hills around Livermore bake in the summer. (If you’re visiting in the warm season, make sure you arrive very early in the morning.) Follow narrow, winding Morgan Territory Road north of Livermore to the preserve’s main trailhead. Try not to get so wowed by the views that you drive right off the curvy road. Watch for cars coming the opposite way; the road is so narrow that usually somebody has to pull over to let the other car pass.
At the trailhead parking lot, you’ve climbed to 1,900 feet in elevation. (Well, your car has.) You’re greeted by grassy hillsides and usually a fair breeze. Pick up a free trail map and follow Volvon Trail uphill and through a cattle gate. This first climb allows for no warm-up, but the trail mellows at the top.
After 0.5 mile on Volvon Trail, bear right on Blue Oak Trail and prepare yourself for a few glimpses of the San Joaquin Valley far to the east. When you aren’t facing east, you have great views of Mount Diablo to the west. (Now that’s a change for Bay Area residents—seeing Mount Diablo in the west.) The dirt road rolls gently up and down small hills. The ruts and holes underfoot are caused by the trampling feet of cattle. You are likely to see a few bovines somewhere along the path. If you’re lucky, you may see a few deer as well, or maybe a coyote.
True to its name, Blue Oak Trail features some magnificent oak trees, interspersed with rocks coated with colorful lichens. Dozens of spots invite you to throw down your day pack, wander among the trees, and spread out a picnic. This is especially true if you’re visiting during the wildflower bloom. More than 90 flower species blossom along Morgan Territory’s grassy hillsides, creating an unforgettable sight in good wildflower years. The most common flowers are California poppies, brodiaea, blue-eyed grass, mariposa lilies, elegant clarkia, and larkspur. This is oak woodlands, so there are lots of woodpeckers and songbirds, but this is also prime raptor country.
Stay on Blue Oak Trail for 1.3 miles until you reach a cattle gate at a portable toilet. Go through the cattle gate and turn right on Valley View Trail. (The path straight ahead is the return of your loop.) A rather quick and steep descent on Valley View Trail leads you to remarkable views to the east of the San Joaquin Valley. On the clearest days, the snowcapped Sierra Nevada can be seen far beyond, more than 100 miles away. Mount Diablo shows its face to the west, and Mount St. Helena in Napa appears to the north. After relishing the vista, turn right on Volvon Loop Trail to start your return, climbing back uphill to the cattle gate. From there you have an easy hike on Volvon Trail all the way back to the trailhead and parking lot.
A couple of tips: One, pick a cool day. Two, make sure you take one of the park’s free trail maps (or download one before you set out from home) to help negotiate your way through numerous junctions. This park is huge—more than 4,000 acres. And three, carry plenty of water and a suitable picnic to spread out under the shade of the biggest oak you can find.
This East Bay park is also one of the best parks for bird-watching year-round and wildflower-viewing in the spring. Los Vaqueros Reservoir is located southeast of Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. You can hike from one park to the other, or you can drive to Los Vaqueros’s two main trailheads and staging areas. One is at the north end of Los Vaqueros Road, off Vasco Road in Livermore; the other is at the south end of Walnut Boulevard near Brentwood. First-timers should stop in at the interpretive center off Walnut Boulevard. The huge reservoir’s western and northern shores are laced with 55 miles of hiking trails. Fishing is also popular.
Morgan Territory’s trails are mostly wide ranch roads bordered by grasslands and oaks.
From I-580 in Livermore, take the North Livermore Avenue exit and turn left (north). Drive north for 4.3 miles and then turn right on Morgan Territory Road. Drive 5.7 miles to the entrance to Morgan Territory Preserve on the right. (The road is narrow and steep.)
Or, from I-680 heading north in Walnut Creek, take the Ygnacio Valley Road exit and drive east for 7.5 miles to Clayton Road. Turn right on Clayton Road. In the town of Clayton, Clayton Road becomes Marsh Creek Road; continue east for about 5 miles and turn right (south) on Morgan Territory Road. Drive 9.5 miles to the entrance to Morgan Territory Preserve on the left.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°81844’ W 121°79587’
Round Valley Regional Preserve, between Livermore and Walnut Creek
Best: Wildlife-Watching
Distance: 6 miles round-trip
Duration: 3 hours
Elevation Change: 200 feet
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers, cyclists
Season: Spring
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: Maps are available at the trailhead parking area or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
This pleasant cool-weather trek winds through a pastoral park that serves as an important habitat for wildlife.
If you ever start to feel as though the East Bay is too crowded, too congested, or has too much concrete, take a trip a little farther east to the back side of Mount Diablo. Here, on the far eastern edge of the Bay Area, just before the bay’s geography converges with that of the San Joaquin Valley, are wide-open spaces, spring wildflowers, and stately valley oaks.
Welcome to Round Valley Regional Preserve, one of the newest additions to the East Bay Regional Park system. It’s the 2,000-acre home of nesting golden eagles, burrowing owls, chubby ground squirrels, and the endangered San Joaquin kit fox. In spring, the grassy hills of Round Valley turn a brilliant green and are sprinkled with grassland wildflowers. The small miracle of Round Valley Creek flows with unmodulated passion until late spring or early summer, when it drops to meager pools along the streambed. In midsummer, temperatures at Round Valley can soar to more than 100°F, so be sure to plan your visit for the cooler months.
From the preserve’s staging area, the trail starts out with a long bridge over Marsh Creek. At the far side of the bridge, turn right on Miwok Trail. Immediately, you face the only two sizable hills of the day. Hike up and over them and then relax—the remaining miles in the preserve are almost completely level.
In its first 0.5 mile, wide Miwok Trail meets up with Round Valley Creek. If you’ve timed your trip for winter or spring, the stream runs cool and clear alongside you for much of your hike.
You’ll notice the remains of old ranching equipment along the dirt trail. This land was farmed by the Murphy family from 1873 until 1988, when it was sold to the East Bay Regional Parks. Prior to the Murphys’ ownership, the Round Valley area was home to Native Americans, who probably used the land as a meeting and trading place between San Joaquin Valley tribes and East Bay hill tribes.
You’re bound to see dozens of chubby ground squirrels scurrying around the grasses and popping in and out of their burrows. These plentiful squirrels are a chief reason that golden eagles nest in Round Valley—they’re a critical part of the food chain. The squirrels’ burrow holes double as homes for other animals, such as burrowing owls.
Lucky hikers may spot an endangered San Joaquin kit fox. The tiny foxes are at the northern edge of their range in Round Valley. For the few remaining foxes, this land is rare and valuable habitat that could aid in the survival of their species.
Stay on Miwok Trail throughout the length of the preserve—almost 3 miles—and then turn right on Murphys Meadow Trail. In 1 mile, turn right again, remaining on Murphys Meadow Trail and looping back on the far side of Round Valley Creek. When you reach a junction with Fox Tail Trail in just under a mile, look for a good place to cross the creek (there is no formal trail). Miwok Trail is just on the other side, about 100 feet away. Cross the stream carefully, rejoin Miwok Trail, and turn left to head back to the trailhead.
Round Valley is a pastoral landscape of oaks and grasslands.
Round Valley Regional Preserve is also the staging area for one of the most exciting tours in the East Bay Regional Parks: a guided tour through Vasco Caves Regional Preserve, home to wind- and water-carved sandstone formations marked with Native American rock art, endangered plants and animals, vernal pools, and a landscape that has been visited by relatively few Bay Area hikers. A shuttle bus leaves from the Round Valley parking lot for the drive to Vasco Caves, where a naturalist guide leads tours to see the caves. Advance reservations are required; tours take place on Saturday and Sunday only (888/327-2757, www.ebparksonline.org, $30 East Bay resident, $34 non-resident).
From I-580 in Livermore, take the Vasco Road exit and drive north for 14 miles. Turn left (west) on Camino Diablo Road and drive 3.6 miles. Camino Diablo Road merges with Marsh Creek Road; continue 1.6 miles to the Round Valley parking area on the left.
Alternatively, from I-680 heading north in Walnut Creek, exit at Ygnacio Valley Road and drive east for 7.5 miles to Clayton Road. Turn right on Clayton Road. In the town of Clayton, Clayton Road becomes Marsh Creek Road; continue east past Morgan Territory Road and Deer Valley Road to the Round Valley parking area on the right. (It’s about 12 miles from Clayton.)
GPS Coordinates: N 37°86895’ W 121°75014’
Hayward Regional Shoreline, Hayward
Distance: 3.6 miles round-trip
Duration: 1.5 hours
Elevation Change: Negligible
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers, cyclists
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: None
Maps: A map is available at the trailhead or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Ponder the importance of San Francisco Bay to human beings and wildlife on this bird-rich stroll along the wetlands.
Hayward Regional Shoreline is a place to consider two things: wetlands and birds. A full appreciation of either requires more than a casual glance, and as you hike around the bay shore’s 3.6 miles of perfectly level, gravel trails, you have ample opportunity for slow, careful study.
Start your trip with a visit to the interpretive center at the trailhead and then take the wide dirt trail from the building’s back side. The path skirts along a freshwater marsh until it reaches the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. Although Highway 92 and the San Mateo Bridge are close by at the trail’s start, they are quickly left behind as the path heads northward. The San Francisco skyline can be seen across the water to the northwest.
As you walk, consider the wetlands around San Francisco Bay. Houses, factories, and roads have been built around most of the bay’s perimeter; concrete riprap lines much of the rest. Thousands of acres of bay marshes have been diked, drained, filled, dredged, and destroyed to build salt mines, carve out space for airports and highways, or create huge ports.
But despite the damage they have suffered, the bay’s wetlands are still the best friend the Bay Area could have. The many streams and waterways at the bay’s edge hold millions of gallons of water, protecting the area from flood damage during harsh winter storms. Much of the fish and shellfish people eat spend part of their lives in the bay’s wetland areas. In addition, at least one-third of the nation’s rare and endangered species are dependent on wetland areas, such as those around the bay, for nesting, feeding, or growing habitat. Without these wetlands, some endangered species would face extinction.
The coastal mudflats around San Francisco Bay have been reduced to 10 percent of their original size, and the bay’s salt marshes have been reduced to 15 percent of their original size. Although many people think these flat, mucky areas are suitable only for landfill, mudflats and salt marshes are among the most nutrient-rich and productive habitats on Earth.
That’s why some forward-thinking people got together in the 1970s to rebuild Hayward Shoreline. The area was dramatically altered in the 1850s, when dikes and levees were built to increase salt production. In the process, a huge expanse of wetlands became dry land. Only a generation ago, environmental engineers redesigned and reclaimed 400 acres of freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater marshes in one of the largest marsh restoration projects on the West Coast. Through careful science, humans tried to reconstruct what Mother Nature had originally made.
The effort is paying off. For starters, Hayward Regional Shoreline is now crawling with birds. Even the most novice bird-watcher strolling along the levees soon notices many distinct and varied species on the waterways. Tall, elegant great egrets share the mudflats with their smaller cousins, the snowy egret. Black-necked stilts race around on their remarkably long, thin, pink-red legs. Avocets use their distinctive curved bills to scoop through the nutrient-rich waters. Migrating ducks line the freshwater ponds and waterways. Other commonly seen species are terns, willets, cormorants, sandpipers, and pelicans. Perennial crowd-pleasers are the flocks of magnificent white pelicans, which are much larger than the more common brown pelicans.
After 1.2 miles of easy walking, with no trail junctions to distract you from your bird and wetland studies, you reach a fork in the trail. Bear left and cross the long footbridge. A short distance farther is a bench with a view of the water. Loop back on the trail to the right, which travels through restored Cogswell Marsh.
Hayward Shoreline puts you in intimate contact with the bay, but to the southeast lies a park that can take you almost 1,000 feet above it. At Garin Regional Park (1320 Garin Ave., off Hwy. 238, www.ebparks.org, hours vary), south of Hayward, the Vista Peak Loop curves past Vista Peak at 934 feet and Garin Peak at 948 feet. Both summits offer wide views of the East Bay and South Bay, where few other nearby landmarks attain this height. The Vista Peak Loop is a 1.6-mile loop that begins 0.5 mile from the parking lot, making a 2.6-mile round-trip.
From I-880 in Hayward, take the Highway 92 exit west. Drive 1.7 miles and take the Clawiter Road exit. Cross Clawiter Road and turn left immediately on Breakwater Road. Drive 1 mile on Breakwater Road to the Hayward Regional Shoreline interpretive center.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°62353’ W 122°13596’
Coyote Hills Regional Park, Newark
Best: Bird-Watching
Distance: 4.8 miles round-trip
Duration: 2.5 hours
Elevation Change: 200 feet
Effort: Easy
Users: Hikers, cyclists, leashed dogs ($2, not allowed in marsh area)
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: $5 day-use per vehicle
Maps: A map is available at the entrance kiosk and visitors center or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
The home of the Ohlone people for more than 2,000 years, Coyote Hills is now a place to enjoy bay and marsh views and abundant bird sightings.
If you ever have occasion to drive across the Dumbarton Bridge from the South Bay to the East Bay, a few things catch your attention—such as the huge electrical towers that straddle the water and the dismantled, decaying railroad bridge that parallels Dumbarton. The bay itself seems impossibly huge and blue in contrast to the density of the cities and freeways that surround it. But urban-weary eyes come to rest on the soft green knolls of Coyote Hills Regional Park. Situated on your left as you head east across the bay, the park’s tule marshes, creeks, and acres of grassland hills beckon you to pull off the freeway and explore.
A 1,000-acre patch of open space along the edge of San Francisco Bay, Coyote Hills was the homeland of the Ohlone tribe for more than 2,000 years. The Ohlone fished bay waters for food and cut willow branches along the creeks to build their homes. Today the park is a wildlife sanctuary, both a permanent home and a temporary rest stop for thousands of resident and migratory birds.
Binoculars are a worthwhile accessory for this trail, but many of the birds are so close that you don’t even need them. On one short walk at Coyote Hills, we watched a great egret stalk and catch a field mouse 20 yards from us before flying off with it in his beak. Moments later, a peregrine falcon soared overhead, shortly followed by a red-tailed hawk swooping and floating over the grasslands. In winter, great egrets and snowy egrets displaying exquisite white plumage are as common as human visitors to the park.
The park has a paved multiuse trail along its hillsides, allowing hikers, baby-stroller pushers, wheelchair users, and bikers access to breathtaking bay and marsh views. But hikers who prefer earthen paths to pavement won’t be disappointed. Red Hill Trail climbs to the top of the park’s grassy hills for panoramic views and a close-up look at some odd rock formations—outcrops of reddish-gold chert once part of the ocean floor.
It’s a park made for wandering, with or without a formal plan. Start your trip at the Coyote Hills Visitor Center (10am-4pm Wed.-Sun.), which has some interesting displays on the natural and cultural history of the area. Then follow the gated, paved road—Bayview Trail—heading north from the visitors center parking lot.
Boardwalks lead across the marsh at Coyote Hills.
Leave the pavement in 100 yards as you turn left on wide Nike Trail, heading toward the bay. In 0.25 mile, turn right on Red Hill Trail to begin a 2.3-mile loop on Red Hill and Bayview Trails. Hike up and over a grassy hill and then drop back down to the water’s edge. Rejoin paved Bayview Trail and stroll southward along the bay, only 50 feet above the water’s edge. After a full mile of nonstop views, you round Glider Hill and see the turnoff for Soaproot Trail. Turn left on Soaproot and then left again on Red Hill Trail to finish out your loop. As you hike to the top of Red Hill, consider the fact that when San Francisco Bay’s waters were higher (before dikes were built in the late 1800s), Red Hill and its neighboring hills were islands.
After exploring Red Hill and its red-colored rock formations, return to the junction with Nike Trail and retrace your steps to the visitors center parking lot. Then head off in the opposite direction, walking 50 yards south on the road you drove in on. Watch for a wooden boardwalk crossing the tule-lined marsh on your left. Follow the boardwalk through a labyrinth of tules, cattails, and sedges. (Children love this mazelike walk.) Where the marsh opens up, ducks and other waterfowl are easily spotted. The path leads to an Ohlone shell mound. The largest of four shell mounds in the park, this debris pile supplies archaeological proof that the Ohlone inhabited this area for at least 2,200 years.
If you enjoyed the bird-watching opportunities at Coyote Hills, head to neighboring Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (510/792-0222, www.fws.gov), on the south side of Highway 84 off Thornton Avenue. Two of the largest egret nesting colonies in Northern California are located at the refuge. Start your trip at the visitors center (10am-5pm Tues.-Sun.) and then set out on the signed trails that follow boardwalks above the bay’s tidal flats.
From I-880 in Newark, take Highway 84 west for 2 miles. Take the Paseo Padre Parkway exit, turn right (north) and drive 1 mile to Patterson Ranch Road. Turn left and drive 1.5 miles to the visitors center parking lot at Coyote Hills.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°55378’ W 122°09078’
Mission Peak Regional Preserve, Fremont
Best: Peak Vistas
Distance: 6.6 miles round-trip
Duration: 3.5 hours
Elevation Change: 2,000 feet
Effort: Strenuous
Users: Hikers, cyclists, leashed dogs
Season: Year-round
Passes/Fees: $5 day-use per vehicle
Maps: A map is available at the trailhead or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
A challenging hike to a popular summit near Fremont, where hang gliders soar past at eye level.
The grassy slopes of 2,517-foot Mission Peak are a requisite hike for outdoor lovers in Alameda County. On any sunny weekend day with good visibility, hundreds of East and South Bay residents make the pilgrimage to Mission Peak’s summit. At the top, they enjoy first-rate views of the South Bay, the northern Santa Cruz Mountains, the Peninsula, San Francisco, and even the summits of the Sierra Nevada. Along the way, they are entertained by colorful hang gliders and paragliders taking off from Mission Peak’s slopes and then soaring with the thermals high overhead.
The trail to Mission Peak is a wide, exposed fire road, so be sure to wear your sunscreen. Also, forget hiking on hot days: Some of the grades are quite steep, and with its shadeless slopes, the peak can bake in summer. Although the trail has a reputation for being a butt-kicker, it’s only 3.3 miles to the summit from the main Fremont trailhead, and even children can make the trip in cool weather. Just remember to bring along plenty of water and snacks and take your time.
One way to make the trip easier is to stay on the trail. Mission Peak Regional Preserve is lined with well-marked fire roads, including a section of the 31-mile Ohlone Wilderness Trail. But these roads diverge into a spiderweb of use trails, most of which cut the switchbacks and head straight up the mountain. Ignore the use trails and stay on the wide, signed, multiuse path to enjoy a much more pleasant grade up the mountain.
From the trailhead, start by taking the left fork, signed as Hidden Valley Trail and Ohlone Wilderness Trail. Almost immediately, you spot a parallel use trail on your left; it meets up with the main trail in less than a mile at a rocky outcrop with a wide view of the South Bay. Many people just walk up to this viewpoint and then turn around. Stay on the wide fire road, sweating through a few steep stretches for the first 1.5 miles. The view gets wider and more impressive with every twist and turn. The Coyote Hills are a standout; they are the only landmarks in the foreground with any elevation. The rest of the South Bay is remarkably flat.
At a junction with Ohlone Wilderness Trail marker 2, note the right fork for Peak Meadow Trail (you follow this path on your return). For now, bear left to stay on Hidden Valley Trail/Ohlone Wilderness Trail and enjoy an easier grade. The road enters a grassy meadow directly below Mission Peak’s fractured and rocky summit. Scattered rocks are evidence of ancient landslides.
The road winds around the northwest side of the mountain. At a cattle gate, turn right and follow Peak Trail, another wide fire road. Views are of Mount Diablo and the wildlands of Sunol and Pleasanton Ridge. The launch site for hang gliders is just downhill to your left; you see it as you rise up the summit flank.
In 0.25 mile, you reach a second junction where Peak Trail bears right and makes the final steep summit climb. The last 0.25 mile is a rocky single-track path that leads to a metal post lined with pipes that serve as sight scopes. Look through them and note all the landmarks. To the north are Mount Diablo, Pleasanton Ridge, Livermore, San Antonio Reservoir, and Sunol Regional Wilderness. To the west are Mount Tamalpais, San Francisco, Redwood City, the Dumbarton Bridge, and Coyote Hills. To the south are Mount Loma Prieta and the Santa Cruz Mountains. To the east are Santa Clara County, Mount Hamilton, Lick Observatory, and Rose Peak in the Ohlone Wilderness. On the clearest days, it’s possible to make out the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada, far to the east. While you are admiring all this majesty, it’s not uncommon to see a hang glider or paraglider fly by at eye level.
For your return trip, head back downhill the way you came. Before turning left at the cattle gate for Hidden Valley/Ohlone Wilderness Trail, continue straight ahead for a few hundred feet to the hang glider launch site. It’s fascinating to watch these colorful, delicate human birds take off and soar overhead. Then take Hidden Valley/Ohlone Wilderness Trail back downhill to marker 2. Turn left on Peak Meadow Trail, a less traveled fire road. This path almost guarantees solitude for the rest of your trip, plus it offers a pleasant stint through the oak-forested canyon of Agua Caliente Creek. Don’t miss a side trip to the rock outcrops 1 mile down Peak Meadow Trail (on your left). The view to the south from these rocks is almost as good as Mission Peak’s summit view.
For a somewhat mellower hike to Mission Peak, begin at the trailhead at Ohlone College in Fremont. The grade is less steep from this direction, but the trailhead can be tricky to locate. It’s behind the campus buildings; park in lot D or H and make sure you pay the parking fee. The route follows Peak Trail (part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail) for 2.4 miles as it contours along the mountain’s lower slopes and then ascends to the summit. The final 0.75 mile to the top is the same as the route described earlier. The distance of the two trails to Mission Peak is about the same, but since the Ohlone College trailhead is higher, it shaves off some of the ascent.
Hikers take in the view using the sighting scope on top of Mission Peak.
While in Fremont, visit the San Jose de Guadalupe Mission (510/657-1797, www.missionsanjose.org, 10am-5pm daily, free). Take a self-guided tour of the reconstructed mission building (the 1797 original was leveled in an 1868 earthquake) and check out the rare antique Spanish organ. A small museum has fascinating exhibits on the California rancho period and the mission’s fruit and olive oil production.
From I-880 in Fremont, take the Warren Avenue/Mission Boulevard exit and drive east 1.5 miles. Turn right on Stanford Avenue and drive 0.5 mile to the trailhead parking area.
Alternatively, from I-680 in Fremont, take the Durham Road exit and drive east for 1 mile. Turn right on Mission Boulevard, drive 0.75 mile, and then turn left on Stanford Avenue. Drive 0.5 mile to the trailhead parking area.
Public transportation: AC Transit Bus #217 stops at the corner of Stanford Avenue and Mission Boulevard. Walk 0.5 mile up Stanford Avenue to the trailhead. AC Transit Buses #210, #217, and #218 also stop at Ohlone College, the optional trailhead for this hike to Mission Peak. For AC Transit information, phone 510/891-4777 or visit www.actransit.org.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°50443’ W 121°90846’
Sunol Regional Wilderness, near Pleasanton
Best: Bird-Watching, Wildflower Displays
Distance: 7.5 miles round-trip
Duration: 3.5 hours
Elevation Change: 1,800 feet
Effort: Strenuous
Users: Hikers, cyclists (fire roads only), leashed dogs ($2)
Season: Fall, winter, and spring
Passes/Fees: $5 day-use per vehicle on weekends and holidays
Maps: A map is available at the entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Wildflowers abound in the spring and Alameda Creek flows year-round on this scenic loop in the Sunol countryside.
A trip to Sunol is a trip to the country. Unlike many other East Bay parks, Sunol Regional Wilderness isn’t bordered by neighborhoods or major thoroughfares. You can’t reach it any other way than by driving slowly on a narrow, country road. When you hike the grassy, oak-studded hills of Sunol, all you see are more grassy, oak-studded hills, and an occasional glimpse at shimmering Calaveras Reservoir. Sunol is bordered by San Francisco Water District lands to the north and south and the Ohlone Regional Wilderness to the east. It is protected land that is surrounded by more protected land—and that’s what makes it good.
This hike follows a 7.5-mile loop tour of Sunol that reveals many of the park’s best features. It is steep in spots, so come prepared for a hike that has a few challenging moments. (Plenty of water and a few snacks get you through it easily.) You should also check the temperature before you set out: Sunol is lovely in fall, winter, and spring, but it’s often too hot on summer days.
From the parking lot just east of the ranger station and visitors center (7am-sunset daily, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas), begin your hike by crossing the long footbridge over Alameda Creek. This is Alameda County’s largest stream, and it can swell to 30 feet wide after winter rains. On the far side of the footbridge, turn right for Canyon View Trail and pass two trail junctions in the next few hundred yards. You’re following one leg of Indian Joe Nature Trail, but don’t turn left where the nature trail leads uphill. Instead, keep hiking eastward, with Alameda Creek on your right. At a third junction (signed with a post in the middle of the path marked Ohlone Wilderness Regional Trail), bear left and head uphill and away from the creek. Shortly you reach a clearly marked fork and the start of your loop, where Indian Joe Creek Trail veers left and Canyon View Trail continues straight ahead. This mess of junctions in the first 0.25 mile is annoying, but it’s over with now.
Follow narrow Canyon View Trail as it roller-coasters up and down through grassy hillsides and oak woodland. Springtime brings a remarkable display of flowers along the path. Most impressive are the huge, yellow blooms of mule’s ears, but you also find plentiful California poppies, elegant clarkia, mariposa lilies, owl’s clover, brodiaea, and gilia. Birding, too, is excellent throughout Sunol. The park is renowned for its yellow-billed magpies and acorn woodpeckers.
Elegant oaks decorate the hillsides at Sunol Regional Wilderness.
As you progress, you gain views to your right of Alameda Creek’s steep, miniature canyon. One pleasant mile of strolling through the grasslands brings you to Canyon View Trail’s junction with Cerro Este Road and wide Camp Ohlone Road. Cross the latter to pay a visit to Little Yosemite, a narrow gorge on Alameda Creek that is choked with car-size boulders. Little Yosemite would be best explored by taking off your shoes, but, sadly, no swimming or water contact is allowed—the creek is on San Francisco Water District land. However, you may scramble down to the water’s edge, sit on a rock, and admire Alameda Creek’s clear green pools. Watch for the small trout that dart through the stream and listen to the music of tumbling waterfalls.
From Little Yosemite, prepare for a serious climb over the next mile on Cerro Este Road. Sticky monkeyflower and purple nightshade line the road’s steep banks. The shadeless ascent on the fire road may seem uninspiring, but turn around occasionally as you climb to glimpse long-distance views of Calaveras Reservoir to the south. The only downer in the vista is Camp Ohlone Road, which looks too much like a paved street, even though it’s a gravel road.
Your ascent ends at Cerro Este Overlook, a grassy knoll at 1,720 feet in elevation, signed by a large stone marker. Catch your breath and enjoy the wide views of the park and Calaveras Reservoir and then bear left on Cave Rocks Road. You have an easy 0.5-mile walk before turning right on single-track Eagle View Trail, which winds along the slope of Sunol’s high ridge. A gentle ascent through chaparral and sage over the course of a mile brings you to Vista Grande Overlook at a junction with Vista Grande Road. This high point (1,680 feet) is actually 40 feet lower than Cerro Este, but the view is even more impressive because of the ridge’s steep drop-offs. A gnarled oak tree and another stone marker denote the spot. This might be your best bet for a lunch break.
Turn west on Vista Grande Road and descend rather steeply along the ridgeline. A few curves and twists bring you down to High Valley Road; turn left and walk toward the huge barn you’ve been looking at from above. The barn is the site of High Valley Camp, a hike-in campground for groups. Bear left to stay on the road north of the barn and walk 0.5 mile to the right turnoff for Indian Joe Creek Trail. (This single-track trail was not signed on our visit; watch for it immediately after crossing a stream canyon.)
Follow Indian Joe Creek Trail all the way downhill and back to the start of your loop. Be sure to go slow and enjoy this last leg, which may be this loop’s prettiest stretch. A highlight is Cave Rocks, 0.25 mile down the path, where huge fractured basalt boulders create a playground for rock climbers and ambitious hikers. Other highlights are the crunching noise of autumn leaves underfoot, the springtime sounds of birdsongs, and the gurgling of Indian Joe Creek. In any season, this narrow footpath is the perfect finish to a fine day at Sunol.
If you’d like to enjoy more time on the trail than just a day hike in Sunol allows, you have two options. Large groups backpack to High Valley Camp, which can be seen in the hike described. Individual backpackers head for the Sunol Backpack Camping Area (reservations required at 888/327-3257 or www.ebparksonline.org, $5 per person), near the junction of Backpack Road and McCorkle Trail. The best way to get there is to hike 3.5 miles from park headquarters on the single-track McCorkle Trail, enjoying fine views of Calaveras Reservoir along the way. Many hikers use this camp as a first-night stopover before continuing on longer trips into the Ohlone Regional Wilderness.
From I-680 south of Pleasanton, take the Highway 84/Calaveras Road exit. Turn left on Calaveras Road and drive south 4.2 miles. Turn left on Geary Road and drive 1.7 miles to the park entrance. Continue another 0.25 mile to the entrance kiosk and then drive 100 yards past the visitors center to the parking lot across from the horse rental area. The trail begins on the left side of the restrooms at the footbridge.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°51534’ W 121°83051’
Sunol Regional Wilderness, near Pleasanton
Distance: 5.5 miles round-trip
Duration: 3 hours
Elevation Change: 800 feet
Effort: Moderate
Users: Hikers, leashed dogs ($2)
Season: Fall, winter, and spring
Passes/Fees: $5 day-use per vehicle on weekends and holidays
Maps: A map is available at the park entrance kiosk or at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org
Explore the wilder side of Sunol Regional Wilderness on this moderate loop off Welch Creek Road.
As you drive south on I-680 near Pleasanton, you can’t help but notice the oddly shaped Maguire Peaks slanting outward from the round, grassy hills. The two side-by-side peaks aren’t conical, like most peaks, or even rounded. Instead they’re fin-shaped, like two obtuse triangles. Their summits point sideways, then upward. After you spend a little while staring at these odd little mountains, you may find yourself longing to explore them.
You can hike to the peaks from the main Sunol Regional Wilderness entrance on Geary Road, but a shorter option is to start from the trailhead in the Sunol “backcountry” along Welch Creek Road. If the main part of Sunol is too developed for your tastes, you are sure to love the Welch Creek area. You don’t find picnic areas, horse rentals, or a visitors center there; in fact, it doesn’t even have a parking lot. Welch Creek Road is an incredibly narrow, single-lane road with only a few tiny pullouts for cars (you must obtain a parking permit for these pullouts from the main park entrance). Leave your car by the 0.72 mile marker and take the single-track Lower Maguire Peaks Trail from the cattle gate.
The first stretch of trail travels up a creek canyon that is so lush and shady that it harbors huge yellow banana slugs. Ferns and wildflowers line the forest floor; the branches of bay laurels and oaks form a dense canopy overhead. The Lower Maguire Peaks Trail is well built and quaintly signed with rusted arrow markers.
Soon you climb out of this delightful canyon into a more open area of oaks and grasslands. At a trail junction, two paths lead uphill to meet up with an old ranch road. Take either one and join wide Maguire Peaks Road, which circumnavigates the two peaks. Go left on the road to make a clockwise circle.
Hikers pause to enjoy the view from the top of Maguire Peaks.
Those who don’t like hiking on dirt roads find this one to be an exception. It’s pleasantly overgrown by low grasses, and it hasn’t been rutted, eroded, or overrun by cows. It makes easy and pleasant walking. Heading west through open grasslands, you climb a bit to gain the Maguire Peaks’ ridgeline. The sloping hills are peppered with occasional oaks and bay laurels, but for the most part, you’re out in the sunshine. If you’re fortunate enough to visit on a day when the wind blows, you may be convinced that the grasses are alive—they tumble, roll, and travel with the wind like migrating creatures. In spring, be on the lookout for wildflowers.
When you crest the western ridge of Maguire Peaks, you’re rewarded with views of huge San Antonio Reservoir to the north and the city of Pleasanton beyond, framed by Mount Diablo. After all the solitude you’ve had and the wildland you’ve been traversing, the sight of civilization is surprising. Head for a rocky outcrop on the ridge’s high point to find the widest views and the best picnic spot. Keep your eyes on the skies: Hawk sightings and even eagle sightings are fairly common around Maguire Peaks.
When you’ve seen enough, continue on your stroll around the perimeter of Maguire Peaks. It’s tempting to make an ascent to the top, but you have to blaze your own trail to do so. (Beware of rattlesnakes, especially in springtime.) The summits of the peaks are lined with wind-sculpted basalt rock.
The eastern sides of the peaks are more vegetated than the western sides, particularly with large oaks and bay laurel. Poison hemlock grows 12 feet high in places. Too many nonnative thistles are evidence of the ranching that has taken place here. As in many East Bay parks, cows graze on Maguire Peaks. Fortunately, the area isn’t overrun with them.
A long downhill returns you to the start of your loop. Turn left to regain the single-track trail back to your car.
An insider’s tip: Maguire Peaks Loop is one of the nicest trails in the East Bay for a sunset hike. Just remember to bring a flashlight in case it gets dark before you get back to your car.
If you’d like to see the Maguire Peaks from a different perspective, head over to the town of Sunol and Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park (Foothill Road, www.ebparks.org), a strip of land on a high ridge. Trailhead access is off Foothill Road in Sunol. From the staging area, head gently uphill on Oak Tree Trail and then cut off on the hikers-only Woodland Trail. A 1-mile stint brings you to the ridgeline and appropriately named Ridgeline Trail. Follow it right (northwest) for as far as you please, enjoying wide views of Sunol Valley, the twin Maguire Peaks, and Mission Peak in Fremont.
From I-680 south of Pleasanton, take the Highway 84/Calaveras Road exit. Turn left on Calaveras Road and drive south 4.2 miles. Turn left on Geary Road and drive 1.7 miles to the park entrance. Pay your entrance fee at the kiosk and obtain a parking permit for Welch Creek Road, and then turn around and drive out Geary Road for 1.7 miles back to Calaveras Road. Bear right on Calaveras Road and drive 0.25 mile to Welch Creek Road. (Welch Creek Road is narrow and easy to miss; look for it on your right as you drive north on Calaveras Road.) Drive 0.7 mile on Welch Creek Road to the trailhead on the left, at the cattle gate. Park in the pullout along the road.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°53266’ W 121°83231’
Del Valle Regional Park and Ohlone Regional Wilderness, near Livermore
Best: Waterfalls
Distance: 12 miles round-trip
Duration: 7 hours
Elevation Change: 3,500 feet
Effort: Butt-Kicker
Users: Hikers, leashed dogs ($2)
Season: Winter and early spring
Passes/Fees: $6 day-use per vehicle. Hikers on the Ohlone Wilderness Trail must purchase a $2 wilderness permit, which includes a detailed trail map. (You may purchase a permit in advance by mail at the address that follows or on the day of your hike at the park entrance station.)
Maps: A detailed trail map is included with wilderness permit purchase. Maps are also available at www.ebparks.org.
Contact: East Bay Regional Park District, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, 888/327-2757, www.ebparks.org.
Hoping to spot a 100-foot-tall ephemeral waterfall, hikers endure a supremely challenging climb and descent in Ohlone Regional Wilderness.
Everybody loves a waterfall, but do you love waterfalls enough to be willing to grunt out a 3,500-foot elevation change? Think it over. If your answer is yes, you’re heading for a fine adventure in Ohlone Regional Wilderness, culminating in a visit to 100-foot Murietta Falls.
If your answer is “not sure,” the first half hour on this trail is challenging enough to make up your mind, one way or the other.
Ohlone Regional Wilderness is one of the Bay Area’s special places. No public roads lead through its nearly 10,000 acres. You have to hike just to reach its boundary, starting either from Sunol Regional Wilderness to the west or Del Valle Regional Park to the north. To be more specific, you have to hike uphill.
In the same vein, Murietta Falls is one of the Bay Area’s most special waterfalls. That’s partly because it’s much taller than other local falls and partly because it’s hard enough to reach that most people never make the trip. The difficulty doesn’t lie just in the trail’s many steep ups and downs, its sunny exposure, and its 12-mile-long round-trip distance. The real difficulty is that the waterfall has an extremely short season and must be seen immediately following a period of rain. More than a few hikers have made the long trip to Murietta and then been disappointed to find only a trickle of water. March is often the best month to see the fall flowing, but it depends on the current year’s rain pattern. Depending on when the rains come, Murietta’s top flow could happen anywhere from January to April. Keep your eyes on the skies.
One thing to remember: This trail is absolutely not suitable for a warm or hot day. It offers very little shade coupled with a ton of climbing.
The only easy thing about this trail is that it’s remarkably well signed. Just pay attention at all junctions and keep following the red markers for Ohlone Wilderness Trail in the first 5 miles. Also, you must purchase a wilderness permit in order to hike on the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. With your permit you get a free map, which comes in quite handy.
The trail starts by climbing and stays that way for 2.4 miles. (Don’t forget to stop and sign in at the wilderness register 1 mile in.) There are only a very few spots where the wide dirt road levels off. Otherwise, it’s up, up, up all the way to the top of Rocky Ridge, a 1,670-foot gain from the trailhead. Then all of a sudden you start an incredibly steep descent—steep enough that you wish you’d brought your trekking poles. You drop 530 feet in about 0.5 mile. The good news is that you’re heading for water; listen for its welcoming sound. The wide fire road narrows to single-track for the first time all day as you descend into the beautiful stream canyon of Williams Gulch. The sound of the cascading creek is so refreshing and inviting that you may suddenly remember why you are doing this hike after all. The 0.5-mile stretch of path that cuts through the stream canyon is pure, refreshing pleasure.
You might as well enjoy it, because next you climb out of the canyon in a 1,200-foot ascent. The single-track trail is surprisingly well graded with some good switchbacks, however, so this climb isn’t nearly as bad as some of the dirt road stretches. The path is fairly well shaded. Prolific miner’s lettuce and pink shooting stars grow alongside it.
You get a hint that you’re nearing the falls when you start to notice rock outcrops along the trail. For the first 4 miles, the landscape is mostly grasslands and massive oak trees, some with diameters that rival the size of giant redwoods. (The only exception to the oak savannah terrain is in riparian Williams Gulch.) But suddenly large rock outcrops start to pop up out of nowhere. One of these, on the left side of the trail, is signed as Schlieper Rock. It is named for Fred Schlieper, a silversmith from the 1940s whose ashes were scattered at the rock.
The trail also levels out substantially as you near the falls. At this 3,000-foot elevation, you gain some wonderful views to the north and west. (On our trip, we were amazed to see snow on the high ridges around us, and even a few lingering white patches right along the trail.)
At 0.7 mile beyond Schlieper Rock, you reach Johnny’s Pond. Just beyond the small pond, turn right at the sign for Murietta Falls (signpost 35). Hike 0.25 mile farther and then turn left and start paying close attention to your surroundings. In just under 0.5 mile, you reach a hairpin turn in the road. If you’ve timed your trip well, you should note a few streams of water crossing the road. Leave the trail and follow the main stream downhill to your right; it delivers you to the brink of the falls in a few hundred feet.
A long, hard hike leads to Murietta Falls.
A good use trail makes a steep descent to the base of the falls. Follow it carefully—if you’ve come this far, you might as well get the full effect. The waterfall’s cliff, an incredible rocky precipice with a 100-foot drop, is composed of greenstone basalt. At its base is a wide, round, shallow pool. Many good picnicking spots are found nearby. If you’ve made it this far, you deserve to eat well. Pull out that turkey and avocado sandwich.
Bird-watchers, take note: The trailside oak savannah is home to many resident and migratory birds. I counted more western bluebirds on this walk than I had seen in my entire life previously. Not uncommonly, bald eagles are seen commanding the skies above this trail.
Four miles beyond Murietta Falls is 3,817-foot Rose Peak, a towering summit that is only 32 feet lower than Mount Diablo, but much less renowned. Its summit view takes in the ridges and valleys of the Ohlone Wilderness, plus San Francisco Bay, the Santa Clara Valley, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and several of the Bay Area’s major peaks. Accessing Rose Peak from the Murietta Falls Trailhead would be an epic 20-mile day hike, so the obvious choice is to get a permit to camp along the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. Campsites are found at Stewart’s Camp, just beyond Murietta Falls on Greenside Trail, and at Maggie’s Half Acre, a short distance north of Rose Peak.
From I-580 in Livermore, take the North Livermore Avenue exit and turn right (south). Drive south through the town of Livermore for 3.5 miles (North Livermore Avenue becomes Tesla Road) and turn right on Mines Road. Drive 3.5 miles on Mines Road to its junction with Del Valle Road. Continue straight at the fork, now on Del Valle Road. Drive 3.2 miles to the entrance kiosk at Del Valle Regional Park. Purchase a wilderness permit at the entrance kiosk and then continue 0.75 mile to the dam and cross it. Turn right and drive 0.5 mile to the Lichen Bark Picnic Area. Take the trail signed as Ohlone Trail.
GPS Coordinates: N 37°57719’ W 121°69514’
