Note that there are two entrances within the park that do not connect: in order to drive to the other side, you’ll need to exit and drive ~45mins on Vasco.

The area supports various wildlife including bobcats, raptors, coyotes, and egrets. The hikes here vary in difficulty from gentle, flat strolls along the lakeside to steep rolling hills.

Los Vaqueros Essential Info

Hours:
September 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
October 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Nov. – Feb. 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
March 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
April-August 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Parking Cost: $6, $5 Seniors, $4 CCWD customers.
Website: https://www.ccwater.com/9/Los-Vaqueros

Getting There

There are two entrances separated by about 45 minutes, so make sure to pick the right one!

The northern, Brentwood entrance provides access to the John Muir Interpretive center while the southern, Livermore, entrance provides access to the marina. The link on the map to the right will bring you to the south entrance. For a link to the northern entrance (and through to the interpretive center), click here.

From the Walnut Creek, Concord, and Antioch areas of the easy bay, the fastest way is probably via Highway 4 West to Vasco.

If coming from other parts of the bay area, take 580E and exit Vasco road in Livermore.

Trails

Kellogg Creek Trail

Length: ~5 miles (in and out)
Time: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Located on the north side of the lake, this trail follows Kellogg creek to the John Muir Interpretive center. From there, it’s a short but steep climb up a paved road to the the top of the dam with access to several other trails.

Black Hills to Cañada Trail loop

Length: ~7 miles
Time: 3.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Shifting to the south side, this trail brings you up in the hills with sweeping views of the reservoir with good opportunities to see raptors.

Los Vaqueros Trail

Length: Variable
Time: Variable
Difficulty: Easy

Also located on the south side, this trail starts from the marina and roughly follows the lake’s shoreline. You’ll hike past peaceful coves and migrating birds resting within.

Alternates

Nearby Brushy Peak, on the southern end of Vasco Road is home to many raptors due to the abundance of mice, squirrels and rabbits.

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Length:19mi (to Rose Peak)
Time: 10hrs (to Rose Peak)
Difficulty: Hard (Elevation and Length)
Cost: $2 for a 1yr permit (available at the Sunol Regional Wilderness entry gate, comes with a map)

Facilities: Visitors Center and vault toilets.
Hours: 8AM-5PM (winter) 8AM-7PM (and later depending on month)
Dogs: $2 fee.
Parking: $5 per vehicle
More Info: East Bay Parks Website
The site says there’s no drinking water, but they often serve water out of drinking jugs near the visitor’s center.

Seasonal Note: Like many East Bay parks, Sunol Wilderness can be extremely hot and exposed during the summer.  The longer hikes are best avoided during this time of year. Spring is the best time, offering wild flowers, flowing creeks, and milder temperatures.

Getting There

Access the park via 680. From the South bay, take 680N to Calaveras/84-W off ramp and make a right onto Calaveras Road.

From the northern bay areas, take 680S to the Calaveras Road/84 Dumbarton Bridge exit. Make a left onto Calaveras Road. Note that the preceding exit is labeled “Sunol” and is not the correct exit.

Stay on Calaveras Road for 4.3 mi. Along the way, you’ll come across a couple of plant nurseries, a construction aggregates facility,and a water treatment plant along the southern side of the road. The road is also popular with bicyclists.

At approximately 4.3 mi, make a left onto Geary Road. At the time of this writing, Calaveras Road is closed beyond Geary road making this turn really hard to miss.

Geary Road will eventually lead to an entrance gate and ranger booth that will provide a park map in exchange for the vehicle entry fee.

The Trail

Note: Bring plenty of drinking water or a filter. There are water spigots at camp spots along the way but they only provide untreated water.

The Ohlone Wilderness Trail is a 29.1 mile trail that runs from Mission Peak in Fremont to Del Valle Lake in Livermore. From Sunol, a popular goal is Rose Peak which is the highest peak in Alameda county at 3817 ft (Mission Peak is only a paltry 2516 ft). An alternate day trip on the Ohlone Wilderness Trail is a 12.3 mi. hike that starts from Del Valle Lake to see the Murieta Falls in the spring time.

Unless you’re planning to camp, this trail is strictly an in-out trail. Hike as far out as you desire, taking time to return into consideration.

Start this hike from the horse corral parking area near the visitor’s center where there’s a sign-in sheet for the Ohlone Wilderness Trail located at the information panel. Take the bridge across Alameda Creek and make a right onto the Canyon View trail. Veer left and ascend onto the McCorkle Trail. Follow this trail for about 2.5 mi where you’ll hit the Sunol Backpacking Camp Area.

From here the Ohlone Wilderness trail will bring you up and down through an isolated back country and magnificent landscape.

The post Sunol Regional Wilderness – Ohlone trail to Rose Peak appeared first on East Bay Wild!.

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 4.5mi
Time: ~2.5hr
Link: East Bay Regional Preserve: Brushy Peak
Location: Livermore, CA

Highlights

Brushy Peak Regional Preserve is easily accessible on the North side of I-580 off of the Vasco exit in Livermore. It features rolling hills, ample wildlife, and varied terrain to suit the mid level hiker. Morning or Evening times provide striking views of golden casts over the downtown Livermore valley as well as the popular peak used for gatherings from the time of the native Americans. Trail runners, bikers, and dog walkers all enjoy this hidden gem of Livermore.

While only offering a limited set of hiking trails, the area offers some of best raptor viewing in the bay area. Red tailed hawks, golden eagles, harriers, and falcons can be readily seen in the varied landscapes surrounding the peak.  The surrounding windmills in the area take advantage of the constant valley breeze which helps keep the summer temperatures tolerable but are bone chilling during the winter months. A windbreaker is advisable in the early morning summer season and a heavier jacket is advisable during the fall-spring season.

Getting There

Existing Vasco road coming from 580, proceed north towards Brentwood and make a quick right onto Northfront Road. Past a couple dealerships and open ranch land, turn left at the Laughlin road intersecion. Laughlin road winds past an upscale community to the west of the seasonal Frick lake and narrows down to a single lane road.

After a short time warp past horse ranches and nostalgic farm equipment, you’ll arrive at a large parking lot open at 8:00AM-8:00PM in the summer and 8:00AM-5:00PM in the winter. The gate is on a timer for entrance but is always open for exit (beware the nasty one-way tire puncturing backup teeth preventing people from entering through the exit without peril to their vehicles). They seem to not adjust for daylight savings so its possible to enter at 7:00AM during winter times. There’s also a few parking spots along the road shoulder located outside of the parking lot for those who want to partake during the off hours.

The Trail

There’s a main loop trail which goes through the peak and a couple side trails which can be incorporated into the loop trail to extend your overall hike or add some variation for repeat visitors. This guide documents the most direct route up to the peak along the Brushy Peak loop trail and coming back down the eastern leg of the Western Side Loop Trail.

Entering through a cattle gate along the ranger’s residence edge, you’ll start yourself along the Brushy Peak Loop trail which passes by meadowlands and a water retention zone which runs dry during the late summer and autumn months.

Running up alongside a mostly dry creek bed, raptors often perch directly on the hillside, waiting for their furry meals to rise from their burrows.

The trail follows the eastern section of a seasonal drainage channel that approaches a set of eucalyptus trees frequently populated by perched raptors.

Checkpoint: Eucalyptus Grove

Around the sharp bend past the eucalyptus, you’ll get a view of the grassy hills frequented by coyotes scouring the hillsides for bite sized meals and sometimes resting in the morning glow.

Beginning the main ascent towards the peak, you’ll frequently come across scurrying squirrels of Brushy Peak.

Following the trail behind the eucalyptus grove, there’s a steep ascent which will bring you to one of the first of many spectacular views over Livermore valley.

Approaching the peak, the landscape begins to change from open grassland plains to the rocky outcrops exposing pieces of the geologic history of Brushy Peak.

Checkpoint: The Peak

The brushy areas of the peak are actually live oak trees that dot the landscape. Slow growing and native to California, these old trees provide ideal perches for red tailed hawks. As you make your way through the shaded areas of the peak, it’s not uncommon to stumble across one quietly minding its own business.

The loop trail doesn’t actually go to the very top of the peak. Access is by guided tour only. Check the East Bay regional park page for tour info.

After traversing across rocks and underneath live oaks at the base of the peak, the trail will start to descend on the western side.

While descending, keep an eye upwards for Golden eagles circling around the air thermals of the peak.  It’s easy to mix them up with the more common turkey vultures that are commonly seen throughout the bay area. But zooming in reveals a golden head dress and the symmetric white patches underneath the wings.

The trail eventually meets with a drainage channel that feeds into one of the few permanent ponds in the area. Year round, ducks, frogs, and salamander can be spotted in reeded outskirts of the pond. At this point the trail forks to either the upper or lower sides of the West Side loop trail. I typically follow the lower side past the pond and through a meadow. The upper side offers a slightly more strenuous workout along the edge of the park border.

Checkpoint: The Permanent Pond

Past the pond is a large meadow frequented by white tailed hawks looking for a meal.

Checkpoint: The meadowlands

Towards the end of the trail is a pair of trees, providing ample shade where rabbits often forage for food.

The last leg of the trail toward the cattle gate passes a hillside frequented by northern harriers that glide immediately overland. Occasionally, they can be seen perched on the ground.

Laughlin Ranch Loop Trail

The Laughlin Ranch Loop trail can be used as an alternative starting point in conjunction with the Tamcan trail to extend the Brushy Peak loop trail by two  miles. Or, it can be used solely as a shorter alternate. It features fine views of the valley and unique glimpses of raptors hugging the hillsides and swooping down on unsuspecting prey.

The trail begins by ascending over the hillsides next to Laughlin road, then arriving at a junction with the Dyer Ranch trail. Make a left to stay on the loop trail.

Eventually, the trail begins to descend through a small valley. Take your time through here, looking out for harriers and falcons flying over the crest of the hillsides. In particular, the clump of trees towards the later half of the descent is a popular spot to perch.

With such a great density of raptors, its not uncommon to find them defending their airspace. These birds demonstrate amazing aerial agility, flying in inverted positions with talons extended.

Once the descent is complete, make a left to complete the loop back to the parking lot. Alternatively, make a right to take the Tamcan trail.

Nearby Trails

• Del Valle Regional Park
• Los Vaqueros Reservoir
• Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area

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