When the dog and I need a good hike that isn't too far from home and we can do in a reasonable amount of time, we come to Mt. Wanda. My man and I are hiking here every other weekend at least. The dog loves it. We recently did the Full Moon Hike that is put on by the Rangers. The kids tagged along. Its free and one of the few times you're allowed on the Mt. during the night. The kids had a wonderful time meandering around in the dark. It was fun to be out of our element with flashlights. The moon was beautiful. The only negative is ticks. We went hiking on Thanksgiving morning with our dog and proceeded to pull seven ticks off our dog. The most yet. Wear bug spray and make sure that your dog is properly protected. Morning, noon or night this is a great hike to take. read more

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John Muir used to walk this with his daughters and it is named for his eldest. It is across the road from his house. It isn't all that long but it is UP! From the beginning it is Up! Just when you need it there is a picnic table and a choice- keep climbing the hot wide road or take the nature trail through the blue oaks. Obviously the nature trail was our choice and it was the right one!!! Narrow trail and part shady;) Get to the top. Take in the views of this place we call home and then.... It's all down! 13% grade! Not my favorite walk but it is close to home and will certainly get your heart pumping! Dog friendly. read more

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Now that I'm such a seasoned hiker (tongue firmly in cheek), I can say with some temerity that I found this mile-long trail a bit, shall we say, short. I don't mind short trails, but I had to fill up my daily step requirement elsewhere and headed over to Briones for that purpose. That's not to say this trail wasn't worthwhile. It most definitely was as the 13% grade wasn't insurmountable. It allowed nice views of the Carquinez Strait and Mount Diablo at the top. The circuitous trails were surrounded by various oak trees and wildflowers. I made an attempt at following the riding trail that goes through a gamey tunnel under the highway, but it made a dramatic climb which deflated my unearned self-image of a seasoned hiker. Regardless you can see why John Muir took pleasure in taking his daughters with him through these hills. Wanda was the name of his eldest daughter. The trailhead is directly to your right at the Alhambra Avenue exit off Hwy 4. RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2OrC8nU read more

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The sign at the start of the Mt Wanda trail says it is about a mile and 650 feet of that has a 13% grade. If you make it to the top you will be rewarded with a panoramic view. Dogs and bikes are allowed to enjoy the trail. I went on a guided walk it was a wet day and it was an effort for me to hike. I did not make it to the top on this walk. It was nice to see a few flowers and fungus along the trail which was what I really was interested in. I have added reaching the top to my list of goals. read more

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It's very easy to missed the parking entrance here, but not overcrowded and nice trails for climbing! will come back for different seasons! read more

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Always a very peaceful " hike "when you're walking here. Right off the freeway off exit 9 in downtown! It's a pretty short trail when you're heading in and you turn right. It takes you out right by the backroads to a place you can park on the street next to this colorful tunnel. I'll update pictures when I go back :)! I usually see older people here never usually family's with their kids, maybe since they are just hiking and kids don't think it's fun LOL. Dogs and adults love it here , never any dog poop around either so very considerate surrounding citizens. This specific day I posted the parking lot, it was the most packed I've ever seen it. NO parking spots unless someone was leaving. You have a path to go up to the train tracks but it's very illegal to walk the train tracks so I NEVER head up the path. The path to the tracks are VERY steep and VERY unstable/ unsafe. I WOULD NOT recommend heading up there unless you potentially want to get hurt or worse in trouble with the cops for walking somewhere you're not supposed to be. Moral of the story I'm telling you for you to stay away and stay safe. You want to be able to go back home tonight. I've only seen a couple the other day walk the train tracks for the first time in my whole life & don't know if they made it out okay, a train was coming a little bit after we saw them. So it's safe to say it's not safe. The path to the right is much longer and I'm not quite sure how far it actually goes! Go have a look for yourself and enjoy !! Also many doggos walk with their owners ( leashed of course ). I hope to see your fluffy hound haha! Once again I will update more pictures when I return! Thanks for reading hope this helps ! read more

Mount Wanda - Parking lot packed at 3pm - Hiking Near Me - Martinez, California

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Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Awesome views of the beautiful rolling hills in the backwoods of Martinez! Mount Wanda, named after John Muir's eldest daughter, is a small mountain located in the Martinez hills. It is said that John Muir often walked this mountain with his daughters. It is a fairly small mountain that can be accessed through the John Muir Nature trail which is a loop that stretches 2.4 miles long and reaches an elevation of 580 feet. The trail is fairly easy and a great trail to help beginning hikers build their stamina. I found out about this trail while visiting the John Muir National Historic site, and decided to check it out one day. The trail begins just off of highway 4 on Alhambra avenue. There's a small parking lot located right near the entrance but it did fill up really quickly while I was there. The main trail is a dirt trail that begins to narrow after about the first mile in. This trail starts off with a gradual steady incline that will lead all the way up to the top of the mountain. There is a cross section where you can access another nature trail that will loop you back to the parking lot. On this trail, you must be careful as there are several areas of thick mud and many active beehives that are present. When you reach the top of the mountain, there's a cute little bench where you can take pictures or rest before you make your way back down. If you're afraid of bugs, you might not want to stay there for very long. At the peak, you will notice the beautiful view of the Benicia bridge and all of the rolling hills in the distance. Coming back down the mountain, you will notice another man made path on the left side. Stay on he main path and do NOT veer off to this left! I made this mistake and got lost and it was scary as hell! I might be exaggerating, but I believe that I saw a baby mountain lion in the brush when I got lost. The brush was thick and my feet got stuck in the mud several times. Had to crawl through barbed wire to get out... yeah it was not fun! If you start to see high brush and you are going down hill, turn around! Don't make the silly mistake that I did! Aside from me veering off and getting lost, I really enjoyed hiking this mountain. The loop to the top is fairly easy and a great hike to take your kids or your dog on! The hike should take no longer than an hour but it took me 2 hours since I got lost. I went around 3 pm, which probably wasn't the best time because it got pretty warm! I would suggest going early to beat the heat. The people on the trail were very friendly and most seemed like locals of the area. Overall, this is a great hike for just about anyone! read more

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I stumbled across this trail. The parking lot is small but very well shaded. You can also park on the street. This hike has a lot of shade but it is a lot of uphill. Not good for little small kids probably 8 and up. It was a little hard in my opinion.okay to try if you're in the area. read more

Great hike. If you go straight up, it's about 1 mile uphill then a half mile loop and 1 mile down. You can continue on and explore more.

This is one of the best hiking spots I've been to. There's a lot of hills but the scenery at the top is breathtaking. Can't believe I just found out about this. I'll definitely has this as one of my go-to hiking places! read more

This place is great! If you go off to smaller trails it leads to beautiful bridges. I've seen younger kid's hiking and it's definitely family friendly. There are numerous flowers and benches. It's located right off of hwy 4 but is very peaceful! read more

What a wonderful hike, scenic, picturesque, not too strenuous, good exercise and historical. I went on the full moon hike that the John Muir Historical Site puts on every time there is a full moon. Lucky me, it just happened to fall on the summer solstice and the full moon was the Strawberry Moon, a rare occurrence. The hike was a bit difficult for me, I did get winded and had to stop a few times, but I am out of shape. It's a pretty simple hike for more experienced hikers, it does get a little steeper en route to the summit, but there is also a side path that will add 15 minutes to your hike to the summit. The rangers call it the nature path, it goes through the oak trees, the path is a bit narrower too. There seemed to be two groups that went on the hike, the one I was a part of was guided by the rangers and a smaller group that came on their own. For me, the hike was really picturesque I was able to take a lot of pictures with the sun setting, and then of the strawberry moon rising over Mt. Diablo, it was really beautiful. Bringing a flashlight, a light jacket, some snacks, and definitely some water would be a healthy idea. I wasn't as prepared as I would have preferred, but then this hike wasn't very well planned for me. I do recommend this hike to anyone and everyone who wants to experience seeing the full moon rise, and hear history from the rangers. It really is a nice hike. I'm looking forward to going back. read more

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Great hiking spot. The whole hike is probably around 2 miles long. Great spot to get away in the evenings! Watch out for ticks though. My dog had picked up 7 one time I was here. Needless to say I don't bring my pooch here anymore. read more

Decided to surprise the husband with a different trail this Father's Day with our 20 month son. Not what we were expecting. We love checking out new spots, Limeridge Open Space, etc. Read that there was some uphill but was family friendly, so decided to check it out! Wowwww it was more uphill than I was expecting!! I read there was some, but that feels like an understatement. We didn't do all of it, but however far we got, it was continuous uphill, nothing flattened out! It was tough for our little one to walk up, he got tired really fast. Expect to carry a young child in a carrier most of the time. It got hot quite early, so we turned back. I did like the width of the trail, especially with covid, it was easy to keep distance from others. But I would not bring a stroller on this LOL... Don't think we will be returning to this trail for awhile. Maybe for older kids, but definitely not a toddler, unless you're prepared to carry them (while walking on a step master). I'm sure it has some nice views, was looking forward to seeing bridges that I saw pictures of, but I guess those don't happen until you're further up the trail. read more

Awesome hiking spot! Beautiful views and usually a nice breeze even on hot days. The view from the top is incredible. Several different routes so you never get bored. Good parking. Lots of mosquitos in the evening so if you go to catch the sunset, you'll want bug spray. Great exercise too when you're sick of the gym! read more

Mount Wanda - View from the trail of the water and Martinez and Benicia - Hiking Near Me - Martinez, California

It's a moderately intense 1.0mi hike to the summit. I found out about this after my sister invited the family out to the monthly Super Moon hike! Our guides were enthusiastic and gave short history lessons about John Muir and his family. In the end, the guides give kids Oreos so they can take a bite out of the cookie to match our view of the moon. There is also a stellar view of the hills and Mt. Diablo. read more

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Great hike! Make sure to bring water! Watch out for snakes during the summer months.

It feels weird to give a mountain a review, but if I had to, I'd give Mount Wanda 5 stars! She is a beautiful mountain with stellar views. The climb is uphill and can be strenuous for someone (like me) who is out of shape. But if even I made it to the top, so can you! Be sure to bring water with you. There are a few places to stop and rest along the way. We saw wildlife on our trek, from turkeys to birds to cows - even a fox off in the distance. I love that there are different trails you can venture off to, but we stayed on the main trail. Highly recommend! read more

Loved hiking this over the weekend. The incline really surprised me and got a good workout. Gorgeous views, plenty of benches. Good quick workout. read more

Nice, simple hike: 1 mile incline gives a good boost to your heart rate and there are a few path options after the first mile; however, be aware that there is pretty much no shade once you reach the top. read more

Love this trail its beautiful. It's short but really steep, it's a great place to hike and check out John Muir's house. One of my favorite places in NorCal. read more