Now that I'm such a seasoned hiker (tongue firmly in cheek), I can say with some temerity that I…read morefound 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

When the dog and I need a good hike that isn't too far from home and we can do in a reasonable…read moreamount 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.

Absolute gem! We are so lucky to live minutes away from this incredible park. My husband and I have…read morebeen hiking from Lafayette to Martinez and back for years and the hike never gets old. It is beautiful in all seasons and such a reprieve.

Alhambra Creek Trail - we came back again and had to minus 1 star from our previous review for the…read moreamount of animal droppings along the trail. It attracted a lot of flies, gnats, and mosquitoes. Every few feet, there'll be a swarm of bugs circling. It's a nice trail with a little bit of elevation, but the swarms of bugs made the hike very unpleasant.

"Now I know why there were no other bikers."…read more In past years I started at the far eastern end. Today I started from the northwest Trailhead, which is just off Carquinez Scenic Drive. There's a nice staging area there, which has room for plenty of cars. Plus it also has a restroom there. The trail itself is covered for much of the way going up to the top. For hiking, I can see how it would be a pleasant trip. Not so much for biking. Today, I was planning to bike on this trail, but I did not realize how narrow and steep it was. I did not see any other bikers, and I think I know why. Oh well, I got some exercise pushing the bike up tough sections. When you get up to the top, it's much easier.

Lovely trail several minutes from "downtown" Martinez. Can be a bit strenuous for some with some…read moreuphills, but a great place to take in views of the water (we could see our neighborhood in Benicia...sort of) and Mount Diablo. Vault toilet at the trail head. This is our go to spot when we don't want to drive all the way to the Lafayette reservoir or to the Berkeley hills trails.

The waterfall Loop of Mt Diablo is categorized as moderate 8 mile hike. I would say that's pretty…read moreaccurate. Park at the visitor center and get a paper map if you don't have a digital map. Fairly easy to follow all the markers. I wish they were all marked by numbers but they're not. The scenery is nice and lots of shade throughout the hike. Many of the roads are narrow and slippery. Hiking poles and good hiking boots are important. The waterfall was mini in beginning of December 2025 but there was a steady stream. Entire hike takes about 4-4-.5 hours to finish. Some steep inclines but not too grueling. Pay parking via QR code and a cc.

I really enjoyed this hike, it had views, wildflowers, streams with running water, and was a good…read moreworkout. I followed the All Trails version of the trail which took around 4 hours and was 8 miles. The hike was moderate to hard because there were some steep parts and parts that were rocky and easy to slip. I'd recommend hiking boots. To see the waterfalls I think the best time to go is Jan-early May but that's even pushing it. By May there are still wildflowers, but the brush is starting to turn brownish, and the water is drying up quick. Probably the most ideal picturesque time for this hike would be early March after a rain. I'd avoid it in the summertime unless you live in the desert and are used to hiking in high temperatures.

This is a large staging area with plenty of rooms for cars. Keep in mind that on the weekends it…read moredoesn't open till 8 a.m., so if you're an early hiker you'll have to wait. However, the ranger opened the gate promptly at 8. The whole area is well-maintained. I only saw a few bits of trash. There are several trailheads right off the parking lot, making this a very convenient location. There is also a rustic restroom there. I did not see any drinking fountains. There were lots of trail maps in the parking lot.

Although I probably couldn't pronounce "Nejedly", I know it's the name of the staging area for a…read moremoderate hike with views of Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, west delta, and Mt. Diablo. There is no fee here to park in one of two parking areas: Shaded lower parking area and a bigger upper parking lot with room for trailers. There's also a bathroom and some picnic tables too. If you're coming here to hike something like the Franklin Ridge Loop Trail, the trailhead is on the west end of the upper parking area. You'll notice buckeye, oaks, and eucalyptus trees along with wildflowers. One thing that was pretty interesting about this place was how empty it was; that feeling was intensified by the cemetery just adjacent to the staging area. This would be an interesting hike or bike ride after the sun set.

Have long eyed the Castle Rock State Park and glad we finally went! The park charges a nominal…read moreparking fee ($10 at time of writing); the parking fee is waived if you have one of the supported passes. Check their site for more info: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=538# We really enjoyed our hike here. The space is beautiful, and the trails are well-maintained. The trailhead had plenty restrooms as well. We made it up to Goat Rock Lookout, back down, then detour to the waterfall. It took ~1.5 hours in total, which was perfect for a end-of-day hike before the park closes at sunset. The view up at Goat Rock Lookout was breathtaking!

If you're looking for another place that has breathtaking views surrounding the whole Santa Cruz…read moreMountains (but don't want to go all the way to Portola Valley), Castle Rock State Park is the place for you. This place is usually my go to when the weather is just perfect and you want good views of the mountains viewing the Monterey Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. In addition, the park is even open during the cold winter season, where it occasionally will snow (because of how high the elevation is, the main base is situated at about 3,200 feet above sea level). This place has been my go-to park for hiking for a while, because of its terrain. At the same time, it's also been because of how much snow they get when cold fronts come into effect. They are also open year-round, so definitely swing by this state park when you do get the chance to! It's a decision you'll never regret.

Join us on our journey to Green Valley Falls. Being the City of Vallejo's water supply, the creek…read moreand two waterfalls are closed to the public. If you want to check it out, you can sign up online for a guided tour, which only happens one or two times a year. We didn't feel like waiting, so we found our own way in... https://youtu.be/WFKupoHZrs0

Nice camp. Camp Hostess is awesome. Unfortunately the state Park rangers r lazy and well, just…read morelazy. Unbelievably loud music? They drive right by the offenders. Adjacent camp blocking access to our ADA site? Ranger doesn't care but is super hostile about parking to unload our gear, because we couldn't access the site. Visited two weeks prior to our stay. Weeds in camp were knee high. When we returned they were waist high. ZERO camp maintenance. No cleaning prior. No taking the dirt for trash. The only ranger action I witnessed was rangers standing around laughing it up. Also. The phone to the stations has been "full on f Messages" for at least 3 weeks.

This has been on my want to hike list for a long time and I finally got to do it on a perfect day…read more The weather was great, overcast and cool. We hiked it so fast and the views were spectacular. I can't wait to hike this in the spring with all the flowers in bloom. There are so many surrounding trails and I want to do them all! Lots of bathrooms throughout the trail. There is a visitor center at the top which you can drive to also. Please come and creat your own adventure.

My God-father lives nearby, and he thought this would be a nice little distraction from the…read morebustling cities below. He was right. The drive up was intense. It's been a while since I drove roads similar to this, so it wasn't too bad, up. Hopefully down is OK too. There is a small entry fee (per car), but also a senior discount. So we only had time for the Summit. There are more Yelp! listings for other parts of the park. OK, so I was not prepared for the breathtaking views! It was a slightly hazy, or was it smoggy, day... But the views were still fantastic! If the views were not enough, there is a visitors' center in the light tower at the summit. Inside is lots of information, a Rangers' Station, and several informative and/or interactive displays. And there is camping in Mt Diablo too! To make things even more interesting, we took a different route down. I don't like backtracking, so this was a bonus... And i wasn't too bad.

One of the great views of the Bay area is Grizzly Peak…read more I came to visit and my friends took me here to get a view of the Bay area as a whole and it was so amazing. The winding roads that led to the peak were definitely something this Florida gal was not ready for but it was worth the drive! Not too long but definitely a bit winding path upwards. The view is free and you can see all parts of the Bay here, especially if it's a clear day. It seems like a lot of locals (especially kids) come here to hangout. A nice spot to detour and take people from out of town to hang.

The view here is beautiful, both day and night. I stopped by on a whim, and it was really relaxing…read moreto just take in the scenery and think. There are plenty of spots where you can pull over, park, and walk to areas with some seating, making it a great place to unwind.

Moderate to Difficult hike. Big loop is ~5-mile loop with 1,300 elevation. Don't hike on warm…read moredays. VFPD.net/PIO

Great place to hike! This is the lower end of the loop, but if you keep going it'll connect you to…read morethe Blue Ridge Trailhead for some amazing views. Plenty of wildlife to see along the way and the trail is well maintained. A solid spot for nature lovers and hikers alike.