For those headed to Rte 5 from the South Bay, you've likely passed Pacheco State Park on Hwy 152 before descending to the San Luis Reservoir. (But don't blink, or you'll miss the exit). Despite the unassuming entrance, it's a surprisingly large and beautiful park. Like a lot of hikes in the Diablo range, your experience will depend much on the season. Summer here is to be avoided, unless you are a heat-freak (or masochist). Fall and winter are much better, but still brown with a capital B. Spring, however, is the time to see sprouting trees and hills bathed in green. I went here with hiking buddy M in early March, and conditions were absolutely ideal. Some wildflowers were already out; and we spotted munching elk on an adjacent hillside (They scattered quickly.) The weather was sunny, windy, and in the 60s. Just gorgeous. (Photos added). Trail junctions were well-marked, but some trails were so faint they sometimes faded into pasture. (For those who want to hike on anything but primary fire roads, a navigation device is recommended.) We had excellent trail maps on our phones, so we were able to explore some more remote trails. Note: Being next to Henry Coe State Park, I had thought to call this a "mini Coe" but that's not accurate. It feels a little less wild and is windier (a wind farm borders the eastern side). Believe it or not, my biggest issue with the park was in leaving. To get back to the Bay Area - and starting from a dead stop - we had to cross two lanes of busy, eastbound traffic on Hwy 152 while also merging with two lanes of 70 mph traffic heading the other way. Patience pants were required, size XL. Hiking Spot Checklist: -- Parking: Self-register lot (paid) after entering gate, but there's also free parking 0.1 mi away (outside the gate) -- Bathrooms: Pit toilets at main entrance -- Potable water provided: No (bring plenty, especially in summer) -- Maps provided: Yes (but not very good); bring good maps on your phone -- Highlights: Unspoiled oak woodland and expansive views read more

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Without GPS you would be completely lost hiking these trails. At least 40% of the trails are beautifully overgrown with wildflowers. There are at least a dozen places to make a wrong turn, but as long as you're not in a hurry, the wrong turn will likely leave you to a steep beautiful hillside. I did this hike on a beautifully sunny and cool April 1st. On a blazing hot day I think it would be miserable unless you have a good hat and plenty of water. Almost zero cover. April 1st 2023, the wildflowers were amazing. So many wildflowers that you couldn't find the trail. Check out my GPS track for this trail and you'll see how chaotic it got. But all the time it was amazing and beautiful. read more

Pacheco State Park - Parks Near Me - Hollister, California

San Luis Reservoir is for boating and fishing, not for wandering through the hills. The place is HOT in the summer, no trees, but if the mountains are calling and you must go, thankfully you don't need to go far. Presenting Pacheco State Park. Many state parks preserve an incredible feature of nature (huge sequoias, a piece of shore at Lake Tahoe, beachfront property in danger of being developed). This is one of the newer parks, and it preserves a cattle ranch that was owned by the family that gave Pacheco Pass its name. 140 years after the ranch started, the owners deeded it to the state to be a park. With the development that happened in California over the last 100 years, this means that this land is untouched from before statehood, with the exception of pickup truck roads, water reservoirs, and barb wire fences. It is scenic indeed, with landscape typical of the park near where I live, Mt. Diablo. Gnarly oaks sit in wide meadows on rolling hills. Endless picnic areas. Look south, and you see a rugged Ridge that's not part of the park. Natural ponds. Nice views if the weather is good (I went on a cloudy day). The hills are easy to follow, so you can stroll across the meadow (leave no trace) because there are not many trails for such an expansive park. From one end of the park to the other is roughly 3 miles. I've seen nicer landscape, though, and in open space districts with no entrance fee. Hence the 3 stars. Still, if you like to wander in a lesser-known park with few people, Pacheco fits right. It's possible that the fee you paid at San Luis will work at Pacheco. Big note: When you leave, if you're turning left to go toward Hollister, it may be easier to turn right instead, drive a few miles, and then make a U turn at the entrance to the cottonwood preserve. Rain had started to fall when I left in mid-March, and Highway 152 is a terrible place to be the victim of a fatal car accident. Even with the scamdemic, I'm not THAT eager to see the Lord before He says it's time. Bigger note: NO WATER. This place is as hot as the San Luis Reservoir in the summer, so come with more than what you need. Don't count on someone to pass by to offer help. Pacheco State Park is worth a visit of several hours. I was there for 2-1/2 and it wasn't enough. Who needs Monterey, anyway? read more

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This hike is for the entire park that took us 2.5 hours to finish. Fairly easy 8 miles total. The trees are a tip-off that it gets mighty windy in Pacheco State Park. Squat, flag-shaped oaks bow to the east, sculpted by the prevailing winds into picturesque poses. An even more obvious wind indicator than the stunted oaks are the multitude of wind turbines strategically placed on Pacheco's ridges. During the March through October "wind season," Pacheco Pass is a veritable wind tunnel that whirls the propellers of nearly 200 windmills. Pacheco State Park earns a portion of the revenue from the 21 million kilowatts a year generated by the private utility that owns the windmills. Thanks to this revenue, Pacheco is a rarity in California's impoverished state park system-- a park that actually has adequate funds for its maintenance. Although the total park area is 6,890 acres only the western 2,600 acres are open for public use at this time. The 28 miles of trails offer several loop options to give visitors the choice of a hike or ride of from one to twenty miles or more. Fees: $5 day use fee per vehicle. NOTE: No Dogs allowed on the trails Pacheco is located at an environmental crossroads of the coast range, Diablo Range and the San Joaquin Valley. Blue oaks and valley oaks dot the park's grassy slopes. Botanists have counted some 15 species of native grasses in the park. Although Pacheco seems far removed from the coast, the Pacific plays a significant role in the area's odd weather. An indentation in Monterey Bay that puts the Pacific only 50 miles as the gull flies from the park, the park's location at a gap between mountain ranges, and strong westerly winds all combine to bring heavy coastal fog to the park during hot summer days. Pacheco is a fairly dry park, though you might guess otherwise from the number of lakes depicted on the park map. Nun, Diamond, Bear's Hide, Wolf, Dinosaur, Mammoth and many more lakes are actually tiny reservoirs, originally created to serve as cattle watering ponds. Hikers frequently spot mule deer, ground squirrels, black-tailed hares and feral pigs in the park. More elusive animals include badgers, skunks, gophers and voles (A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars). read more

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We went back to Pacheco SP on Sat 11/7/09. Driving from Fremont to the park takes 1hr 25 min. Parking is still $5 self registering so bring exact change, $1 less if you have someone 62yrs+ with you. We did maybe 9mi or so. Trails we did - loop hike: Spikes Peak - there's a cool sign by the tree there Canyon Loop East Dinosaur Lake Saw: Mammoth Lake Dinosaur Lake tons of Windmills Best to go in the Fall (cooler weather) & Spring (lots of wildflowers). Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/DEFAULT.ASP?page_id=560 Visited: 3 read more

If you have a brother in Merced and you live in San Jose, this is a great place for an early morning meetup. Yes, they have picnic tables and restrooms. We were pretty much the only people there, but that was good. Looks like lots of hiking trails that I saved for another day. Bring your own water! read more

Pacheco State Park - The gates to the park - Parks Near Me - Hollister, California

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Drive : Park is ~90 miles away, so its quite a drive. There were couple of accidents near Morgan Hill, so it took us 2 hr just to get there. Fees : 10$ fee with Self-serve pay station & restrooms. Considering this park is less-popular, remains windy, & unbearably hot for almost entire year except couple winter/spring months, we thought fee was bit high. Trails : We picked up map & started with pig pond trail. We were hoping to see many wild-flowers along the way, but found very few varieties & just sparse clusters. To our surprise, Pig pond had thousands of tadpoles, which was very interesting to see. Almost any trail you pick, you won't have any shade whatsoever. But still going in spring months means everything is lush green & its not too hot. We came back via Dinosaur lake trail & saw windmills, few elks & glimpse of San Luis Reservoir. Our hike was ~6 mile RT, 700 ft elevation. Good to visit this park during spring months only. read more

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If you're a fan of Native California landscapes and wildlife habitat then this is the park you need to go and check out. There are areas that have NOT been grazed by cattle for the past 6 years and are pristine reminders of what California used to look like before/during the goldrush. Native California grasses can be seen such as the California State Grass: Purple Needlegrass (Nassella pulchra). Wildflowers were just starting to bloom and many beautiful species were found at every turn! Along with the riparian habitat you can see pristine oak savannas on the park. We sighted so much wildlife it was unbelievable - and not just mammals, but reptiles and amphibians as well. HUNTING IS NOT ALLOWED AT THIS PARK if you try it they will confiscate ALL your gear and catch you with the monitoring equipment. read more

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The upper portion of the park is beautiful, and we got to see a rare Lewis woodpecker. The lower portion (Dinosaur Point) on the other hand looks like a post apocalypse, dystopian zone. It has two giant empty parking lots with grass growing in spots. Because of the very low water level, the boat ramp looks like an long airport runway on a slope. And we got barked at by the ranger on duty for not stopping at a sign that says: "All vessels need to stop for inspection" . Since I didn't have a boat, I didn't think this applied to me. The young, bearded ranger, who should probably attend an anger management class, proceeded to chase us in his jeep to yell at us. He then said "I give you 15mn to get out of here". A very sad experience, and a poor way to spend CA taxpayer money imho. read more

I remember back in the day when this was a field trip in school. Not much happening up here except looking at the reservoir and if you're lucky you'll see the people that street luge on Dinosaur Point. read more

Even if you don't feel like hiking around, the spectacular view of San Luis Reservoir, in and of itself, warrants a visit to Pacheco State Park. Note, however, that it can get pretty windy up here. So you may want to dress appropriately. read more

Pacheco State Park - View of San Luis Reservoir from Pacheco State Park - Parks Near Me - Hollister, California

Have been going here for many years. This is a great park for trail riding on horses. It took a few "gos" to get a route we liked. Some trails are more steep than we want to do - but the Salt Creek trail to Pig Pond and back is a good 2 hour ride. Possible to see deer now and then. read more

Before visiting I wasn't really even aware this park exists. Turned out to be a great place for a trail run. Plan ahead as there aren't many people out there and not many services provided. Hot, desolate, but did the job for an adventurous trail run. read more

So the trails are well marked and semi-maintained, I came here during spring so it would be green and cool, and the wildflowers were pretty. I heard many different birds but didn't see any other interesting animals (a chipmunk, dead mice, and a dead lizard). However, there are so many other parks to go to in California that are more scenic, have better trails, have more varied wildlife to see. It was nice that it was not crowded. I would rather drive another half hour to park closer to the coast to explore the redwoods. read more

Well, if you have a horse you might have more fun than I did. Still, I found the historic aeromotor windmill and the Line Cabin interesting.

Bathrooms are amazing! They are so clean! They must clean them every hour. Fishing is stupendous if you know what you're doing. The fish cleaning station is always nice too. I'll be back for more striper. read more

A gorgeous park with green rolling hills and rigerous hiking trails. I highly recommend this park.