In the past few years, I've explored many different entrances to this open space. Surprisingly,…read moremany of the entrances are close to or even on private land, with an easement. For example, the entrances nearby Walnut Avenue are often interspersed among largest estates. Generally, the trails are well marked. But not always. And sometimes trails do not show up on the official Park map. Having said that, this is a delightful Park with tons of interesting trails. In most areas there are no facilities or water, so keep that in mind.

Was in the area and looking for a place to take my dog for an off leash walk and this was it. It…read morewas after some rains, so lots of muddy spots on trails. We did a nice mile and a half loop, perfect length for my small dog. I got parking, but there are not many spots, so that could be an issue. I also didn't see any bathrooms, forcing me to figure out alternatives. Rolling hills, but nothing too bad. Some native plant restoration work was being done and everybody I passed by was polite and pleasant. The trails are very exposed, so I would limit my hiking here to days with more mild weather, but it wasn't busy a really nice change of scenery for me.

Beautiful! Free parking!…read more Dog friendly! Just gorgeous! Amazing rock formations! Also, poison oak. Be aware. Open spaces like this make me happy. All of the reviews are spot on. Whatever kind of hike you want to do you will find it here. Note- once you start to enter Mt. Diablo there are no dogs allowed.

Free parking , clean bathroom and multiples trail connecting (you can even connect to Mt.Diablo…read morestate park ! Must visit and revisit

If it weren't for outdoor spaces, I'm not sure where I would have gone during the pandemic lock…read moredown! I've never seen this trail so packed as it was in these past few years! It's been great to start to see the same people and greet one another with a nod, smile, or a hello. What a nice way to connect while social distancing : ) This trail goes on and on, if you look at the regional map: www.traillink.com/trail/iron-horse-regional-trail During the summertime, there are more or less shaded areas, depending on where you go on the trail. You can find the die-hard runners, bikers, and walkers out during the hottest temperatures! During the wintertime, it's refreshing to be in the crisp air, and you'll find A LOT of people exercising as their New Year's Resolutions ; - ) In the fall, the winds can pick up and bring up the dirt on the trails. In the springtime, it's perfect weather, which seems to bring out the most people on weekends. Watch for bunches of people in the middle of the trail or strollers with dogs if you go mid-day. Recently, there have been signs posted alerting people to call out when passing and that there is a maximum of 15 MPH on the trail. This may be due to all of the new trail users who are unfamiliar with which side to walk on or it may be due to the electric bike and scooter riders on the trail. The dogs seem to really like the trail and there are complimentary poop bags that can be found in dispensers along the way to keep the trail clean. The added automatic signal lights are a plus to alert vehicles to oncoming pedestrians and bicyclists. *Note: You can find parking at some of the trail head locations.

First let me say that this trail is far from uniform from one part to another. The northern portion…read morenear Concord COULD be scenic if all the encampments and trash was cleared out. This portion, miles 0-4, was recently repaved However there are no restrooms along this section. Miles 4-8 can be very congested with people walking dogs and pushing strollers. Even sections with "pedestrian only access" are largely unused and the multi purpose trail has most of the traffic. Miles 8-14 are not very scenic. Mostly backyards. Lots of cross streets making cycling less enjoyable. Miles 14-20 are more backyards and several more cross streets. There are a few narrow bridges over small creeks. Miles 20-24 are fairly industrial. The trail is much cleaner and better patrolled from Walnut Creek south. North is a totally different story. One park employee told me he thought I was brave to ride on that section of the trail. Not a place for families for sure.

Perhaps unfairly, but as an outsider, I tend to view this part of Contra Costa County as, how do I…read moreput it diplomatically...snooty. There are tract homes that are really mansions in gated communities here. You get a pretty good indication when you take the Livorna Road exit off 680 and head toward the hills. There's a convenient parking lot at the staging area, and the walk begins along a tree-laden path that leads into the Shell Ridge Trail. This is where the open rolling hills provide some challenges to the calves. You eventually make it to the most picturesque portion of the hike on the Mokelumne Coast-to-Crest Trail. This is where the residential areas disappear and you're at one with nature...except for the occasional mountain biker. Small mouth was warranted during such disturbances, but they didn't prevent me from a scenic view of Mt. Diablo (photo: https://bit.ly/3hZ96M1). Now I could've gone deeper into Mt. Diablo State Park, but hey, I'm not a rugged mountaineer. Instead I made a turn and precariously made my way downward to the Alamo Trail. I didn't realize I exited the park until I saw distracted people on the path yelling into their mobile phones as they let their dogs do their business. Hey, where's your scooper, sister? I think with more thoughtful planning, you can probably avoid the ritzy people with their ritzy homes. Maybe not. RELATED - Exploring this part of Contra Costa County? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2x1rlsD

This review is for the trail starting at the livorna road staging area…read more I really liked this trail. It's a lot of up and down. The map on all trails leaves out a few mountain top options, so I went off trail a few times and followed an alternative route. This is definitely a trail that you will need your map in order to stay on. I hiked on a cloudy September day, temperature around 75 to 80°. On a hot day with direct sunlight this would be potentially unbearable.

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.

Are you looking for a short half-hour hike to spectacular views of Mount Diablo? Then Acalanes…read moreRidge may be for you! I hiked the South Trail one sunny afternoon to see what I could see. Once I made it up the hill and emerged from the trees, I found myself on top of the ridge. At first, I could only see the mansions in the surrounding hills, but I was soon rewarded with beautiful views of the whole area as I continued on. From the ridge, I could see from Pleasant Hill all the way down to the Martinez refinery eight miles away on one side, and from Walnut Creek up to Mount Diablo on the other side. The biggest challenge with Acalanes Ridge is finding it (I used Google Maps to get there). The trailhead is tucked away in the hills above Walnut Creek, and there's very limited parking there. Put on sunscreen and bring water--the hills are a good workout and the trail is sunny once you leave the trees. Don't forget to stop and take in the views! If you're lucky, you might even sight a red-tailed hawk wheeling above. I enjoyed this hike and will have to try hiking it at sunrise next time. (Did you know? Before the days of radar navigation, airmail arrows used to be lit as beacons to guide pilots along the transcontinental airmail routes at night. The arrows on Acalanes Ridge are among the last remaining airmail arrows in the Bay Area.)

This is a this is one of the smaller wilderness parks in the city of Walnut Creek. This particular…read morepark is in divided into several sections. Some of them are very close to the East Bay Mud water treatment plant. I don't believe there are any facilities in this park, and I did not see any drinking water. The trails are well maintained however. And the signs appear to be correct. While this is not one of my favorite parks, it's a decent place to go hiking. I enjoyed my visit.

I Have biked and hiked and geocached on this trail numerous times. It's t's one of my favorite…read moreplaces to visit, but I don't think there's any bathroom facilities along the way. If you're looking for a beautiful bike ride, this is a great option.

I love visiting the east bay city of Lafayette. There are so many beautiful outdoor trails and the…read moretown itself is adorable. I was looking to get a morning walk in and a family member brought me to this trail which she typically runs. We parked at the community center off of St Mary's road. Just one of many locations that you can catch the trail. Plenty of parking was available. The 7.65 mile trail runs on both sides of St Mary's road through Lafayette and Moraga We decided to cross over to the other side of the street from the community center and walk towards Moraga. The paved trail can be used for biking and horses as well. The trail towards Moraga has quite a bit of inclines and makes for a good workout. I went 2 miles in and turned around at Rheem Blvd for a 4 mile round-trip walk. Beautiful scenery and lots of people walking their dogs.

Great park for your kids. It hosts wine festivals and other individual events. It has great parking…read moreand a large amount of amenities.

I like that there is free parking. I came here on a Sunday, a little before 12 PM, and it was easy…read moreto find parking. This is one of the biggest outdoor public play structures in the Bay Area that I've been to so far. There are picnic tables available for rental, and it's a great place to host a kids' birthday party. There is some shade in the play structure area, but I wish there were more. There are public restrooms, but they need more frequent cleaning during the weekend. I came here on a hot Sunday, and there were a smoothie/shave ice truck and a soft serve truck parked nearby in the swim center parking lot for purchase.

This park is fantastic. The first time we visited was back in 2018 and honestly we can't remember…read morewhere we parked or which trails we hiked. But I know we enjoyed ourselves. Fast forward to yesterday. We had a restaurant in Albany that we wanted to check out so of course we had to hike first to get our appetites whet. I found a loop I wanted us to try on AllTrails. It's called the Dunn Trail--Monteiro Trail Loop. We parked at the Richard C. Trudeau Conference Center on Skyline Blvd. It was the perfect spot to start. Free parking. Public restrooms (even flush toilets!). If you have a dog, most of this trail is off-leash which I have never seen before. Every dog we saw were well behaved and having a great time. We don't have dogs of our own but I am a big dog person. This particular loop was exactly what I was looking for. It had several different biomes. Despite what AllTrails said, it is not all shaded but it was a beautiful, sunny, windy day. We saw lots of wildflowers blooming. We found there to be a difference between AllTrails and our measurements. AllTrails said it was roughly 500+ ft elevation gain but ours said 1000. That's a huge difference! But I would believe ours over theirs. There were a lot of inclines. Also, their's said it was 3.5 miles but ours said a mile longer. The trails were all very well maintained. We saw gorgeous views, small waterfalls/creeks, redwoods, butterflies--just lovely. It was less busy than I anticipated but we arrived before 9 a.m. We finished by 11. This is a big park and lots to explore. Highly recommend!

I went hiking at the Reinhardt Regional Redwood Park for the first time and loved it!…read more Plenty of street parking at the Redwood Bowl lot and we had no issues with vehicle break ins, luckily, although there were a few warning signs up to remind you to put your valuables away. There are bathrooms by the Redwood Bowl but we couldn't find any helpful maps so just used our phones to navigate. The trail we ended up taking was around 4 miles and took 2 hours. Most of it was shaded and among redwood trees so I really enjoyed that this could work as an afternoon hike. It's a moderate difficulty level with some steep areas. There's also a popular picnic area with grills and an archery range. You could even walk to the nearby swimming pool or visit the Chabot. We only did one half of the hiking loop so will be back to check out the other side.

Lafayette Reservoir was introduced to me by a girlfriend years ago, and it became our meeting place…read morefor a weekly walking date. The trail that follows the perimeter of the reservoir is about 3 miles, an easy, paved, mostly flat walk. There are more challenging trails off the main path if you're so inclined (get it, inclined...?...I'm here all week). A lot of cute dogs to see on the trail, as well as other critters around the park at times, including wild turkeys who think they own the place, and adorable goats which are sometimes brought in to 'mow' the grass. Watching the animals is one of my favorite parts of visiting this place. The sun is often blazing during the warmer months, and much of the area is unshaded, so setting out earlier in the morning is a good idea, and sunscreen and a sun hat are a must. Protect your skin folks, you'll be glad you did. There are multiple picnic areas that can be rented out, and we've had a lovely time celebrating several special occasions here with friends. I've never been out on the water itself, but you can fish here, or rent a paddle boat to go out on. A nice outdoor recreation destination in Contra Costa Co, and a welcome reprieve from daily urban life.

Lafayette Reservoir is a beautiful local park! And there is so much parking and bathrooms with…read moretoilet paper and soap! That's honestly way more than I was expecting. The parking lot we parked in had a max 2 hour limit, which isn't enough time to walk the entire perimeter of the reservoir but it looks like there are other lots that don't have as much time restrictions. Beautiful little walk - not much of a hike because of the paved path, but it's a nice distance and has beautiful views. We would definitely come back again.