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.

Only two reviews from stellar Elite Yelpers? Must be a well kept secret!…read more Finally got my new bike built and wanted to take a simple Sunday ride. With COVID-19 illnesses rising, I choose an 6:00am start to avoid crowds. Easy parking near John Muir Hospital (thank you, Jennifer N for the tip). Headed south to Alamo for about ten miles. With a new gravel bike, I had the options of riding pavement or hard packed dirt. It wasn't as crowded as the Iron Horse Trail further past Alamo. Just a few runners. Not challenging at all, which is good. It was a relaxing ride with my new toy!

The Ygnacio Canal Trail is one of my favorite walking and running trails in the Walnut Creek area!…read moreLocated in the Ygnacio Valley hills, this trail extends about 7 and a half miles from Citrus Avenue in Walnut Creek to Heather Farms Park. This trail can be accessed from several different residential streets in Walnut Creek and it also intersects the Contra Costa Canal and California Hiking and Riding trails. There are loads of beautiful scenic views and all types of different wildlife present throughout. The trail runs parallel to the Ygnacio canal where you can view the adorable ducks swimming alongside. The trail is easy to moderate, given the rolling hills at the beginning near Citrus ave. The trail passes through a few different parks and golf courses, one of which is the Arbolado Community Park. I sometimes park my car at the park and continue on the trail from Arbolado blvd. I haven't yet been able to finish this trail in one sitting since it is 7 miles long. However, I have traveled along the entire trail to its' end at the beautiful Heather Farms Park. The people on this trail are always super friendly. This trail is shared use, so people walk, run, and ride their bikes. At it's highest point, you will capture the gorgeous views of Walnut Creek and Mount Diablo in the distance. Lime Ridge Open space can also be accessible from the tunnel overpass near Ygnacio Valley Blvd. In the summertime, this trail can be sweltering in areas that aren't shaded. I've seen ducks, squirrels, and even cows roaming around in the hills. If you are looking for a new trail to conquer in the Contra Costa area, add this one to your list!

HEMME CREEK TRAIL REVIEW: First time on this trail and it's easily one of my top 10 trails in the…read moreBay Area. You can park at the Ringtail Cat Staging Area, where there's about 8-10 parking spots. This trail is a loop that takes you literally through a stream. It's lush and woodsy, and there's a pretty steep elevation before you get a breather through a meadowy field of trees and grass. It wasn't crowded, so we took our time and enjoyed the Zen-ness of our hike. From the parking area, there's about a 1/4 mile path before you reach a metal gate where the loop begins. If you go right, you'll start with the Shred Wizard Creek part of the loop. If you go left, you'll start with the Ringtail Cat part of the loop. It's about 3 miles with a 720 foot elevation. There aren't many markers, so I recommend using AllTrails to keep you on track. We started with the creek, and it was so fun. The trail zig zags over the stream at least 25 times. There was one part of the trail where you had to walk in the stream, but it's so shallow we didn't get our socks wet at all. It can be a bit muddy. This was our favorite part of the hike. It's so green and lush. Once the creek part is done, there's a pretty steep climb to get to the Ringtail Cat part of the loop. This part is also very nice as you walk through grassy fields and trees. There's less shade here. There's still more hills and valleys along this part. Overall, this was so much fun, the scenery was beautiful, and you get quite a workout.

Went Sunday afternoon to get some exercise and fresh air…read more Paved Rocky Ridge Trail - AllTrails rate it as moderate and steep. Definitely steep, pass by some grazing cows, minimal shade which was fine on cloudy day but I can imagine this to be quite hot in summer. Great view on top of Mt Diablo and SF Bay. Free entry/parking. Pit toilets at parking lot.

Tucked away in the Godlen Eagle gated community, Augustin Bernal Park is truly an eastbay hidden…read moregem. It's a 237 acre part on the east side of the Pleasanton Ridge. Its boundaries include the EBRPD Pleasanton Ridge regional park. It seems the park was gifted to the city around 1971 but its history (and name) date back to the Spanish settler who originally owned the land. This is one of the few shaded hikes I found in the east bay hills that offers really good views and some perfect hiking loops. There's also mountain bike trails with some being only for bikers and equestrian trails as well. The only issue that makes this a less-than-perfect park is the access. This year, they started requiring non-residents of Pleasanton to have a pass which is now on a fee basis; if you're a resdient of Pleasanton then it's no big deal to get in. I know there is a another access point via walking on Longview drive and that used to be no permit required but I have not tried it recently. Technically, one could also hike here from the Pleasanton Ridge regional park via the ridgeline trail too. At the time of this review, it seemed to be 10 dollars for a week pass via https://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/your-community/parks-trails/ .

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.

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.

Great place to get an ebike. Great selection of bikes. They redeem AVA rebates here. Helpful staff…read more Might be busy at times.

Went in today and bought a Juiced e-bike and payed a good amount for it. The bike was pre-assembled…read moreby the shop, we rode it around in the parking lot and it seemed fine. This is the first preassembled E bike I have purchased so when I got it home, I wanted to check and make sure everything was correct and tight, it wasn't. The people that work there seem nice enough, but you could tell they just throw these bikes together in a rush, I found multiple bolts and fasteners loose, including the clamps for the front wheel and the front brake caliper was not routed correctly and the hydraulic line was rubbing on the rim. If I didn't inspect this I could've had a major incident with this bike . I'm happy with a bike just not the assembly job. If you want to purchase a bike here they have multiple brands and a good selection, but make sure if it's preassembled you check everything before you take it out on a long ride.

Cute area for dogs and there lots hiking trails here that you can go from this area. There is also…read morebathrooms by the front area and dog play area at the front. Perfect for dogs. If you have dogs, take them to this area to play. They will like it.

Easy to access parking lot for dog park and the Tassajara Ridge Trail, which is a very easy, open…read moretrail that gets busy with families of hikers and walkers. Park and be set for hours and miles of trails.

The person who reviewed this 11 years ago was spot on about the beauty of this trail. He biked it,…read morewhich was definitely a lot of climbing and I hiked it today. I'm surprised no one else has reviewed this beautiful trail. We chose this hike because it was so hot today inland-it turns out it was a good decision. The hike begins with climbing almost all the way to the of trail. However, there are sweeping views of the coast, Mount Tamalpais, and beyond. The most fascinating part was the abundance of sedimentary rock we were surrounded by- truly astounding. I had to look up the history of these rocks and learned this- we were looking at one of California's most famous geological features: radiolarian ribbon chert. The strata with the various colors was clearly visible & striking. Additionally we were impressed with the large concrete bunker complex (at the top of climb) Battery Townsley. It's the massive WWII gun battery perched above Fort Cronkhite and Rodeo Beach. I highly recommend this hike for those that enjoy spectacular, coastal views, history, and geology.

After you ride the Coastal View trail, you will want to sell your earthly goods and then donate the…read moreproceeds to the GGNRA and then devote yourself to mountain biking full time. Really, join me! We'll make it work! We'll live on thistles and spring water, and we'll dance with the butterflies! Oh, never mind, we need beer money...but do check out this trail...I pretty much guarantee you'll love it. Here's my loop: West Blithedale trailhead, up Old Railroad Grade to West Point Inn, past the Inn to Old Stage Road trail, down to Pantoll campground, (through the parking lots) to Coastal View trail, ride Coastal View all the way to Highway 1. Then turn left, ride carefully on Hwy 1 to the Pelican Inn, and have your friend guard the bikes while you get a pot of tea to drink out on the lawn. Then lug your tired rear up Diaz Ridge trail back to Mill Valley and don't hate on me for getting you to a place that's downhill from where you want to be. Alternate plan: Get your friend's husband, who has a truck, to pick you up. Say yes to hitchhikers 'cause that might be you one day and you think you know them maybe a little. But I guess I should review the trail itself: Coastal View is absolutely magnificent. The word 'magnificent' is not an exaggeration, which I am prone to, but not in this case. Single track (but not the scary next-to-a-cliff-you-might-die type of single track) that progresses from wooded bits near Pantoll, to an exposed path, to a Disney-couldn't-design-a-trail-that-looks-this-good segment that winds through some low trees (duck! you might get wet if it's misty), then out to views of the coast (or the fog, depending on your luck). Go with a friend so you can keep saying, "Oh my gosh! This is great! And there's no one on the trail!"* Tons of wildflowers in the spring and great photo ops if you're into that--I am always so blissed out that I forget about photos. Bonus photo op at Muir Beach overlook right off of Highway 1. *OK, you may see a few others on Coastal View trail. On my most recent ride, we saw a single runner (that's it!) from Pantoll to Hwy 1. That said, don't rush it, savor it. Look out for bunnies. PS Yes, you could hike this, too, but I never have. I'm sure it's just as nice on foot. PPS the only place you might lose your way is just past Pantoll, but watch for the signs and I think it is clear.