Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park


Today we decided to do a short hike due to time constraints, so we decided to do a short hike on Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.  We drove there along a scenic road by Route 84 east, which runs along the Niles River.  We turned left at Main Street in Sonoma and took a right on Foothill Drive via Bond Street. We soon reached at the park trailhead at the southern end of the park. It seems that this park is heavily used based on the number of cars parked in the parking lot.

This trail has many loop options, long and short. We started the hike on Oak Tree Trail. This hike ascends gradually on a paved way with many cyclists going along.  As you go up you start seeing beautiful rolling hills. We also heard the I-680 highway noise. As we crossed Point #5, we saw a nice view of Sunol valley and Mission Peak. Although it got very hot today, the trail does provide some oak tree shade along the way. We did not see any cows grazing as you often see in the east bay hills.

As we turned around the small hill and came on the ridgeline, we saw the beautiful view of Castlewood Country club and Mt. Diablo. This ridge must be providing a gorgeous view in winter or spring, when everything is covered with green carpet. As we went up the trail, we passed a few picnic spots and water fountains. After marker #18, a shaded bench and a broken picnic table sits at a vista point. The view from the bench is very serene.  Therefore, we took a short break there and enjoyed the view.

Then, we started our trail again and reached marker #20, where the paved way for the cyclists ends. We decided to start our journey back from there and we came back along the Thermalito trail. At the marker #5, we took the Woodland trail to reach the trailhead. Our total hike took less than 3 hours and my NewYu showed that we walked for 5.95 miles. This hike’s gradual nature and many loops make it a great starting point for any fledgling hiker.

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