Spring in the Bay Area – April 2025
Up until this month, I had never done any hiking in the Bay Area save for an ill-fated hike in Los Gatos the week I moved to California. It was July and the hills were the brown and yellow of dead grass. Needless to say, it was not a good first impression of the area. But every year in late winter, the hills transform into a lush green as the grasses are nourished by winter rains. None of the hikes here are particularly challenging, but they’re extremely picturesque for the photography-minded.
Sycamore Valley Regional Open Space Preserve
This is a small little park located close to the border of Danville and San Ramon. There’s essentially a singular loop trail that traverses the grassy ridge that runs the length of the park and offers great views of Mt. Diablo. Since it’s only 10 minutes from my apartment, it’s a great post-work hike to decompress and watch the sunset. The trail overlaps with a grazing area for cows, who can be a bit intimidating when they’re blocking the trail in a steep area.
Sunset from the ridgeline is fantastic and in the several times I’ve done this hike during the week, I’ve seen only a handful of people on the trail.
Sunset from Sycamore Valley Open Space Regional Preserve.
Dublin Hills Regional Open Space Preserve
Another park that’s located within 10 minutes of my apartment. The Donlan Point staging area overlooks the 580 freeway going through the Dublin Canyon. On a weeknight, you can watch the poor souls stuck in eastbound traffic. I did a sunset hike from the staging area to the end of the Calaveras Ridge trail and think I spent a whole hour at the end of the trail just marveling at how green the grass was.
Beyond the northern park boundary, there are several prominent hills – Harlan and Wiedemann Hills – which I was interested in summiting. It technically involves trespassing private land and it seems to be done somewhat frequently by local peakbaggers, but I had neither the courage nor time on this date. In any case, it seems like extending the Calaveras Ridge trail all the way to Las Trampas might be in the East Bay Regional Park District’s long-term master plan. This would quickly become one of my favorite trails in the Bay Area if it came to fruition.
Cows grazing in Dublin Hills.
Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
I did a quick sunset hike on the Whipsnake Trail here hoping to photograph the rolling green hills and windmills near Los Vaqueros Reservoir. Unfortunately, I miscalculated what the lighting would look like at sunset and didn’t end up quite getting the shot I wanted. Nevertheless, Morgan Territory Regional Preserve is an awesome little park that gives a much more airy feeling than nearby parks. The road to the trailhead is hair-raising: technically single lane in the style of Patterson Pass and Calaveras Roads but much windier and with many more blind curves and hills.
On a Saturday evening, I saw exactly one other person on the trail. I had to park on the road rather than the Staging Area since the gate would close at 7 PM and I didn’t want to get locked in. This trail goes through lots of pastures and the views really don’t start until you get to the high point of the Whipsnake Trail, but once you’re there, I think the views are some of the best in the East Bay.
Late afternoon light over Morgan Territory.
Del Valle Regional Park
This park is a bit disjointed as there’s a northern staging area separate from the main park entrance to the southeast. I only had time this month to do an easy hike out of the Arroyo Staging Area in the north. Hiking to the overlook above the reservoir is a great sunrise hike on my work commute. I’m hoping to check out some other areas of the park next spring. For now, the hills are already to brown and it won’t be much longer until temperatures routinely hit 90 in the East Bay.
Del Valle Regional Park.
—Justin
