101 Hikes in Northern California. Matt Heid
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680 east of Fremont to the Calaveras Rd. exit and proceed south on Calaveras Rd. for 4.3 miles to Geary Rd. Turn left on Geary Rd., reaching the visitor center parking lot and trailhead in 1.9 miles. There is a day-use fee of $5 per vehicle, plus $2 per dog.
Sweet Sunol
Description From the trailhead (0.0/410'), head to the wooden bridge over Alameda Creek and pause to admire the babbling waters. The largest watershed in the East Bay, Alameda Creek drains more than 700 square miles. Here it nourishes the mottled, smooth gray trunks and twisting branches of California sycamores, which line the streambed. With their broad leaves, sycamore trees can lose up to 50 gallons of water per day and grow only where such large volumes are available.
Cross the bridge, bear right on the wide path, and continue straight on Canyon View Trail as it quickly passes junctions on the left for Hayfield Rd., Indian Joe Nature Trail, and Indian Joe Creek Trail. Canyon View Trail soon climbs away from the creek and into a drier environment populated by blue oaks, the most drought-tolerant of all oaks. Easily recognized, their leaves are shallowly lobed with smooth margins. You pass through one of numerous cattle gates to come (always leave them as you find them) and reach a four-way intersection with McCorkle Trail (0.7/700').
Turn left on McCorkle Trail and follow the overgrown path as it climbs the ridgeline and then turns east to traverse through chaparral. This low-lying and shrubby community flourishes in arid environments and is regularly seen throughout the hike. Its common constituents include coyote brush, toyon, sticky monkeyflower, bracken fern, coffeeberry, and plenty of poison oak. Valley oak also begins to appear along this section, identified by its 2- to 4-inch deeply lobed leaves.
The trail passes beneath some huge coast live oaks and reaches the junction with wide Cerro Este Rd. (1.7/1,180'). Bear left, make a steady uphill climb on Cerro Este Rd., and then bear right to return to singletrack McCorkle Trail (2.1/1,430'). Traversing steadily across open slopes, the route offers outstanding views of Mission Peak to the west, and south toward Calaveras Reservoir, the upper Alameda Creek watershed, and the more distant peaks of the Diablo Range. The trail makes a steep, switchbacking drop into the “W” Tree Rock Scramble and then continues its traverse to reach Backpack Rd. (3.4/1,150') and the gated edge of Sunol Backpack Camp. The camp’s pleasant sites and potable water (above Site 3) make for a pleasant layover.
Continuing, follow wide Backpack Rd. as it steadily descends to Camp Ohlone Rd. (4.0/800'), where you turn right to begin your tour alongside nearby Alameda Creek. It’s an easy cruise along this wide thoroughfare to Little Yosemite (4.5/450'). With a rushing river coursing through a small gorge over boulders blue and green, Little Yosemite is a pretty sight. From here, continue on level Camp Ohlone Rd. to rejoin the park road at the upper parking lot (5.5/420'). Watch for gray pine, California buckeye, and the reappearance of coast live oak and California bay along this final section. Walk the road to return to the visitor center (5.9/410').
Nearest Visitor Center The park visitor center is open Thursday–Sunday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. For general information, call 510-544-3249.
Backpacking Information Backcountry camping is permitted only in Sunol Backpack Area. Seven campsites ($5 per person per night and a one-time reservation fee of $8) are available and must be reserved at least 5 working days in advance by calling the East Bay Regional Park District reservation office at 888-327-2757, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday. Fires and dogs are prohibited in the backpack area. Water is sometimes available depending on conditions.
Nearest Campground Sunol Wilderness has 4 drive-in campsites, but they are closed through at least 2016 while the Calaveras Reservoir is undergoing improvements. Check with the park for current information.
Additional Information ebparks.org/parks/sunol
Calaveras Reservoir is visible in the distance.
HIKE 12 Coyote Hills
Highlight Shorebird paradise
Distance 2.5 miles
Total Elevation Gain/Loss 400'/400'
Hiking Time 1–2 hours
Recommended Maps Coyote Hills Regional Park by East Bay Regional Park District, USGS 7.5-min. San Leandro
Best Times December–May
Agency Coyote Hills Regional Park, East Bay Regional Park District
Difficulty
A GRASSY SWELL IN the flatlands, Coyote Hills exists almost in the center of south San Francisco Bay. Protected marshlands enhance the unique perspective and offer a rich assortment of wildlife.
For thousands of years, the Ohlone Indians occupied the region around Coyote Hills, harvesting oysters, clams, mussels, cockles, and abalone from the extensive Bay mudflats; salmon, seals, seal lions, sea otters, and sturgeon from the water; and deer, elk, antelope, and rabbit from the surrounding hills. Using tule reeds from the vast marshlands, they constructed small boats for paddling in the bay. We know all this because four substantial middens still exist in Coyote Hills Regional Park. Middens—also referred to as shell mounds—are large piles of accumulated debris, the “kitchen wastes” of the Ohlone. Shells, bones, trinkets, and other discarded materials forming these large piles have shed a great deal of light on the Ohlone lifestyle.
With the arrival of the Spanish, it all came to an end. Disease and the mission system decimated the Indian population, and by the 19th century, salt evaporation ponds and ranch lands began to surround Coyote Hills, all but eliminating the vast marshlands. Having passed through various owners, the ranch land that included Coyote Hills and a large remaining segment of marsh was purchased by the East Bay Regional Park District in 1967. Today it provides an excellent opportunity to imagine the bay as it was before the Europeans came.
Wildlife still abounds in this ecological oasis. At least 210 species of birds have been spotted in the park, including a variety of herons, egrets, owls, pheasants, hawks, and shorebirds. More than 30 different mammals also exist in the park, mostly small rodents hunted by foxes, weasels, and raptors.
The Hike connects several short segments of trail to form a loop, passing first along the marsh before returning via Red Hill (291'). Expansive hilltop views can only be enjoyed immediately after a winter storm has cleansed the thick South Bay air; move fast—air quality begins to deteriorate within 24 hours. The hills are velvety green from January through May, turning brown in summer and fall when the skies fill with haze. Water is available at the trailhead.
To Reach the Trailhead Take Hwy. 84 to the east side of the Dumbarton Bridge and exit at Paseo Padre Pkwy. Head north on Paseo Padre for 1 mile and turn left onto Patterson Ranch Rd., following it for 1.5 miles to the visitor center at road’s end. There is a $5 entrance fee per vehicle. The park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset.
Description From the visitor center parking lot, go through the gate and take the paved Bayview Trail, skirting the edge of the marsh partly shaded by small willow and sycamore trees. A chittering of birds and croaking of frogs keep you company. The trail passes a few Monterey pines before reaching the junction for Lizard Rock Trail at the far end of the marsh—go right toward the red rock outcrop. This outcrop is Franciscan chert, formed from the silica-rich skeletons of microscopic sea creatures that collected on the ocean floor over millions of years. All of Coyote Hills is composed of this chert, which gains its red color from trace amounts of iron. Highly resistant to erosion, chert has withstood the elements while the surrounding area eroded and became covered with thick layers of mud and silt washed down from the hills. In a sea of mud,