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Sunol Regional Wilderness Area
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
35 reviews for Sunol Regional Wilderness Area
Sunol park is a hidden gem in the lower East bay. I did some reading on here beforehand and I didn't come across many reviews of the park from a biking perspective so I had muted expectations coming in. But my riding buddies were persuasive so we finally gave the park a try this weekend. Boy was I impressed. The park truly is a reflection of its name. I've ridden in many parks around the Bay Area and Sunol is one of the few that exemplify what a wilderness preserve should be. Driving into the park, the first thing I encounter is a deer walking across the main entrance on Geary Road. The elevation changes are amazing, the views from the peaks are spectacular, and the riding can be brutal but fun.
We parked in one of the main dirt lots off Geary Road, proceeded to cross a short bridge across a creek and started an immediate climb up Hayfield Road for about a mile or so. We then took High Valley Road for another mile until we crossed Welch Creek Road to ride the Maguire Peaks Loop, about a 5-6 mile loop. On our way back, we were pretty beat so we rode back to the main lot through paved roads, heading west on Welch Creek Road, turning unto Calaveras Road for a brief stint, and finally riding back into the park through Geary Road. This loop totalled a little over 12 miles.
The majority of the multi-use trails are fireroads, great for climbing work and exhilirating downhills. The singletrack trails are limited to hikers so proceed at your own risk. There's plenty of flat riding in the main area of the park for beginners. I'd recommend the route above more for skilled riders due to the long sustained climbs.
The park is a bit off the 680 freeway so be prepared for an extended drive in (10-15 minutes). Parking is $5 when there is an attendant although we came early enough (before 8am) so the entrance kiosk was vacated. We had such a good time my friends and I are already making plans to come back soon.
I'd love to come here again when it isn't 100+ degrees out. But besides the flies buzzing around me while using their restroom/outhouse the picnic sites were nice and spacious with plenty of space to spread out, with plenty of parking as well.
Its a good place also to let boys be boys and have their share of lizard hunting, rock throwing and tree climbing.
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Had a great time with the dogs today. Its hard to find places where you can actually take dogs on a full hike. Anyways even though I almost got killed because one of my dog wanted to run off the cliff, I still had a grand old time. I mean every hike is different, so sure I wish there was more shade or more water around, but honestly it was all good. I look forward to coming back in the spring time when maybe things are a little on the greener side :)
P.S.- I loved the cows, even though I thought I thought I was going to get attacked. Hello never really been hiking where there are cows. No but no attacks.
THis is a really nice park in the middle of the Bay Area. You forget that cities are just 20 min away. Did a bike ride from Dublin to the park and back. Not much traffic and real quiet. Whats with all this fog though? My only complaint is the water at the park tastes REALLY bad out of the faucet.
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First time hiking here and have to say I am still a fan of Mission Peaks.
Pros- Beautiful scenery
- lots fo various hikes you can take
- lots of shaded trees to keep you cool
- picnic benches in the vistor centers and along some paths
- great place to go if you want to take your time and enjoy the
wilderness
Notes- $5 bucks to get in- so car pool
$2 for an annual pass to hike
*Mission Peak has no fee and is the place to go if you want to feel the burn in your legs. I hiked here on Sunday and just hiked MP earlier tonight because Sunol was too easy.
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Coming here was totally an adventure. I rely on the GPS to much and told me to turn on this one road, before you know there was another car in front of me trying to come down the road. We were on a hill. I was on the road and a cliff on the left of me. Yes I was freaking out! No where to go and didn't know what else to do. Thank god, the other car backed up to a bigger landing area and gave me directions of where I need to go. Yes I was totally embarrassed.
Finally I was on my way to the park, but for the longest time I just kept driving. I do not like the feeling there is no one in front of you or behind you. I was the only car on the road.
Finally I got to the park, paid my $5 parking fee. I asked the Ranger where do hikers usually met. He said the Visiting Center or at the end of the parking lot. I didn't go to into the park, since what just happen to me. So I end up parking at the Visitor Center. There is no cell service in this area. So I end up asking the Ranger where is the pay phone? He said there is one near the Visitor Center, heading back I saw the pay phone. Nowadays to make a local call was 50 cents, I look into my purse. No change. Then again I notice no one has use this pay phone forever, cuz there was hella cobwebs everywhere. I was like great!
So picture me in the middle of the field walking around, hold up my cell phone in the air. Hoping and praying to get a bar. Yeah I barely saw a bar.
I end up getting a map from the Ranger and decided to go just go on a hike with Cindi, Jean, and I. We hope to run into the rest of our group. Which we did later on. They have all different kinds of trails. Some harder than others, which was great.
Overall its a great place to go hike. Yes I got a little to much sun again but I been trying to even out my tan. Would not mind going back but this time, I hope we just all met up at the Visitor Center.
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After reading the various reviews, I decided to bring the family here for an early morning hike before watching the new Harry Potter movie. Didn't have much trouble finding it as we drive Calaveras road alot on our way to Livermore. I guess I lucked out because we didn't have to pay the $5 parking fee, just went straight in. We decided to hike the Canyon View Trail to little Yosemite. We brought our lab Abby who just loves long hikes, especially if she's off leash, she seems to be in her element in places like this.
It was 70 degrees when we started the hike, by the time we were done we could feel the sun beating down on us. It was probably close to 100. The hike was relaxing, we mosied along at a leisurely pace. There were numerous elevations, but nothing too strenuous. The prize at the end is little Yosemite with it's clear cool waters. My 8 year old girl had no problem with the hike, there's alot to see along the way. The only problem was my dog got a blister on one of her paws, so she was limping around a bit toward the end. All in all, good, cheap family fun and good exercise.
Wow what a great hike up the creek and to Little Yosemite...make sure to see the cave to the side of Little Yosemite...stacked some rocks and Wee Little Gnome enjoyed the hike too.
Oh Yea!
Really a nice hike and area. Sunol Wilderness is close and easy to get to. We chose to navigate the McCorkle trail (the long way) which, I have to say, in 90 degree heat and heading uphill most of the way as the McCorkle trail does on the long route, it was a goooood hike. At the upper most part, the trail is very narrow, and puts you into some relatively dense brush. We crossed the Cerro Este trail and made the return loop that way. Cerro Este trail is a nice easy walk, with some excellent views. Next time I think we will come for the Little Yosemite hike.
I've been coming here since I was a kid and I'd always do the Little Yosemite trail. Unfortunately, most recently when I came, there was a bunch of graffiti on the rocks. This made me so mad. I cannot believe that punk kids would take so much time to go out so far to destroy nature. This made me feeling saddened with society. Five stars for the park, because it's great. Negative stars for the punks that graffiti'd my favorite getaway in the area.
Very nice. We hiked the Flag Hill trail. It's a short 1.3 miles, but pretty steep so it was a good little workout. There is a lot of cow poop, so watch your step. We didn't see any cows the day we went though. We got to the top of Flag Hill and it was a nice view from the top of the rocks. We saw a whole bunch of turkey vultures too. Very beautiful and peaceful!
$5 parking fee. Very clean outhouses.
I'm planning to go back to try the other trails. =)
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The park ranger said that it was really crowded the Sunday afternoon we went (we got there around 1:30pm). We took the Flag Hill Trail towards Maguire Peaks Trail. The sun was around, the wind was blowing, the air was cool (turned cold around 4:30pm), there were not a lot of people on the trail. We took our sweet time and took lots of photos.
I love the outdoors.
Check out my photos, posted with this review. Don't forget $5 bucks to park so you'll want to plan to spend the whole day or at least half out in the wonderful land of nature.
Update: Adding the directions since I've received several comments asking how to get there.
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To Reach The Park
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From the Fremont area:
Drive north on I-680 and exit at Calaveras Road. Turn right on Calaveras and proceed (several minutes in) to Geary Road, which leads directly into the park (it's another several minutes drive in to the ranger booth and parking lots).
From the Oakland/Berkeley area:
Drive east on I-580 to the junction with I-680 in Pleasanton. At the junction, go south on I-680 and exit at Calaveras Road/Highway 84 just south of the town of Pleasanton. Turn left onto Calaveras Road and proceed (several minutes in) to Geary Road, which leads directly into the park (it's another several minutes drive in to the ranger booth and parking lots).
From the Walnut Creek/Danville area:
Go south on I-680 and exit at Calaveras Road/Highway 84 just south of the town of Pleasanton. Turn left onto Calaveras Road and proceed (several minutes in) to Geary Road, which leads directly into the park (it's another several minutes drive in to the ranger booth and parking lots).
There is no public transit to Sunol Regional Park.
Also, maps are available here: http://www.ebparks.org...
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I'm at the point where I've done each of my favorite Bay Area hikes at least half a dozen times, so I was happy to try a new spot recently. This park is only about an hour's drive from San Francisco. We did a 7 mile round-trip hike that took us up along the ridge and back - the views from the top were lovely. It was a good uphill trek - I definitely felt like I got a workout in. There were lots of cows grazing around. They did look happy, but I swear some of them were giving us the stink eye. Maybe they were just cranky from the heat.
After the ridge it was all downhill, passing several small creeks along the way. My least favorite thing was that most of the trail was very exposed, with very little shade. Luckily, on this April weekend it was still bearable with a faint breeze, and the park was also still quite green. But I wouldn't come here in the summer.
$5 parking fee. It was pretty crowded! The parking lots were very full, and there were lots of people on the trails. No running water - bring plenty with you.
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4.5 for this place!
in my view.. I think sunol regional park is half mission peak combined with Yosemite. This is my explanation: it's like mission peak in the sense that the trail looks pretty similar... it's have some degree of likeness. It's like bit like Yosemite because there is a lot tree and shade and WATERFALL! lol.. I think the waterfall was the best part of the trail... c'mon now~ who doesn't like water!!!??
anyway... so it's was my first time here. I want it to hike but wanting somewhere more mellow than mission peak... after reading some of review for this place I decided to give it a try.
Reiko S's review was really helpful for the direction. This park is very easy to find...
From the Fremont area:
Drive north on I-680 and exit at Calaveras Road. Turn right on Calaveras and proceed (several minutes in) to Geary Road, which leads directly into the park (it's another several minutes drive in to the ranger booth and parking lots).
it's no kidding.. at first i thought we were lost since all we did was driving on calaveras blvd (it's like good 3-4 miles before u see geary road) from there u just keep going until u reached the end. At first you will see some parking space right when you entry the park.. my suggestion is to keep driving to the end and save you some walking. lol.. yep... lazy.. =P
we went there just before 5pm.. the parking lot wasn't crowded at all. Since we have never been here before so we didn't know what to expect. We did find an awesome waterfall.. although the sign say no wading... I couldn't help but sneaked into the water and play around.. hehe.. it was so much fun. I was trying to find the source of the waterfall.. but its was too rocky too climb around. thus we didn't hiked to the end so I have no clue how much farther we have to hike before we reach the top or end!?
I saw bit of the map... it has a trail all the way to mission peak.. crazy. that is for sure a hard cord hike.. good work out i bet.
anyway.. here is some of my picz.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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I've been to Sunol Regional Wilderness a bunch of times. They charge $5 for parking, though one friend has an East Bay Parks Pass so we didn't have to pay this time. Cool.
We did a short hike on Sun 3/30/08. We did the Indian Joe Nature Trail and hiked up there to Cave Rocks Rd. We had lunch up at some picnic tables & windmill nearby. There's some shaded picnic tables too, but another group took it before we got there. Two pit toilets nearby.
We saw a pond with many turtles in there. Ranger said there's Red Legged Frogs there, but we didn't see any. Also newts -though didn't see them either.
Many cows near the trail when we went. Very peaceful looking. They didn't bother us at all. Spring is a good time to visit for finding wildflowers.
We came down the Hayfield Rd Trail & then continued past the Sunol Visitor Center to some trail along the Alameda Creek Trail.
Sunol Visitor Center is small, but the ranger knew many things. 2 pit toilets off to the side of the parking lot.
Website:
http://www.ebparks.org...
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Great place to go hiking even with small kids. The trails aren't that difficult but some parts can be challenging. Best time to go is Spring with all the flowers blooming and the hills being lush and green. Great place to go if you don't want to travel too far away from civilization to hike.
I love this place. Little Yosemite is so gorgeous. It is a perfect place for a long or short hike. Easy or challenging. You can backpack or camp. Bring your horses or puppies, plus you can have your dogs off leash!! This is a huge plus to me. Easy to enter and park. I have a spot in my heart for this place.
So lately I've been on a hiking kick. A group of friends got together and wheeled up there on a hot and sunny day. Granted, I never hike when the sun is bright and overhead, but this was a great hike as it wasn't too steep, and I wasn't huffin' nor puffin' (at least too hard). It was definitely a great view, and if that doesn't get your attention, then hitting little yosemite should. Little yosemite is a waterfallish/rocky area and is such a great place to cool down on a hot summer day. Will I return? But of course!! Next time I'll take a group of other friends to experience the great outdoors.
Such a great place to go...Nice nature...So thankful to owner of this place to create such a place and allowed to walk here with off leash dogs.Love it
WOW... I saw this was on the recently reviewed list and had to write about this park. I've been coming here since I was like 5 years old and it used to be our family outing back in the days. Now that I have a 12 year old son this was the first hiking park I brought him too, and we sometimes go once a week in the summer time.Sunol is soooo beautiful, peaceful and so many little animals you can see along the way (turtles, snakes, lizards, big scary Cows, deers, and so many more) We have been on all the trails including the private trail you have to ask them for to get a pass... It's beautiful views of the hills and city is a must.
Go Nollie!!!!.... Turtle buddy
WILDFLOWERS!!! I felt like singing outloud and might have, but I was kinda out of breath from walking uphill, so when I got to the top and saw the great view - i just said "whew!" and smiled and scratched my happy and equally out of breath puppy behind the ears (it was her birthday!).
We did the Canyon View Trail to Little Yosemite - the doggies got to run around in the creek, I got a little tan started and we all got lots of fresh spring air and exercise. Good times! Great park!
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Yep, this is also one of my favorite parks in the Bay Area. It's right out of Fremont, so ridiculously easy to get to. Rolling hills, cows -- classic California ranch land. Not too many trees on the better trails, so not the best choice for noon on a July weekend. But, I've been there done that and still alive to tell the tale.
Trails: Starts off a little strenuous on all trails to the good stuff. I probably would not take my parents here or be pushing a stroller up the trails. I like McCorkle and don't think much of Little Yosemite.
Sunol Backpack Camp: 4 miles from the parking lot, so a fairly short walk to get that backcountry feel. This site is in the flight path for planes to San Jose (?), so expect to hear planes at night. Sunol also seems to be a semi-popular stop for those on the big Ohlone Trail walk, so you might have company. On the night we went, there were 2 other groups out. We camped at Eagles Eyrie. Great views, but duh, windy. Don't let your tent go until you stake it down, is my advice.
Awesome place to walk your dogs off leash. Be careful though because of the cow poop. For some reason my dog had the urge to roll on it. Other than that, great picnic sites, nice views, and a very good place to view wildlife.
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we love it because of Little Yosemite, wild flowers, the hills, the rocks, the views, and most importantly the Alameda Creek!
we love the creek because we're great swimmers also there are miles and miles of off-leash fun!
Pre-cautions: Poison oak is common, as are ticks. Cows and horse dungs.
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Try to go on a weekday morning in late winter, early spring. Wildflowers are starting to pop, the hills are carpeted in fresh green with the bits of color from the flowers. Nice Loop: Hiking out Canyon View Trail then down creek for snack, out to Backpack camp trail and up to McCorkle for the return. Mostly gentle up and down, some shaded glens of oak and bay trees - 5 to 6 miles. Really wonderful. Dogs off leash except in parking and visitor center areas. Recommend highly!
One of my favorite East Bay Parks. Consider going in the winter after some rain when Alameda Creek will be running. Still it's beautiful at all times of the year although you should have plenty of water in the summer as it's dry and you're often exposed. This is part of a chain of parks. Besides hiking here you can go east through the Ohlone Wildneress to Lake Del Valle (will take a few nights so take gear) or you can go west and climb up Mission Peak the back way. For a long hard day, start here, go up Mission Peak and down the west face (just be sure to have a car waiting at the other side). You'll need a wilderness pass to access these areas but you can buy one at the Ranger Station.
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love this park. hiked to little yosemite on a whim and one bottle of water in mid afternoon, not a good idea but i made it and found it and enjoyed myself. beautiful cattle ranges, hillsides, descedning fields and switchbacks, trials, creeks and boulders. remember to bring lots of water for the hikes.
dogs are allowed off leash which is rare and refreshing to find esp at such a beautiful park. bring your bag and clean up after your pooch though! lots of mild trials for the little kids as well as picnic/lunch areas if youre inclined by the parking area. just be aware of the wasps in summer.
otherwise dorothy, its doesnt feel like youre in the silicon valley anymore.
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A beautiful place and I cannot believe that I haven't been here before. I used to do a great deal of hiking before my arthritis kicked in hard, but I truly pushed myself to keep up and at least make a loop trail. I'm so glad we came here today, when the hills were still green and there was a breeze. It must be scorching in the summertime. Hikers share the paths with horses, which is way cool and there are gates to keep the cows in their proper places. That is not to say that you don't get to hike around their pucks. Just that the cows are allowed only in certain grazing areas. Must be nice to camp here too cuz it probably feels like you are really miles away from nowhere.
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This is a great place for a hike or a swim, or both. Also great for dogs. The hike to Little Yosemite is a fun one, and there are plenty of other hikes as well - lots of wildlife. It's best to go after rain, as things are greener. Just make sure to bring some money for parking, as there aren't really any "free" places to park for miles.
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Beauuutiful park. Went here in January. I love oak trees, especially after they shed their leaves for the winter as though they know it's time for them to display their dramatic architecture. Well, in this park, there are an abundance of oak trees, rolling hills, some cows, and just great terrain --not too steep and not too flat. Little Yosemite is really really tiny, but whatever. I don't know if it refers to the tiny waterfalls or the a tiny version of the Yosemite valley or what, but expect nothing and you'll be pleased. I saw lots of people with dogs, and I was pleased to see that when we approached the cows, the dog caretakers immediately put the leashes on their dogs.There is a $5 fee for parking and a small fee ($2?) for backpackers, but it's worth it.... plus you get to support the wilderness area/park.
I visited the park with my family (husband, brother, mom, and mother-in-law) to celebrate Mother's Day, and we had a wonderful time!
We started with a 9AM horseback ride ($55 ea. for 2 hrs) led by http://www.westerntrai.../. The horses were beautifully well kept, the guides helpful, and the scenery amazing. Highly recommended!
After a picnic lunch we walked the Camp Ohlone Road to Little Yosemite, stopping twice at Alameda Creek, which includes several miniature waterfalls. We hiked back along the Cerro Este, Canyon View, and McCorkle trails, enjoying interesting rock formations, wildflowers and cows. Early in the day the park wasn't crowded, but it was parked up in some areas by mid afternoon. Bring sunscreen! Most of the pathways are not shady. Have fun.
This is a really pretty place to go hiking, and dogs are allowed off-leash, which is a real plus if you are a dog owner. Our dog absolutely loved it -- she swam in a creek, ran all over the place and rolled in a cow pie. Little Yosemite wasn't the most impressive waterfall I've ever seen, but the large boulders surrounding the creek were pretty amazing. Make sure you really explore the creek area around the waterfall, as there are some private places to eat lunch if you climb on to the rocks. We were there on a weekday, and there were very few people hiking, which was really nice -- it could be a different story on a weekend. There are many different types of birds in Sunol, and the visitor center has lists detailing the birds you might see -- I saw an acorn woodpecker, loads of cedar waxwings and several hawks.
beautiful park. a little different than many of the other regional parks - there's a lot of wildlife, creeks and small waterfalls, ridges and gorges of boulders.
4 stars because like others mentioned, it is crowded on the weekends. (and i prefer my nature with less people.)
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This place is one of the reasons that I hold the East Bay Regional Park District in such high regard. Sunol Regional Wilderness is a great place to visit and hike and you can really start to feel like you're quite a ways away, even though you actually aren't. It's also one of the few places in the Bay Area that has some easily accessible and sizable waterfalls in the springtime. Sunol offers its visitors a wide range of hiking opportunities. There is the wide and relatively flat Camp Ohlone Road trail to Little Yosemite (it's very nice but I don't think it's worthy of the name), there's the narrow, twisty, and a little bit steep Indian Joe Creek Trail that criss-crosses back and forth over a small creek (I wonder how long it will be until they change the name of this trail), and there's the wide open grassy skyline views that the Cave Rocks Road trail offers. Sunol also offers some rock climbing areas along the Injun ...oops... I mean Indian Joe trail, as well as both car camping (mostly for families), and backpack camping (a bit of a way's out along the Ohlone Wilderness Trail). And as is the case for most of the East Bay's parklands, the trails are interconnected with the other nearby parks, open space areas, and watershed lands. Oh, and I guess that I should mention that the waterfalls that I referred to at the beginning of my rant are in the Little Yosemite area, naturally enough. Make sure that you get out by sundown because they lock the gates and night and you won't be able to get your car out until sunrise.
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very very very hot and dry in the summer;
no shades;
what you can see is yellow grass and fewer trees;
cow popo all over the place;
BUT
I love little yosemite.
