Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
East Bay Regional Park District
I took the week of Christmas 2006 off as vacation and I was itching to get out on the trail. The weather during the first weekend of my vacation was somewhat unsettled with rain and threats of rain and so I let my lazy bug get the best of me and I stayed indoors rather than brave the elements. Christmas was on Monday and I visited family that day rather than hike. Then I stayed up way too late Monday night and ended up sleeping in too long Tuesday morning to make it worthwhile to go out for a hike on a short winter day. So when Wednesday came along I took the opportunity to get out.
The weather report initially called for a serious storm Tuesday evening with flash flood alerts throughout the Bay Area. The storm was delayed and eventually fizzled out but was replaced with some serious cold wind Wednesday morning with wind gusts forecast up to 50 mph. I decided not to let that stop me.
Since I am trying to explore the Bay Area trails with new hikes each time I decided to explore the Las Trampas Regional Park, which is next to San Ramon in the East Bay. The drive there from my place in San Jose was a rather windy one though and my car was blown all over the freeway, but I made it OK.
When I got to the park there were only a couple of other cars in the parking lot. Given it took me an hour to get there, I made a much needed use of the outhouse before my hike. There was almost no toilet paper stocked in it though so I used my own that I keep in my pack just in case I can’t wait on the trail and it sure came in handy here.
My initial plan was to start my hike on the Elderberry Trail and do the loop through the Devil’s Hole Trail to the Sycamore Trail to the Rocky Ridge View Trail and back to the parking lot for about a 6 mile hike with some good elevation change. However, upon starting the hike up the Elderberry Trail a man coming back with his dog informed me that a little ways up it became a serious muddy mess.
So I reconsidered and thought I would try a hike on the other side along the Bollinger Creek Trail. That turned out to quickly be a muddy mess too with industrial strength mud that just sticks to your boots and doesn’t want to come off for anything. So I abandoned that and tried the Chamise Trail instead.
The Chamise Trail starts a short distance down the road from the parking area and immediately climbs up the hill. And perhaps because of the drainage of gravity, the trail was more of a hard packed mud and not a muddy mess and I was able to cleanly climb it.
After getting up past the first rise the trail cuts through brush very much like that I walked through on the China Hole Trail in Henry Coe State Park. Eventually I made it to the top where the Calaveras Ridge Trail made a junction with the Chamise Trail. I intended to continue on the Chamise Trail to Vail Peak but the trail started to get messy and I decided against it. I noticed from up on the Chamise Trail that looking back across the little valley there were people walking up the paved Rocky Ridge View Trail. I decided to head back and hike up that instead.
I should say here that even though it was a windy day, I guess since the Chamise Trail is lower than Rock Ridge I was generally protected from high winds on the Chamise Trail. Hiking up it was very pleasant. The same was true after I descended the Chamise Trail and headed up the Rocky Ridge Trail. I experienced very little wind there, just slight breezes and cool but comfortable temperatures.
The hike up the Rocky Ridge View Trail gave me a workout though. It reminded me of the climb up to Mission Peak that I hiked the previous week. It also reminded me of the hike up the Poverty Flat Road at Henry Coe and of the PG&E Trail at Rancho San Antonio. All offer good steep climbs. Call me crazy but I don’t feel like I have done a hike unless I have climbed a hill. Otherwise I feel like I am just out for a stroll.
I am a little disappointed at my fitness though, even after hiking all the hills that I have, I could not keep up with the other hikers who were on the trail and I was passed by other people heading up. I guess I need to get out there more.
Otherwise I made it to the top without needing to stop. From the top I took the dirt trail heading off to the left below the tower up on the peak. It came out on top of the ridge and given the clear skies, offered incredible views in all directions. I could see across to San Francisco, down south towards San Jose, across to Pleasanton and to communities north. It was also very cold and windy up there and I had to put the hood of my coat up over my head to stay warm. And given the cold, I was glad for the baselayer and fleece top I wore under my shell too. But with the views, it was all worth it.
From there I continued on to where the Rocky Ridge View Trail meets up with the Cuesta Trail. I took the Cuesta Trail down the hill to where it loops back to the paved section of the Rocky Ridge View Trail. The Cuesta Trail has some muddy sections but it wasn’t too bad and I made it back to my car with only a little mud on my boots.
In wrapping up, I was deterred from my intended hike by excessively muddy trails but found some worthwhile hiking nonetheless. The views available up on Rocky Ridge were incredible on this day and made for a great outing. I will no doubt return to this park again later in 2007 to fully explore it.
Sign at the park entrance
View to the parking area from the Elderberry Trail
Hiking up the Chamise Trail
Looking back and across from the Chamise Trail
Hiking through the brush on the Chamise Trail
Heading further up on the Chamise Trail
Rocky outcrop along the Chamise Trail
Heading back down the Chamise Trail
Heading up the paved Rocky Ridge View Trail
View towards San Ramon from Rocky Ridge
Looking down into Bollinger Canyon
Rocky Ridge View Trail below the tower.
Rocky Ridge
A fence picture looking back toward the tower
View towards the South Bay
View across Bollinger Canyon
Coit Tower and San Francisco in the distance
Devils Hole Trail Junction
Another view south
View along the range of hills
View along the Rocky Ridge Trail
Looking across to the Chamise Trail
Muddy section of the Cuesta Trail
The obligatory rock picture.
Another hiker coming down the Cuesta Trail
A rather dead looking tree along the Cuesta Trail
Back at the parking lot. This hike is in the bag!
On Wednesday December 27, 2006 I hiked in the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness.
GPS Stats
Distance hiked: 7.07 miles
Total ascent: 1772 ft
Trailhead Elevation: ~1060 ft
Max Elevation: 1965 ft
Moving time: 3 hrs 6 min
Moving Average: 2.3 mph
Overall average: 1.9 mph
Time stopped: 37 min
Personal stats
Dates Hiked:
December 27, 2006
Start time: 12:30 PM
Weather: Clear skies, highs in the 50’s, windy with gusts up to 50 mph or more
Water consumed: 1 liter
Finish time: 4:13 PM
Total time: 3 hrs 43 min
Beauty: The terrain and trees are typical of the area but with the new green grass on the hills and the expansive views through the clear skies, the views were impressive and gorgeous.
Wildlife seen: An occasional bird, otherwise just cows.
Difficulty: The Chamise Trail heads up a steep hill with switch backs at the start to make it a bit easier. It still has some short steep stretches but also has a few level spots. The paved Rocky Ridge View Trail climbs steadily up the hill, some sections steeper than others but does not let up until the top. Good for a workout!
Directions: From 680 though San Ramon, CA, take the Crow Canyon exit west. Continue on Crow Canyon to Bollinger Canyon Road, turn right and and follow Bollinger Canyon Road to the park entrance.
Parking fee: none but cars in the lot after the park closes may be cited.
