Garin and Drycreek Pioneer Regional Parks seamlessly blend with each other and provide more than 20 miles of
hiking trails in the foothills of Hayward. We started our hike from Drycreek Pioneer Park,
parking at the end of Tamarack Dr. (off Mission Blvd) in Union City. Only after
reaching did I realize that an easier (and more courteous) option would have
been to use the May Rd. staging area to enter the park. There is plenty of
parking available at the end of May Rd., and it is literally round the corner from
where we started.
There were lush green rolling hills extending every way we looked – a beautiful
sight. The rains from last weekend had given the grass a fresh look, but
the unpaved trails were wet and muddy in several spots - you win some and lose some! We decided to do the High
Ridge Loop Trail today, starting from the Tamarack Dr. entrance and going
clockwise.
It
was a gentle climb right away, and very soon, we were able to get some great
views of East Bay cities as well as the Bay itself. It took a while to get used to the
vastness of these two parks, but the hills provide a good workout without
being too difficult. The various trails in these two regional parks cut across each
other multiple times. We took a short detour to the Ridge View Trail to see
what views the trail offered. We also came very close to the Dry Creek Trail
and the Jordan Pond. You’d have crossed over into Garin Regional Park by
now – a fact you might have overlooked, except that you’d be right at the entry
kiosk area of Garin Park.
Apollo
had a field day today. Unlike most hiking trails, there is no requirement to leash
your dog in these two parks. He was off leash and happily gallivanted by my side.
Dry Creek wasn’t dry today and had some water flowing in it. Apollo decided to
cross the creek by jumping right in… and came out completely dirty! There was a
bridge just ahead and that provided the perfect crossing point for me :)
Continuing
on the loop, we came across several cows grazing the pastures. A calf turned out to be lying smack in the middle of the trail and as we closed in, the mom quickly appeared and kept a stern watch on us. Apollo and I calmly walked past them. As soon as we crossed them, the mom went back to grazing while the calf still didn't know what to do next and stood in the trail. With
this much of grass and greenery, you'll share this trail with cows and bulls
grazing the green pastures along with cyclists and equestrians.
More
than 4 miles into the hike, we continued to have fantastic views of the hills
and the busy East Bay cities even as the trail became predominantly downhill. Until
now, the trail had been largely exposed with little or no shade. The last mile or so
of the High Ridge Loop Trail was different. Bordering another creek, the
trail will give you plenty of shade for more than half a mile, something you’d be
thankful for on a hot day. We came upon the Tolman Peak Trail, something I
chose to skip today, skirted by the May Rd. entrance, and reached our starting
point to finish the loop.
The 6.4 mile loop involved ups and downs, about 1000 ft. of ascent during the first 4 miles, and a more brisk descent during the last 2 miles. Apollo, in addition to wading the creek and dirtying himself, had put his snout in places that met with strong disapproval from me; then again, he certainly had a swell dog day today.
A trip to Petfood Express to freshen up was on the cards for my dear Apollo.
More pictures from our hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #GarinPark #DryCreekPioneerPark #HighRidgeLoopTrail #GarinDryCreekPioneerPark #EBRPD
No comments:
Post a Comment