Abrigo Valley Loop at Briones Regional Park

This winter has been so dry, but we actually got a nice little front of showers this weekend. I actually really like hiking in the rain if it's not too heavy of a downpour and the trails aren't too muddy. The greens really pop in a rain, and my family subscribes to the mantra, "more muddy, more fun." So I decided to hit the trails this weekend even in the rain to explore Briones Regional Park from the Bear Creek Staging Area.

Although this was not my first trip to this park, I did not take pictures at when I first came here c. 2013 (back when my husband and I lived in Crockett). Looking over the map, I am not even sure how we entered this very large park (maybe Alhambra Creek?) but it was very different from how I approached the park on this visit via Happy Valley Road from Lafayette. I was really taken by the beauty of the drive even to get to the staging area. From the Oak Grove picnic area in the Bear Creek Staging Area, get on the Abrigo Valley Trail. This part of the 3.5-mile lollipop trail is well made and well graded.

The trail follows a fairly wide valley cut by Abrigo Creek, and it was much more forested than I imagined that it would be. When you get to the Maud Whalen backpacking campsite, veer to the left to stay on Abrigo Valley Trail and continue taking that as it heads into an opener valley. Apparently there is a 15-ft waterfall near this path, although I did not see it--and I was looking for it. I was following the description in Ann Marie Brown's 101 Great Hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area (Moon Outdoors, 2014):

Pay close attention to the creek just beyond Wee-Ta-Chi Camp. Look and listen carefully  and you may spot Abrigo Falls dropping 15 feet over a rock face into a narrow, cavelike canyon. The waterfall is nearly hidden, and if the stream isn't' flowing strong, it can be difficult to spot. It's located where the trail makes a steep, short climb. (When the trail makes a hairpin turn to the left and moves away from the creek, you've passed it.)

I think I know the "steep, short climb" that she is referring to, and it was very slippery with mud. If that is right, then I'm not surprised I missed the falls--I was preoccupied with not falling into the sticky ooze. I was very glad to find a stick to use as a walking stick, and I think it's best to do this hike with a pole or a walking stick of some sort.

Even though I missed the waterfall, I still loved this hike. The sound of the water was so lovely, and the poppies were springing up already (although they were closed up due to the cold and the rain). There were so many California newts that were on the trail--it was so fun to see their friendly looking faces. After climbing up the Abrigo Valley Trail to its end, I looped onto the Briones Crest Trail, and the circled back on the Mott Peak Trail to complete the lollipop.

This trail is one that I would like to repeat. The poppies are going to be off the hook in about a week! And I have a feeling that the views will be spectacular, when they are not obscured by clouds and the mist (which I rather enjoyed for this maiden voyage).