This was a spring return visit to Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. The last time that I visited, my GPS routed me to the wrong entrance point of the park; this time my husband and I did manage to find the correct entrance, where there is ample parking for this extremely popular park (Take the Foothill Boulevard exit from I-280 and proceed south on Foothill Boulevard approximately 0.2-mile to Cristo Rey Drive, then follow the signs).

We went on one of the first fine weekend days in spring, and there was a pretty big rush of people there; however, it was mostly families with young children who were walking to the historic Deer Hollow Farm to see the newborn goat kids. It was very sweet to see both the cute goat kids and the adorable human kids having so much fun. So while it was not a hike filled with natural wonder and solitude, it was still a very enjoyable hike to celebrate the arrival of spring! This is a great, flat hike for families with young children, but adult hikers can also push beyond the crowd at Deer Hollow Farm to explore deeper into the park.

I took about a 2.5-mile version of the hike that I made the last time I came to Sunol Regional Wilderness, near Sunol in the East Bay. During this spring visit, I saw lots of gorgeous wildflowers, including winter vetch and Chinese houses.

This was a return trip for me to one of my absolute favorite spring wildflower hikes. Last year, when I made this loop in Pescadero Creek County Park, I saw a proliferation of wild irises blooming. Although I did not see nearly as many irises this year, I saw trillium blooming along Canyon trail in the deep shade of the redwoods--a real treat!