 Last Saturday was a particularly mild January day, so I went out to a park that I've long wanted to visit: Ohlone Regional Park. Part of the appeal of this park is that it is so remote. Here is a blurb from the EBRPD website: You have to hike or ride horseback to see this magnificent 9,737-acre parkland, accessible only by way of the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. Its centerpiece is 3,817-foot Rose Peak, just 32 feet lower than Mount Diablo. Surrounding Rose Peak are grassy ridges, profusely flowered in season. The abundance of wildlife includes golden eagles, mountain lions, and tule elk. Murrietta Falls, the tallest waterfall in the Bay Area can be found at this park, but the hike to get there is a real butt-kicker, and the waterfall is only seasonal--there is no guarantee that you will actually see it once you've gone all the way out there. On my hike on Saturday, I only went about halfway to Murrietta falls, to the scenic Williams Gulch. It was such a pleasure!
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 One of the nicest open space parks in my current hometown of Livermore is Del Valle Regional Park. I seriously love this park, and have been here now during every season. It's such a large park; however, that I am always discovering something new. This trip, I decided to explore the easternmost side of the park, the Cedar Creek area along the park boundary. I really liked seeing the bright red pop of color of the bark of the incense cedars as I was hiking along! The parts of the park I had previously visited did not have cedars (mostly oaks), so it was really cool to see that difference.
 Despite flawless weather, I did not have the best day today at Garin Park, one of the two parks in the complex of Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Parks. I made the most of it, but I was really off my game.
 This was a milestone hike for me: my 149th and 150th parks visited! I opted to do this hike, recommended by the EBRPD for their 2019 Trails Challenge, a moderate 5-mile hike that links the two parks together via the Chabot-to-Garin Trail. It was a really different hike than what I normally do because it wanders in and out of a lot of suburban space in Castro Valley. I don't know that I would do this specific trail again, but I definitely plan to visit both of these parks separately in the future. They are very different from each other, but both Don Castro and Five Canyons are really wonderful parks. Click "read more" to see more photos from my adventure.
 To celebrate the start of May, I went on an amazing hike at Sunol Regional Wilderness around Maguire Peaks, a distinctive set of peaks visible from Interstate-680. This 5.5-mile lollipop trail was so lovely in the spring. I saw an absolute abundance of wildflowers, especially winter vetch. The blooms looked like a river of purple rolling down the mountain here and there. It was amazing!
 Today, I treated myself to the featured trail at Brushy Peak Regional Park recommended by the EBRPD for their 2019 Trails Challenge. I have been wanting to do this hike since January, when I visited the park but could not complete the trail due to the mud. It was lovely to visit the park when it was dryer and warmer, and when the wildflowers were blooming!
 To celebrate my birthday, I decided to do a 5.5-mile hike in gorgeous Morgan Territory. It was an absolutely perfect day, and I had a blast on this trail. To see LOTS more photos and to read the details of my hike click "read more."
 Del Valle Regional Park is a gorgeous park near my current home, Livermore CA. It has quickly become one of my favorite parks. I did a variation of a hike that I did back in October. At the time, I noted that there were quite a few unmarked single-track trails that people had made by hiking and biking along the creeks, and I wanted to explore one of them. I ended up turning around about halfway up the mountain because I could tell that rain was coming in and I was pressed for time anyway. I loved this variation of the hike! I saw all kinds of wildflowers: Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), shooting stars (Primula clevelandii), and Indian paintbrush (Castilleja affinis). It was so interesting to see the dramatic difference in the landscape between October and March!
 This 8-mile hike at Round Valley Regional Preserve is an amazing hike to do in the spring when the hills are emerald green, the wildflowers are starting to pop out, and the heat of the summer has not really gotten into full swing. I loved this hike, and would totally do it again, or a variation of it. Spending the day in the green hills was a perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
 Sycamore Valley Open Space is a small but lovely open space park in Danville. I went on a cloudy day in late January when the hills were emerald green and the mountains in the distance were shrouded in haze. Mount Diablo was visible from the crest of the ridge, and birds were flying all around. I am guessing that this park has an incredible spring bloom.
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