Deer Gulch and Cliff Trail at Vargas Plateau

I only had a short amount of time for a solo hike today, and Sunol was already at maximum capacity when I arrived at 9:45 this morning, so I decided on a whim to try hiking at Vargas Plateau. This was my first time to hike this park in the dry season, and it was so different from what I have come to expect from only ever hiking here in late winter and early spring. I learned a lot, and I  have a new loop planned for the next time I come back here.

Today's hike

I hiked about 5 miles in an in-and-out trail. Whereas the last time I hiked the Upper Ranch Loop (which goes into the interior of the plateau and gets closer to Niles Canyon), I wanted this time to explore the part of the park that faces Fremont and the San Francisco Bay. Starting from the staging area, I took the Golden Eagle Trail uphill to the Deer Gulch Trail.

There was a funnel of wind where Golden Eagle climbed to the junction with Deer Gulch. The temperatures were surprisingly pleasant for a day in late June, but even so the exposed, sunny trail would have been a bit hot if it had not been for the brisk wind. Deer Gulch heads downhill quite gently until it meets the intersection with the Cliff Trail.

Future loop

I took the spur of Deer Gulch up to the crest of the cliff. There was a nice outcropping of oaks along the final stretch of the trail; however, it seems to me that this trail might only exist because it's an old ranching road. It only goes to the boundary of the park, where there is a barbed wire fence. It's definitely fine to skip this spur during this time of year. I would be interested to see if there are wildflowers here in the spring that make this trail more impressive.

I started to head down the steep descent of the Cliff Trail, but I noticed on the map that this would bring me all the way down to Fremont. I didn't have enough time on my hike today, so I turned back a little early. I want to extend the route that I started today to do what I saw quite a few other folks doing. It looks like some people park along this street in Fremont (link), and then hike up Morrison Canyon Road. This 9' wide paved road is closed to vehicular traffic, but bicycles and pedestrians are allowed to use it. It climbs up to Vargas Road near the staging area. It might be nice to try this loop so that you start with the hard climb in what I think would be the shade of Morrison Canyon Road and then end the loop with the descent down the Cliff Trail, which is very exposed.

I really liked the views of the south bay from the Cliff Trail. Distinctive Mission Peak was readily apparent, as were the salt evaporation ponds near the South and East Bay Marshes. The path I took today was a little steep for anyone pushing a stroller or walking with young kids; however, it could be adapted to work for families with young children. For example, I saw several families hiking from the staging area to one of the view points near the intersection of Golden Eagle and Deer Gulch. The trails are wide too, so this park lends itself quite well to social distancing guidelines.