Dublin Hills Regional Park

I don't know why exactly, but I was expecting this park to be lame. I guessed from looking on the map at how close it is to both interstates 580 and 680 that it was going to be nothing but exposed ridgetop hikes with deafening traffic noise. While there was some hiking along the exposed Calaveras Ridge, the hike I took descended into a canyon and I could neither hear nor see the busy freeways nearby. It was unexpectedly tranquil!

I parked at the Donlon Point Staging Area to start my "lollipop" hike. The stick of the lollipop was my least favorite part of this 5.5-mile hike, but it wasn't bad at all. The trail snakes around to the side of Donlon Point that faces away from the interstate, so you very quickly get to quiet grazing land. It's interesting to see the housing development so precariously perched on the Dublin Hills.

You soon descend down into Donlon Canyon. I chose to veer to the right, taking the loop in a counterclockwise direction. I am not sure that this is the easiest way. There are some fairly steep sections of this hike, and I think that either direction of the loop is probably quite challenging. I know that the route I went was pretty hard, but I think the other direction would have been about the same. My favorite parts of the hike were once I entered into the forested area of the canyon. The oak and bay laurel forest was just gorgeous, and the canyon was surprisingly gorge-like. I bet that the run-off from the winter rains must be quite dramatic.

I was surprised to see that the trail actually briefly left what appeared to be the boundary of the park and then went through a neighborhood street--the EBRPD map did not prepare me for that, and I thought for a minute that I might have gotten lost somehow. Here, you could see that the water run-off from Donlon Creek has to be carefully managed so that it does not flood the houses in the development. It seems crazy to think of that right now, because everything is so dry. After getting through this little detour out of the park, the trail resumed and then climbed steeply up the hillside to complete the loop.

I don't really think that this is a good park for kids considering how steep it is. Perhaps starting out at Donlon Point Staging Area and sticking along Calaveras Ridge would be one way to adapt it for (some) kids. My daughter is still too young.

I definitely want to come back to this park in the spring when the hills are green and the wildflowers are blooming. One of my favorite hiking blogs has a write-up of another route into and through the park here. I am looking forward to trying that hike out for myself! Although I did wish that the hills had been verdant on my hike, I really enjoyed seeing the calves out. This is a great time of year to see the cows being especially cute.