Twin Ponds Loop Trail at Shell Ridge Open Space

Today, I visited my 200th park in California! This was a bittersweet milestone for me, because my family and I are planning to move back to Louisiana later this month. We'll still be back frequently for work, but I won't be able to hike this area with the same frequency. I was glad that I got to achieve this milestone before our move--and also glad to go on this hike with a friend. Even with social distancing precautions, it was good to share this milestone!

Shell Ridge is part of a network of parks in Walnut Creek that makes up a  greenbelt of open space. Shell Rock, Mount Diablo, Castle Rock, and Diablo Foothills all connect to each other to allow for an abundance of hiking loops. A map to see the overview of this greenbelt can be found here (download the PDF).

This 2-mile loop is an easy, enjoyable hike that made for a very pleasant morning hike. We took the loop in the counterclockwise direction. The majority of the loop follows along one stream bed or another, and thus there is not much elevation gain. There was little water at all in the creek beds, but there is evidence that this hike might be quite dramatic after a heavy rain if the creeks swell suddenly with water. I bet this hike is gorgeous in the spring when the hills are green and the wildflowers are coming out!

There are options to shorten or to lengthen the hike, so it can be easily dialed into one's ability level. It's a single track trail the whole way. Dogs are welcome and are supposed to be leashed, but most people we saw were not abiding by that rule. Bikes are not supposed to be on the trail because it is single-track; however, we also saw lots of folks breaking that rule too. Luckily people were following the guidelines for wearing masks and social distancing, because that is probably the most important rule of them all right now.

This would be a pretty good trail to bring kids on if the trail were a little wider--it is too narrow for a stroller. I think that older kids (5+) would do very well on this loop. It was so lovely to hike among the oaks and to see Las Trampas or Mount Diablo poking out from behind the foothills at different bends in the path. This was a lovely trip, and I do wish that I had discovered this park sooner!