Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park

very nice park, lots of trails, plenty of parking for free even on a weekend. the entrance is not easy to find though (search for oak tree trail on google map to find it)

The bikers on this trail go way to fast downhill and don’t follow the rules. Wouldn’t go hiking here again on the weekend as it felt unsafe, and the noise from the freeway was to loud for me.

Excellent place to meet up with friends for a local wintertime or morning hike. The morning started out cold and foggy, which was fantastic as there isn’t much shade. The hike started out with a bit of a long-​ish uphill climb on the dusty hard-​pack fire road but after we reached the first gate, it was much easier as there was less climbing. We got a bit lost, even though we had a map and there are plenty of markers, and somehow ended up in Sunol near the train station. By then, we’d been hiking for about three hours. A few of us were tired and didn’t want to hike back the way we came, and wanted to walk back to the parking lot along the narrow windy road instead. What happened to safety first? Anyway, a roadie came along and offered to grab his Range Rover to give up to four of us a ride to the staging area so we could pick up our cars and return for the remainder of our group. Super nice. I really didn’t want to die that day.
Did I mention the bike riding? It’s pretty dusty. There are a lot of fire roads and you can get a good fitness climb. You can come out and ride a variety of trails to make up the distance you want and not get lost as long as you can get back to the main trails. Grab a free map at the trailhead.
In the summer, it’s hot and even dustier. Be prepared with water and lots of sunscreen.
Watch out for cows and equestrians. I’ve seen goats, coyotes and tarantulas, too.
Lots of post-​work and weekend warriors out for hiking, running and bike riding. Great vista and sunset views from several spots. Plenty of parking in a hard-​packed dirt lot. Accessible pit toilets.

We went to the Sunol park yesterday, where I picked up a brochure for Pleasanton Ridge. It reminded me of the times I’ve had here. The long walk to the top. Taking our Aussie up there and running around with her. Taking her portrait in the olive grove. The nice views of the Tri-​Valley area. Fewer people the further north you go.
The last one is why I’ve rarely gone here lately, and why I give it three stars. Not long ago, there was only ONE entrance to the entire park, at nearly the furthest southern part of the park. I see that there is now an additional small trailhead on Foothill near Kilkare. When I was in the Augustin Bernal Park portion, it looked like there were other trails that came in from there, and therefore more access — but this is not noted on the official EBRPD literature. See
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The end result is that you get a great but typical experience from the main trailhead on Foothill Blvd. To boldly go where few hikers have gone before, you’d need to set aside the entire day. I’m not exaggerating; once you get past the city park, you can go downhill to Sinbad Creek, and then it’s five miles to the northernmost part of the park. Pleasanton Ridge Park is surrounded by private land with no road access from the north and west, so for now, hiking and biking are the only ways to get to this portion. But would I see the same things that I’d see at Las Trampas? And if yes, then is it worth the effort? You can ride a mountain bike to this portion, but that means going up the hill first, and that’s a quadbuster. Okay, three stars for this park.
My suggestions: A backpacker’s camp near the Ridgeline Trail, north of the city park. Public access from the dead end at Kilkare Road. Public access from the residential area east of the park and north of the city park. Or rename it «Pleasanton Ridge Regional *Preserve*» because it seems as if the northern portion is being preserved from even normal human contact.
But hey, the southern portion is fantastic!

Pretty good park for hiking. Some serious hills lead to awesome views of the East Bay. I didn’t rate 5 stars because there are not too many trees so you’ll be under the sun the whole time, be warned.

Challenging uphill climb on a hot day. Awesome view of hills between Pleasanton and Sunol. Still waiting to see wandering cows… Good place to bring family and pets. Also a really nice place to have a picnic but not on dry hot days… Morning is best to do the hike. Underrated getaway… Mountain biking is also a must but the uphill climb is brutal. There is a much flatter section to right when you enter but you will still need to do a climb eventually.

A loop brings from beginning to the end to parking lot. Nice various views from valley to peak of the mountain. March is the most beautiful season, with green hills, and full creek water. Truly appreciate the mild elevation making it fun for children as well. Great for all levels hikers, alone, family, or group.

As East Bay Regional Parks go, this one is… average. Hot, dry, exposed, views of freeway… but it is conveniently located to Pleasanton, and a decent place to grab a drink of water on an epic bike ride.
I’d like to see some traffic calming on Foothill Road though. The road is narrow and motorists are very fast.

I come here with my mountain bike to train. It’s up, flat, up, flat…
you get the picture. Great for hiking as well. One could hike at least 15 miles round trip if they wanted and there’s always something beautiful to look at. The parking can get rowdy on Saturday afternoons so come earlier.

Came here on a Saturday morning with a mix of friends. Hiked for 2.5 hours amongst beautiful scenery. We left pretty early in the morning, so it was a bit foggy. I was reminded of Wuthering Heights.
Made a wrong turn along the trail and ended up in the southern stretch of this park and exited near the Sunol train station instead of looping back to the Foothill Staging Area. A very nice man on a bike caught us trying to find our way back to the staging area on Foothill and decided to give us a lift as that part of the road is pretty dangerous. Thanks to the friendly people of Sunol!

We happen to be in East bay and search in Unilocal and found this trail reviewed by some friends. We fall in love with it since it is very green, ground is soft after the rain and FREE parking. We did short 2.8 miles to the top of the bench. We started from the gate and then hike up the single track. We even back down via the fireroad and it was very slippery after the rain. It is a little steep at some section but the view is worth it except the noise of traffic on freeway. There is also plenty of geo-​cache in the area.

Wear sunscreen, take plenty of water and have comfy shoes or hiking boots on. This is an amazing work out, your thighs and booty will love it. Enjoy the views on top of the ridge.
WATCH OUT for ticks, better half and the doggie both got ticks here. Check your dog and your body after the hike !!!
Great location for pictures as well !

This place is Amazing!!! The view and scenery and if you want a place that lets you get away after a long hard week or day, to relax or be stress free, this is the place! There are wild animals and cows and you can go near the cows but there are signs everywhere that says you cannot touch them or they get really aggressive. But I am definitely coming back again and definitely was needed after a long week. I came on a Thursday so it was not crowded.
Here’s a tip, the address this place says, is not where it is. You have to go down further on foothill Rd and it will be on your right. It took me a bit to find this place and now you know if you ever wanna visit. Just drive a bit further. :-)

Great place to go for a scenic hike! There are some areas with steeper incline, but the trails overall are manageable. Half of the park has shadier trails with more trees and the other half loops around the hills, meaning more sun beating down on you.
— Beware of horse/​cow poop.
— Lots of green everywhere; the grass looks so pretty when a breeze passes by.
— Spotted tadpoles in one of the water troughs for the cattle heh.
— Watch out for mountain bikers! My friend almost got run over by a (crazy) guy zooming down one of the paths.
We relied on Unilocal directions and Google Maps to get us here and ended up getting lost lol… But the park itself actually wasn’t very hard to find. Parking is also free and plentiful. It did get a bit more crowded on the trails later in the afternoon.

THE HIKE IS BREATH-​TAKING! Well… literally, it is breath taking and at a massive incline, but SO beautiful once you get to the tops of those mountains.
We have already been twice in two weeks. The trail that we have been taking is only a few miles, but takes us about 3.5 hours to complete. You’ll have a bit of weaves that lead you through the forestry, but other than that you are very exposed to constant sunlight on a pretty day. Please wear sunscreen even on an overcast day!
If you get all the way to the tops of the mountain peaks, you will find beautiful purple and yellow wild flowers. I hadn’t seen anything like it, and admire the beauty up there. You can just stand in silence and listen to the wind, watch the birds soar over the tree-​tops, and bask in that beautiful sun. What a reason to be alive! Nature is everything… it brings us right back home to ourselves.

I like coming here during the morning on weekdays or afternoon — nighttime, if you come during the weekends it gets so crowded and there are too many people for the hike to be peaceful.
There are several different routes that you can take here! You can either walk to the right which loops around the whole park, or you can stay on the left and walk in the more shaded hilly areas.
Spring is the best time to go since the scenery and fresh air is so beautiful. If you come during the summer, the hills are dry and the scenery isn’t as nice.
You should wear sunscreen & a hat if you plan on coming here because there isn’t that much shade.
My favorite part about this park are the cows, I love the cows. The cows were really chill and kind of just mind their own business. Be careful not to get to close to a baby cow though, because if you do the mom will not be very happy with you.
Warning — The restrooms here are black holes of death. The toilets are at least 15 ft. deep… so be really careful when using the restrooms or your gonna end up dropping your phone down there…

Love the view… breathtaking. Short and long trails available. It’s partial shaded depending which directions you want to explore. Steep enough for beginner hikers. There’s loose stones and gravel but nothing to worry.
It’s situated close to home. Very convenient location for me to enjoy some peace and quiet moments.

Nice, pleasant hike. Very convenient too. Area is very pretty. We took a short loop (1.8 miles), which was doable with small children. It is still a good climb.
The convenience may be a downside. This place gets very crowded. We arrived around 7:30 AM and the parking lot was more than half full. On our return (around 9 AM), parking lot was full.
The main trail is very open. Would be nice to run, if you want a good leg workout. But not a great hike or run in full sun.

You can enjoy very «East Bay» things here. Dry green (spring), brown (other seasons), no shade. It provokes me… something from deep inside of me.
Although you can’t really see the ocean but still nice.

Holy Cow (s)!!! Figuratively and literally. If you want a challenge do this hike as a run. Your calves, quads, and gluts will thank you… after the burning sensation wears off. Literally, holy cows! They are in the olive grove, on the trails, and running down the hills too. They seem pretty docile but when startled they run and they are fast. My husband and I must have spooked one who was grazing nearby and it, in turn, spooked us when it started running down the trail towards us. Well more me, I screamed an expletive and the hubs laughed as he pulled me off the trail and by a tree.
–If you want to go on the weekend you might want to get there before 9 if you want a parking spot.
— I love that you can make this workout as hard or as easy as you would like and there are many trail choices.
— watch out for downhill mountain bikers. Most are very courteous but some are… not.
— there is water at the base and towards the top if you are running/​hiking along the trail by the fence line by the Olive Grove.