92. Redwood Regional Park Trails

Length:	8.4 miles round trip
Hiking time:	5 hours
High point:	1,619 feet
Total elevation gain:	1,300 feet
Difficulty:	easy to moderate
Season:	year-round
Water:	bring your own
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Oakland East
Information:	East Bay Regional Park District

This ridgetop journey travels the outer edges of Redwood Regional Park past huge redwoods and offers numerous views of San Francisco Bay and its surrounding cities and mountains.

From Highway 13 in Oakland, take the 35th Street/Redwood Road exit, travel northeast 1.1 miles, then turn left on Skyline Boulevard. Drive 3.7 miles to the parking area at the corner of Skyline Boulevard and Pine Hills Road.

Begin on West Ridge Trail, a mostly level dirt road that travels past coast live oak, eucalyptus, coyote brush, and California laurel. Mature Monterey pine and a handful of redwood trees show up at a signed trail junction at 0.4 mile, where you keep right. Obtain views of Mount Diablo and San Francisco Bay as the trail climbs to a tall grove of slender eucalyptus trees at 1.3 miles. Look near an archery range at 1.5 miles for a redwood stump that's 33 feet in diameter. Botanists hypothesize that the magnificent specimen that once stood here was the biggest redwood ever known.

Climb 0.2 mile up 1,619-foot Redwood Peak by bearing left at the signed trail junction at 1.8 miles. You'll pass coast live oaks and redwoods before reaching a cluster of closet-sized boulders at the top.

At 2.5 miles, bear left at a trail fork. Descend with views of Mount Diablo and numerous other Bay Area landmarks, then continue on West Ridge Trail at a trail junction at 3.1 miles. Trek into a gigantic eucalyptus forest, then continue straight past two signed trails on the right. Bear left down the signed Orchard Trail at 3.7 miles, then go right 0.2 mile farther at a group of madrone. At the first of two consecutive trail intersections, make a right at 3.7 miles, then bear left 20 yards farther to Canyon Meadow. Cross the streambed and head straight to pick up Canyon Trail. This dirt fire road promptly ascends past dense chaparral and hugs a seasonal stream for awhile. Bear left onto East Ridge Trail at 4.5 miles and climb to a crest at 5.7 miles, where you capture the hike's best southward views from a bench. Enjoy expansive vistas as you remain on East Ridge Trail past stands of Monterey pine to the trailhead at 8.4 miles.