Sunol Regional Wilderness
We could not decide where to go today but when Tom read Tom Stienstra’s column in the San Francisco Chronicle this week entitled ‘Sunday
Beautiful oak on the way to Little Yosemite in the Sunol Wilderness
Drive: Alameda Creek’, we thought it would be a good place to go. The newspaper article suggested starting the drive in the Coyote Hills Regional Park near the Dumbarton Bridge and following the Alameda Creek all the way to the Sunol Regional Wilderness. We decided to bypass the first part and drove to Niles via 880 and Fremont, then turning right on Highway 84 to drive through Niles Canyon.
It was an awesome drive through the canyon. On our right was the Alameda Creek and on our left the steep sides of the canyon. Between the canyon walls and the road is the Niles Canyon Railway which runs from Niles to Sunol. The railway has a total of ten steam locomotives and 14 diesel engines in its collection and Sundays is the only day it is possible to ride the rails. Must come one day and take the trip from Niles to Sunol and back.
We took a small detour on 84 into Sunol. We were looking for breakfast and although Sunol is a tiny place we were hoping to find somewhere to eat. There was one cafe and the Brew and Bones saloon which were not open but almost next door to the saloon was the Sunol Jazz Cafe. They do a Sunday brunch but we were way too early for that, though the smell of the chicken on the BBQ was tempting, but we were able to get a breakfast sandwich inside. Tom had a cup of coffee and I splurged out and had a hot chocolate (without the whipped cream!). As we didn’t have a full breakfast I won’t do a separate review but would like to comment on the interior as it was interesting. There were some very comfy looking sofas with a coffee table complete with books underneath plus a goodly array of tables and chairs; a grand piano in the corner; sacks of coffee beans and various knick knacks and seasonal pumpkins scattered around. All and all a nice place to stop for a snack (Note from Tom: the bagel sandwiches were pretty good. Certainly much better than the fast food type you’d get at McDonald’s. Coffee was pretty good too).
Cows paying us no mind
Back on the road again we headed east along 84, driving under 680. The road became Calaveras Road and now we were driving south back towards San Jose. Along the way we passed the Valley Crest Tree Company. If you want any sort of tree this is definitely the place to go. Miles upon miles of different trees in pots, from small to large. We turned left at Geary Road and headed towards the Sunol Regional Wilderness. It was a nice drive uphill and all along the way were signs saying ‘No Parking at Any Time’. There is a $5 charge to enter the park.
At the entrance we were given a small trail map and we discussed which trail we were going to hike. We decided on the Canyon View Trail but actually locating it took some time. It was difficult to work out exactly where it started and there were no signs to point us in the right direction. It was only when we were finally on the right track did I discover that by looking on the back of the map there was an enlarged map of the Sunol Valley Floor which clear shows how to get to the start of the trail. Eventually we found the right one but only after crossing the creek over rather unstable stepping stones. There were a couple of other hikers starting off at the same time, an athletic younger man and his dog and an older gentleman with his granddaughter. The athletic man strode away and disappeared into the distance but the man and his granddaughter were taking it slowly. He was taking photos as well and he told us that he had spotted a woodpecker.
Soon Tom and I were on our own and really enjoying our walk. Our route seemed to be uphill all the way but it was a very pleasant hike. There we were, not too far from home and only a few miles from 680 but it felt as if we were hundreds of miles from civilization. There were pretty views, lots of trees and the sound of birdsong. At one point I saw a raptor gliding way up – could it have been a Golden Eagle?
After about a mile we had to open a squeaky gate. We soon realized the gate was there because cattle were grazing. For the next part of the hike we encountered quite a few cows. Some took no notice at all, while others lifted their heads and stared at us as if we were creatures from another planet. The weather was just right; the sun was shining but there was a slight breeze. As we were warm from all the uphill climbing, the breeze felt marvelous. The athletic man with his dog came striding around the corner. They must have made it to the end and were on their way back.
There was a lot of grass around and due to the rains of last week it is looking quite green. The golden grass of the summer has gone. We speculated
Over that first ridge is Little Yosemite in the Sunol Regional Wilderness.
that there would be a lot of wildflowers here in the spring and we must plan to make another visit then. Standing all on its own in a little dip was a magnificent oak tree, its leaves turning a gorgeous brown and underneath a carpet of fallen leaves. While Tom was taking photos of the tree, a young couple came by. I asked them if there was a loop trail we could take back to the car and they said there was. When we reached the gate near some water troughs we just had to turn right down the service road which would take us back to the car park. They also told us not to miss Little Yosemite. That sounded very intriguing.
We rounded a corner and the path began to descend rather steeply. Tom told me not to walk and write as he was worried I would stumble over the edge. Below us were wonderful craggy views. We concluded this must be Little Yosemite Valley were were looking down onto. There was a unmarked steep downhill detour leading off to the right. Tom ventured down it and I followed. It ended at a scenic overview with a with dizzying drop to the valley beneath. I suffered vertigo when I looked down and had to back away from the edge. We climbed back to the marked trail and carried on until the cattle troughs and a gate. There was a sign for Little Yosemite but we had no idea whether to turn left or right.
A lady with a dog was standing nearby so I asked her where we could find Little Yosemite and she said we had arrived. In front of us were a lot of rocks. We could hear the sound of water but there was no sign of it. The lady, who was there with her husband and kids, told us there has been not much water these last couple of years. The best time to come though was in the spring. Then the water is in full spate it it tumbles and falls over the rocks.
We walked back to the car park along Camp Ohlone Road. To our right was the Alameda Creek. From here it falls towards Niles Canyon and continues downwards until it empties into the South Francisco Bay just north of the Dumbarton Bridge. The road sloped steadily downhill. No more steep climbing today for us. We passed underneath the scenic overlook and we strained our necks to see the top – it was a long way up. A group of riders on horseback passed us and we exchanged greetings.
We came to a sign which warned of a bridge ahead. No vehicles over 8 tons or tracked vehicles could drive over the bridge – they had to drive through the creek. Over the bridge we crossed another cattle grid and were in the Lower Car Park called Alameda Grove. It was only a short walk from there back to the car.
We really enjoyed our walk in the Sunol Regional Wilderness and we will be back.
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December 19 2009 02:36 pm | Special Places
