I headed out to Lafayette, CA today. It’s only a 15 minute drive from Oakland via the Caldecott tunnel on highway 24. Briones Regional Park is part of the East Bay Regional Parks district. I have hiked in Briones before, but this was my first time starting at the Lafayette Ridge Staging area. This is one of the Trails Challenge difficult hikes.
And it was difficult. It was a longer hike than I normally do and there were a lot of ups and downs and some of the steepest hiking trails that I have encountered. The hike took me about 4 hours. It starts out going up and up some more. I hiked past the equestrian camp and the stables, there were lots of cows. Now, I am not a fan of cows, the Sunol cows are mean and chased me last time I hiked there. But these cows were docile and barely looked at me as I hiked past.
At the top of the hill, I reached a gate, there are many cow gates along this trail and you just need to be sure to latch the chain as you pass through so the cows don’t wander out. It was a little confusing hiking along the Lafayette Ridge Trail because there are a lot of side trails and none of them are marked. Just try to follow along the main path. My tip would be, just keep going, it’s a long way to reach the first turn off.
There was some construction along the trail, it was well marked that part of the trail was closed but there were many hikers ignoring the signs, so I ignored them as well and just kept going.
Eventually, you will reach an intersection for the loop portion of the hike. I turned right down Springhill trail and it was a steep downhill. At the bottom, there is a nice picnic area and I turned left onto the Buckeye Ranch trail and hiked back up to the ridge trail. The upward hike was brutal! At the top, I turned left and completed the loop and hiked back the way I came on the Lafayette Ridge trail.
The views from the top were amazing! From the top, I was able to see the Lafayette Reservoir, Mount Diablo, and all the way to Concord and beyond.
As far as safety goes, I often hike alone. To stay safe, I carry a full backpack with snacks, water, first aid supplies, and more. I try to hike on weekends when there are more hikers out there, and I check to make sure that there are lots of cars in the parking lot. I also use my SPOT, to let my family know where I am and when I’ve made it back to my car safely. It uses satellite gps and also has an SOS feature. I carry pepper spray and a whistle, and when it gets to more remote areas, I play Lady Gaga through the speakers of my iPhone to scare away any mountain lions that may be lurking in the area.
What do you do to keep safe while hiking?
Start/end: Lafayette Ridge Staging Area in Briones Regional Park
Trail names: Lafayette Ridge, Springhill, Buckeye Ranch, Lafayette Ridge
Approximate mileage: 7.06
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