5 min
Overview
Sunol Regional Wilderness is a stunning East Bay park in southern Alameda County that blends pioneer and ranching heritage with hiking, camping, and horseback riding. Steep hiking trails, grazing cattle, wildflowers, and Ireland-like grasslands (well—in spring, anyway) roll up to an amphitheater surrounding High Valley, with Alameda Creek carving a path along the park’s southwestern boundary. This loop hike is a challenging tour through Sunol’s grasslands and peaks, with stops at Flag Hill, Vista Grande, Cerro Este Overlook, and Little Yosemite. Stunning views of High Valley and nearby peaks are one of the best rewards of hiking in Sunol Regional Wilderness The Chochenyo Ohlone-speaking Taunans were early inhabitants of Sunol Regional Wilderness, and lived there for generations. In the mid-1860s, Mary Ann and Patrick Geary built a homestead near Indian Joe Creek, farmed, and raised their eleven children there. Their son, Maurice Geary, built a home nearby for his wife in 1895 on the banks of Alameda Creek. After a fire, the home was rebuilt in 1954 and today it serves as the park’s interpretive offices and visitor center. Old Green Barn Visitor Center, Sunol Regional Wilderness In 1939, Willis Brinker bought homesteads from families and created JB Ranch on 3,383 acres. Tragically, Brinker died fighting a fire on the ranch in 1959. After that, the East Bay Regional Parks District purchased the land and opened the park in 1962. Today, the Sunol Regional Wilderness honors its pioneer and ranching heritage with an annual Cowboy Hootenanny in the fall. Ranching and pioneer heritage aside, Sunol Regional Wilderness is also famous for its painted hills of wildflowers in springtime. Each year, the park hosts the Sunol Wildflower Festival in mid-April and offers free naturalist-led wildflower hikes, among other nature activities. To identify wildflowers, check out the free Sunol wildflower guide on the East Bay Regional Parks’ website. The park also sells a pocket-sized booklet of 75 common wildflowers at the visitor ce
Trail Stats
13.5 km
701 m
531 m
116 m
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