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Sobrante Ridge East Bay Regional Preserve C - D ** 1.5+ miles SL Info and Map
Other trails in the park are passable if you can handle steep and rough surfaced, except the stretch that descends to Conestoga Way, which I'm told is a single-track path. I have not taken the Morningside Trail to or from Pinole Valley Park, but it seems likely that would be as good as the Heavenly Ridge Trail, which is to say, not very! Aside from the manzanita barrens, Sobrante Ridge feels similar to other parks in our grassy coastal hills, with views across the East Bay and over lots of development. Only a few folks were walking dogs there when we visited on a weekday in midsummer. It could be a pleasant place to get to know if you live nearby, and as with all the open space preserves, we should be grateful it is protected, but if you are driving from any distance, there are places to take a wheelchair that offer much easier access and similar attractions: e.g. Wildcat Canyon, Briones, or Tilden. Details: To get there take I-80 to the San Pablo Dam Road exit in Richmond. Turn south on San Pablo Dam Road then left for 0.5 mile on Valley View, right on Amend Rd. and left on Heavenly Ridge Lane to its end. Park on the street. No amenities here except a few picnic tables along the ridge trail. |
The
access problems at this little 277 acre "island" park are
not entirely the function of its steep terrain: a locked gate at the
main entrance on Coach Drive makes sure no wheelchair will even attempt
the steep trail there. At the Heavenly Ridge entrance an eroded bypass
gate for hikers is irritating but not likely to stop any wheelchair
capable of handling the hairy slopes you immediately encounter beyond
it. The quarter mile of fire trail between the entrance and the manzanita
barrens that are Sobrante Ridge's most interesting feature is both steep
and rough surfaced. In the barrens itself is a brief level stretch where
one can enjoy the unusual mixture of tree-sized manzanitas, laurels,
oaks and madrones on a chalky hilltop, but the footpath continuing around
this knob becomes so narrow and steep that I soon turned back, afraid
of tumbling down the hillside onto the roof of one of the million-dollar
houses snuggled up to the park's edge.