Hidden Hiking in Moraga- Valles Vista Staging Area

In the back-country of the small town of Moraga an amazing array of trails lay in wait of discovery. Take the King Canyon trail off of Canyon Road in Moraga to do a nice 7.5 mile loop following the San Pablo canal and to the San Pablo Reservoir. The trail is mostly shaded by scrub oaks and is perfect for a spring outing. This is a no-joke hike, so plan on a full day of basking in the sun and taking in some truly lush scenery. Peaceful, dog-friendly, and a lovely array of wildflowers. Children will have fun doing a nature scavenger hunt, or collecting natural items to take home and create their very own nature collage or mandala. Happy Hiking!

Black Diamond Mines Hike

Do you see the manicured evergreens? They surround the graveyard that was part of the small Black Diamond Community. The only thing left, besides random sheet metal, that indicates people actually lived here in the past.

We were freezing, so hence the quick pose and Emory being covered in the blanket I typically use for park outings

On a chilly and wet day we were feeling way too cooped-up so we trekked out to Antioch and to the Black Diamond Mines for a, what we thought would be a hike, turned out to be a stroll. It should have been a hike, but the day was colder than expected, and the road which we thought would be somewhat paved turned out be very muddy dirt. Our "hike" was short but worth the drive. The views made it all worthwhile. Let me just say, I felt as though I was out in the middle of no where. I haven't felt that in a long  while. Once we turned off onto the Black Diamond Mine Exit and wound our way back to this gem of a state park, oh you feel like the wilderness is going to engulf you. A feeling I wish I could feel more often.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by the howling of coyotes and the mooing of the cows that were grazing nearby. The park used to be a functional gravel mine and was sustained for many, many years. There is an odd vibe that comes with territory that has literally been abandon, but abandoned with very little trace that people ever dug massive holes into the Earth or even once constructed homes, towns, or lives. All that remains is the grave yard that the park maintains. We didn't get to go look at the graves as the road was flooding due to all the wet weather. We have high hopes that we will return to this place soon, and I will share our actual hike. We had a great time stretching our legs and getting some much needed fresh air.

We plan to return when the weather stabilizes a little more. In the meantime, check out the cool video about the mines by Open Road, and plan your next hiking excursion! I am positive this will be a perfect spring trek.

Outdoor Adventure- Mt. Wanda

Emory and I just went on the Mt. Wanda hike in Martinez the other day and got a great work while seeing stellar views of the Carquinez straights, Martinez, and the Martinez hills. Plus, it was a loop hike so none of that there and back seeing the same thing the whole time.

Bay Area Hiker has a great review of the hike with additional information on directions and parking. I highly recommend going this time of year, because like Brionees, Mt. Wanda is going to be HOT in the summer!The ground wasn't too muddy either. Make sure to bring plenty of snacks for that little one. Mine munched on Annie's Bunnies and rice puffs the whole time. The trail is dog friendly as long as the pups remain leashed.

I didn't get any pictures, but if anyone takes some and would like to share their adventure please leave a comment and let us know how your trek went.

Happy hiking!

Julia