Sunol Regional Wilderness

The Sunol Regional Wilderness is a regional park in Alameda County, California, United States that is administered by the East Bay Regional Park District. It is located south of the town of Pleasanton and east of Fremont.

History

The park was established in 1962. In the early 1990s, naturalist Joanne Dean-Freemire lead outdoor classes at the Sunol Regional Wilderness that cover history, sociology, Indian lore, handicrafts and nature studies that included locating California slender salamanders under rocks. [Rockstroh, Dennis. (Mar. 7, 1990) San Jose Mercury News. " [From a Little Acorn, Mighty Knowledge Grows, Students Solve some Mysteries of Nature at Sunol.] " Section: The Weekly, Part II. Pg. 6.] As of 2006, the price of entry is $5 per car, $4 per vehicle with a trailer, $1 per person on a bus, $50 for an empty bus and $5 for an empty commercial trans. van. The price of entry for a dog is $2, but guide dogs are free. The park is normally open from 7 a.m. till dusk, after which the gates will be locked, all year. Anyone wishing to camp on the site must arrive and be signed in by dusk. The park is subject to either closure or fire restriction in June and October (fire season).

Details of habitats

The park has an area of 17.75 km² (6,858 acres), and consists mainly of former ranch land, with a mixture of woodland and grasslands. Common trees in the park include Coast live oak, Valley oak, Blue oak, elderberry, Pacific Madrone and Gray Pine; and, along the Alameda Creek, alders, willows and sycamores. Grazing rights within the park are still leased, so cattle will be encountered.

Vegetation

In spring, wildflowers are abundant, including Chinese Houses, monkeyflowers, California Poppy, goldfields, and several species of mustard and lupine. There are many bird species, and raccoons, skunks and black-tailed deer are present. Coyotes and mountain lions visit the park, though are unlikely to be seen by visitors. A well-equipped Visitors' Center has a complete list of plants and birds to be seen in the park.

Natural features

Trails for hiking, horse-riding and mountain biking criss-cross the park, and there are facilities for camping. The Cave Rocks formation is popular for rock climbing. The Ohlone Trail, a long distance footpath linking several regional parks, passes through Sunol.

Nearby features of interest

The Ohlone Wilderness trail runs from Mission Peak through the Sunol Wilderness to Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore. Much of the land is owned by the San Francisco Water Department. Right to pass is subject to permit, which is available at the Sunol entrance gate. Several backpack campgrounds exist along the way. The terrain, especially between Sunol and Del Valle, is very challenging. Rose Peak is the high point, only a bit lower than Mount Diablo.

References

External links

* [http://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol EBRPD official website for the park]