Rugged
peaks, rolling hills and deep valleys carpeted with wildflowers make Las
Trampas Regional Wilderness a favorite among hikers, equestrians and
extreme mountain bikers alike. Its steep trails offer isolation from the
urban crush, while its vistas on a crisp winter afternoon evoke something
from an English novel.
Never mind that the
settlements glimpsed in the distance are actually bustling San Ramon and
the 680 corridor. Seen from such a remote perch, the imagination is free to
create a more romantic interpretation.
One of the largest
holdings in the East Bay Regional Parks system, this 3,798-acre regional
wilderness area straddles the ridges and canyons between Alamo and Moraga.
Today, Las
Trampas stands proudly above the fray, rising 1,720 feet at Eagle's Peak
and cresting at 2,000 feet along the Rocky Ridge, but 20 million years ago,
Las Trampas was at the bottom of the ocean.
That aquatic heritage is
preserved in its upthrusts as Cenozoic era marine fossils and the remnants
of ancient beaches and shorelines. Volcanic activity, earthquakes and
ancient rivers and seas left their imprint in geological formations still
visible today.
By 1844, Las Trampas,
Spanish for "the traps," was a Spanish ranchero, part of a land-grant
application by Inocencio, Jose and Mariano Romero. It would be another
century before the East Bay Regional Park District took over the area,
buying up land in three major purchases between 1966 and 1969.
The park district's
mission to protect the pristine wilderness from development took on
critical importance in 1971, when county planners contemplated running a
six-lane freeway from San Ramon through the regional wilderness area to Moraga.
Today, Las Trampas
offers ample enticements for geologists, bird watchers and wildflower
enthusiasts as well as fitness buffs.
For Alamo
financial planner and avid runner Jim Brandt, the appeal lies in both the
beautiful terrain and the physical challenge. Brandt's running group, the
Forward Motion Gang, meets in downtown Danville for its weekly run, warming up
on the scenic Iron Horse Trail before heading into Las Trampas.
"North on the Iron
Horse Trail, left on Camille and boom, you're there," he says.
The park is a favorite
with hiking groups like INCH, the Intrepid Northern California Hikers, run
by Steve Walstra
and Peter Savitz. The group has logged more than 300 Bay Area hikes since
its founding in 1996.
"We've hiked nearly
every corner" of Las Trampas, says Walstra. "The park is nicely
segmented diagonally into a South/West Side, Devil's Hole and Rocky Ridge
Loop, and a North/East Side. Each side has a different flavor, and both
provide great five- to 10-mile hike loops."
Savitz agrees. "Las
Trampas is a great place to hike -- easily accessible, not too crowded, and
with trails of varying difficulty for all levels of hikers."
As semi-official hike
historian, Savitz has stories to tell. The park district is not kidding
about the wilderness aspects of the Las Trampas name, he says, and the
cautionary "carry water" instructions are no joke.
"Last summer, we
had one person who went on an eight-mile loop with us on a 90-degree day.
He ran out of water after the first mile. I gave him all my remaining
water, but it was too little, too late," he recalls.
Two helicopters, a horse
patrol and a foot patrol later, the hiker was found and treated by
paramedics. Savitz
recommends carrying at least one liter for every four miles of trail, but
notes that "your mileage may vary."
And beware those bucolic
cows. "On the same day as the helicopter incident, another bunch of
our hikers got chased up a tree by a bull and had to stay there for about
an hour," he says.
Bicyclists are welcomed
on designated trails, but to extreme mountain bikers, a trail leading
upward from Las Trampas Road racks up superlatives on a Web page devoted to the infamous Duey's Descent.
Bikers praise the gnarly switchbacks and insanely steep drops on
"Tetnus" -- a misspelled reference to the inoculation that a fall
on the slope might necessitate -- and offer detailed directions from
downtown Alamo.
"Dennis from Alamo" adds helpfully:
"There's also a bike
shop there to assist you with the parts you will break."
