After years of planning and trail work, an entirely new network of trails at Sunol’s Tyler Ranch Staging Area opened this winter. The move expanded Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park by 2,844 acres and added roughly 18 new miles of trails for use by outdoor lovers on foot, bike or horseback or with leashed dogs. A recent hike provided ample evidence that these particular paths are not built for the faint of heart — major uphill stretches, but they lead to rewarding views.
Start at the spacious parking lot near downtown Sunol, a tiny town east of Fremont. You’ll find newly minted restrooms next to a vintage barn once used for cattle ranching — a legacy you’ll see in action when you hike past clusters of happy grazing cows near the trails. Take the trailhead to the left of the barn and up along either the Tyler Ranch Trail or the Sunol Ridge Trail, following it up to Sunol Peak.
Make it a lollipop route by coming back along the Woodside Spring Trail before returning down Sunol Ridge Trail for a roughly 8-mile excursion. (Trail visitors warn about thistles and cow pies along the way, so remember to bring adequate protective gear and watch where you step.) The actual top of Sunol Peak is fenced off off to pedestrians, but you can get pretty close, and the views from the ridge of the East Bay are stunning.
Amid the trail expansion, the East Bay Parks system has made efforts to preserve the pastoral atmosphere, which manifests in the tall grasses, now brown, that shimmer on t.