Coyote Hills Regional Park (Fremont)

OTE Ratings: O7/T5/E5
Distance: 5-10 miles
Time: 1-2 hours
USGS 7.5' topo: Newark, CA

Description

Located on the east edge of the San Francisco Bay near the Dumbarton Bridge, this easily accessible park features abundant wildlife and trails that vary from flat to leg-burner. On various rides we've seen fox, deer, pheasant, jack rabbits, hawks, ducks, geese, white pelicans, egrets, herons, muskrats and many other species. Although the hills are short, many are steep and provide a challenge to all but the best riders.

Directions to the start

By Car: From I880 in Fremont, exit at Highway 84/Dumbarton Bridge Exit. Exit Highway 84 at the first exit: Newark Blvd./Ardenwood Blvd. Turn right on Ardenwood and follow it about a half mile north to Commerce. Turn left on Commerce. After crossing Paseo Padre Parkway, it becomes Patterson Ranch Road and shortly reaches the Park entrance.

From the Peninsula, cross the Dumbarton Bridge and exit at the first exit: Thorton Blvd./ Paseo Padre Parkway. Turn left on Paseo Padre Parkway. After less than a mile, turn left on Patterson Ranch Road which shortly reaches the Park entrance.

You can avoid the fee if you park outside the Park near Patterson Ranch and Paseo Padre. There is a paved bicycle path that parallels Patterson Ranch into the Park.

There are several alternate ways to enter the Park by bicycle. The Alameda Creek Bicycle Trail enters the Park from the east. I like to drop off the paved trail about a half mile west of Union City Blvd. where the trail crosses under the electrical transmission lines. From here you have several options including following the D.U.S.T. Trail (dirt road) west into the main part of the Park.

From the south or from the Peninsula (via the Dumbarton Bridge), pick up the Apay Way Trail from Marshlands Road just across from the entrance to the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center parking lot on Marshlands Road (you can also park here free). The Apay Way Trail crosses Highway 84 on a pedestrian bridge over the Dumbarton Bridge toll plaza.

The ride

Short directions: pick up a map at the entrance station or the Visitor's Center (N 37.55387°, W 122.09085°) and have fun.

NOTE: Bells are now required on bikes at this park.

Longer details: Coyote Hills offers as many variations as there are riders. Novice riders can stick to the flats in the eastern half of the Park while hard core hill climbers can test their traction limits on the ridge that runs down the West side of the Park.

Trails in the eastern half of the Park wind through marshes and scrub woodland. Various native and migratory birds frequent this area. There are several unmarked trails that invite exploration. There are several Indian shell mounds dating back 2,200 years in this area. When it's wet, the roads and trails in this area can be very muddy and are best avoided. The mud is very fine, sticky clay that weighs down a bike rapidly and, from experience, is very hard to clean off.

If you love steep climbs and fast descents, don't miss the Red Hill Trail, a fire road that follows the ridge tops on the west side of the park. By early summer the trail is generally covered with loose gravel, presenting a traction control problem for all but the best riders. The view from the top of Red Hill on a clear day takes in the entire Bay Area from Mount Tam to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Another unusual alternative is to ride the levees around the salt ponds. Follow the Shoreline Trail or the No Name Trail (they connect) to what appears to be almost the middle of the bay.

Finally, there is a 3.5 mile paved trail around the hills and by the bay with several dirt side trails.

So far the Park is very bike friendly. Please obey the rules so we can keep it this way.

For more information

The official East Bay Regional Park District page
Ron Horii's description of this park

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