East Bay Hikes

Shady Trails

Briones has an abundance of shaded trails to keep you cool during the hot weather and covered during the cold seasons when you might encounter drizzle or rain. With over 100 miles of trails and an peak elevation of 1483 feet above sea level, Briones makes a great place to hike all year long except in the harshest of storms. Most of the paths are well maintained though after storms you may encounter downed trees or fallen limbs. These should be reported to East Bay Regional Parks District when found. Some smaller trails are less well maintained, make sure to observe all trail signage when hiking in the area as some trails can become unstable.

Briones

Woodpecker

All sorts of birds can be found around Briones but some of the easiest to spot are the woodpeckers. They have distinctive coloring and make quite a racket when setting up their insect traps or eating.

Birds, Briones

Water Trough

There are many cows that graze in Briones and it is a great draw for horseback riding. The animals need to be kept hydrated so the parks district has installed many water troughs throughout the park. In this photo we can see that other animals like to congregate at the water troughs as well. There are two woodpeckers and another bird arguing over who gets to drink first in this featured image.

Birds, Briones

Sunning Lizard

As with most parks around the east bay Briones has a great deal of animal diversity. This lizard is one of many I saw on this hike. He is soaking up the heat of the sun both from above and below as he lays out on a nice chunk of granite.

Briones, Lizard

Fungi

Plants, animals and insects are not the only living organisms in east bay parks. This type of fungus can be found all around California but I see it fairly often on trees during my regular hikes around the bay area. This tree and its fungal companion were found in Briones.

Briones, Fungi