Siesta Valley Recreation Area

Siesta Valley Recreation Area is managed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), which is located at 375 11th Street in Oakland, CA. Siesta Valley Recreation Area takes the form of a vast series of rolling hills, mostly grassy meadows, with scenic eucalyptus tree groves located here and there. The attached Google map photo shows how the trail weaves through tree groves. There is one main trail that can best be reached by parking at the Little Train parking lot.

The Little Train is well known to most people in the East Bay, especially those who live in Oakland or Berkeley. After parking near the Little Train, the Siesta Valley Recreation Area is best reached by walking south on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. After about 20 minutes, you’ll arrive at Scott’s Peak Trailhead. The trail is easy to find and easy to follow, as it takes the form of a well-groomed dirt road. The good quality and distinctive nature of this dirt road trail is similar to that of the East Ridge Trail, located in the Redwood Regional Park , located a few miles south of the Siesta Valley Recreation Area.

The trail takes about 90 minutes to walk from the western trail (Scott’s Peak Trailhead) to the eastern trail (located on Pablo Avenue in Orinda, CA, just north of Orinda BART station). What is attractive about this hike is: (1) a great opportunity for aerobic exercise; (2) a great view of the distant Mount Diablo and, on occasion, an attractive view of thick cloud-covered blankets that block the view of the towns between Orinda and Mount Diablo; (3) beautiful sculptural features of the rolling hills that you will see during your hike along the entire trail;(4) A chance to see occasional deer; (5) wildflowers and plants such as Fuller’s teasel. The landscapes and wild plants found during your hike in the Siesta Valley Recreation Area are similar to those found during hikes in the western half of LAS TRAMPAS in Castro Valley. What is similar between this part of LAS TRAMPAS and the Siesta Valley Recreation Area is the rolling hills that are mostly bare of trees, the lack of crowds of other hikers, and the need to carry the EBMUD hiking pass.