Shadow Cliff Water Slides Shutting Down? An Alternative Activity, Take A Hike up Pleasanton Ridge

Hiking up to Pleasanton Ridge may not be wet and cooling, but it sure is a nice experience.

A really nice trail to the top is Oak Tree Trail. To get to the trail head, take Foothill Road 1.7 miles south of Castlewood Drive, make a right turn into the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park staging area.

There are three parking lots — a smaller lot immediately as you make the right turn and two others as you drive north into the staging area. The parking lots are dirt and gravel, and are a little dusty. There are restrooms in this area.

At the top, there is a picnic table. it is 7,050 feet from the trail head gate to the picnic table. That is approximately 1.5 miles. Depending on your pace, it will be a 35- to 45-minute hike.

I have jogged up this trail many a time. Today, I hiked up taking my measuring wheel along to record the distance from the trail head gate to the picnic table at the top. The picnic table is on a one-acre plateau with a magnificent view.

Elevation at the trail head gate is approximately 350 feet above sea level. The elevation at the picnic table is approximately 1,550 feet above sea level, a nice elevation gain of 1,200 feet in under an hour.

If you are a runner training for an event, this is a great trail, and there are several other trails that break off from the main trail. The grade varies from about a 30-degree slope to a 45-degree slope.

Walkers, hikers, runners, bicyclists, equestrians, and your pet dog are all welcome. There are rules — check them out before you get on the trail. Children on bikes are required to wear helmets, and so on. The park service provides a pamphlet at the trail head gate with the rules and information regarding wildlife and vegetation in the park, and a map.

Among the bird habitat of this ridge area, the park service lists golden eagles, red tailed hawks, meadow larks, Western blue birds and overhead soaring turkey vultures plus a few other species.

Among the brushy parts is the California Quail, California Thrasher. In the wooded areas of the park there are Cooper hawks, sharp-shined hawks and  various species of owls, and the acorn woodpecker.

Mammals range throughout the park and include opossums, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, black tailed deer, grey foxes, bobcats, mountain lions along with numerous squirrels, rodent and bat species. And the usual reptiles, alligator lizards, Western fence lizards, gopher snakes, king snakes and rattlesnakes.

Not to forget, there are nine species of trees — six kinds of oak trees, big leaf maple and California buckeye. Stay on the trails, as there is poison oak in the park. 

Poison oak can be identified by the leaf — they are usually a three leaf cluster at the end of the stem. The leaf will have a reddish tint at the outer edges of the green leaf. It may look like a bush, or sage brush from a distance. In the fall, the green leaf turns nearly full red.

As you go through the gate to start your hike, the gate should shut itself, but check that it did shut, as the park is open range and cattle graze throughout the area. Stay on the main trail, which is the Oak Tree Trail.

As you gain elevation, you will notice other trail heads. They are all marked with a number on a post along with the name of the trail head. The first trail head you will encounter on your right is the Sycamore Grove Trail.

Continue on up the Oak Tree Trail. You are aiming for post number five (5) at the top. At post number five (5) is the trail head for ridge line trail and juncture with oak tree trail. Continue straight ahead on the ridge line trail (south). You will see a slight ridge in front of you. Hike to the top of this ridge and immediately on the other side is the picnic table.

Sit down, relax and enjoy the view. Once here, you will have your bearings and can venture off on the other trails as you like. Be sure to get the pamphlet at the gate, as the one side has a map of the entire ridge. After you have hiked to the picnic table, it is easy to determine the various trails.