Del Valle Regional Park, Livermore, CA

Situated just south of Livermore, Del Valle Regional Park offers scenic trails around Lake Del Valle, a reservoir formed in 1968 from a dam of the same name. Both are part of the South Bay Aqueduct. Late winter/ early spring is a good time to visit as heat can be a factor on hotter days, due to the lack of cover from trees. Parking is available at the Arroyo Road staging area on the north side of the lake.

At the start of the hike, we were treated with a stunning
view of the surrounding hillside/cliffs.



After an uphill hike of several hundred feet or so, Lake
Del Valle becomes visible. The East Shore Trail then
winds around the northeastern edge of the lake, providing
different viewing angles.



For a closer view of the lake, we took the Heron Bay trail at about mile 3. After the trail reconnects with the East Shore trail 1.3 miles later, we turned back for the return journey. (The Heron Bay trail also offshoots earlier from the main trail at mile 1, reconnecting at mile 2 but we elected to not take that option). For a much longer hike keep hiking southward on the main trail.

Cows can also be seen resting near the trails and are friendly and unafraid of hikers (Be wary of cow dung though. Also note that it's advisable to keep your distance from such large animals).

"Don't provoke me, I'm a 1500 lb beast."
Photos 1/2/3/5 courtesy of Mike Y.

All in all, this is a good workout for the casual to serious day-hiker.

Trail: East Shore Trail + Heron Bay Trail, 7.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: >Moderate (length, unshaded)