Sunol Regional Wilderness
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The Sunol Regional Wilderness is a regional park in Alameda County, California, administered by the East Bay Regional Park District. It is located south of the town of Pleasanton and east of Fremont. The park was established in 1962.
The park has an area of 17.75 km² (6,858 acres), and consists mainly of former ranch land, with a mixture of woodland and grasslands. Common trees in the park include Coast Live Oak, Valley Oak, Blue Oak, elderberry, Pacific Madrone and Gray Pine; and, along the Alameda Creek, alders, willows and sycamores. Grazing rights within the park are still leased, so cattle will be encountered.
In spring, wildflowers are abundant, including Chinese Houses, Monkey flower, California Poppy, goldfields, and several species of mustard and lupine. There are many bird species, and raccoons, skunks and black-tailed deer are present. Coyotes and mountain lions visit the park, though are unlikely to be seen by visitors. A well-equipped Visitors' Center has a complete list of plants and birds to be seen in the park.
Trails for hiking, horse-riding and mountain biking criss-cross the park, and there are facilities for camping. The Cave Rocks formation is popular for rock climbing. The Ohlone Trail, a long distance footpath linking several regional parks, passes through Sunol.
External links
- EBRPD official website for the park (http://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol.htm)