East Ridge Trail in Redwood Regional Park
The East Ridge Trail is a wide dirt road following a rolling ridge much like the Nimitz in Berkeley, but it is much more forested with Monterey Pine, Oak, Madrone, and chaparral. It goes a long way, but we can turn around where ever we are after an hour of walking. In some places Mt. Diablo can be seen to the East, and to the west, a stately forest of 150-foot coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) has replaced those cut down in the l800's logging boom. We will meet at the Skyline Gate Staging Area on Skyline Blvd about 1/2 mile south of the junction with Shepherd Canyon Road and Pinehurst Road. There is a generous parking area there as well as accessible bathrooms and a water fountain. There are maps, directions, and other useful information about the park at http://www.ebparks.org/parks/redwood. Park is about 25 minutes from Central Berkeley. Lunch in Montclair at the Pagarung Thai Restaurant, 6200 Antioch Street. It's the season for Mango and Sweet Sticky Rice dessert!