Chabot-to-Garin Regional Trail

Dogs Unknown

As is apparent from the profile, this trail is more fun to hike north (as mapped) than south.

The trail runs north along the west face of a ridge, then crosses onto a paved road. All of sudden, the road has perpendicular parking, where the trail becomes dirt again around the back of the parking if you don't blink and miss the turn. The following segment gets more surreal as the trail becomes a paved golf cart path and you are hiking through a golf course on the edge of a sprawl subdivision in the sky that is part of why our planet is burning up.

At the end of the golf course, follow the trail by a sharp right to a short climb up to a communication tower. The trail turns right at the tower enclosure and slips around its east side. Here is where the fun begins.

Continue onto the long sweeping descent followed by a side hill steep section that leads into a shaded canyon. The trail turns out of the canyon with a short, stiff climb up the other side and then another side hill section. Drop down a paved road to a water tank and then a touch of singletrack around the top of another subdivision leading to another descent to where the trail crosses a road. After crossing, the trail rolls on gravel behind the curb along the south side of the road and then turns off into a steep step down.

The next section is a surreal winding bit consisting of short paved road segments with "private" beyond, dirt road, and a couple bridges leading to a climb up a driveway that is also part of the trail believe it or not. It takes some creative deal-making to put a trail like this through a suburban area mixed with hilly topography.

Turn left onto the road out of the driveway then right at the intersection onto another gravel trail behind the curb of the street, which climbs to a signaled intersection.

Overall, a fun hike in the sky in the spring, and through the burnt gold landscape in the summer.