Friday, February 10, 2017

Keeping it Local: Little Yosemite at Sunol


Weekend warrior tip #1: There are innumerable places to explore close to home, you just have to look for them.

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area is an especially potent gold mine of outside opportunities, but with a little research you can find explorable land anywhere and get in a satisfying hike, bike or paddle in just a half day. What a dream!

We took a half day to explore Little Yosemite at Sunol Regional Wilderness. Just about an hour from the city, on the south east side of the bay, Sunol is home to hiking, camping, and horseback riding opportunities for a half day or a full weekend. Little Yosemite is one of my favorite places in the park and it lives up to its name. You'll find granite boulders and clear water reminiscent of Yosemite National Park filling a canyon creek making fun climbing for the young and the young at heart.

What you need to know:
Entrance fee: $5
Check out the website here.

Inside the Park: Getting to Little Yosemite
Once you've made it into Sunol Regional Wilderness, there are many winding ways to get to Little Yosemite, but we have two favorites. Option 1: Park in the first little parking area you see on the left. If it's full, drive a little ways further to the larger lot and walk back to the first parking area. Cross the foot bridge and turn right. Continue onto Canyon View Trail then turn right on Camp Ohlone Road. After just a short ways you'll see steps down to little Yosemite. This way is a bit longer (still only 1.5 miles one way) and allows for views of the rolling hills and canyons. Option 2: From the parking lot, walk along the Camp Ohlone Road all the way to Little Yosemite. This can also be used as a loop. We saw lots of families with little kids taking this route.

It's admittedly a very short hike, but leaves time for climbing, playing, and exploring along the trail and other routes. We sure had a good time as seen in our little film!



2 comments:

  1. Hi Bailey...stumbled upon your blog today! Loved the video, which made me wistful for hiking in Sunol. Sounds like you've had many grand adventures! I'll check back for more!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mrs. Allin!! So fun you found this. I see your greeting card creations on Instagram - gorgeous! Looking forward to having you around. You're inspiring me to post again soon ;)

      Delete