Hayward
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Description:
Five Canyons is nestled between Don Castro East Bay Regional Park, a detached unit of Garin East Bay Regional Park, and several housing developments. While Five Canyons itself is not very big, adding in the southern portion of the Chabot to Garin regional trail, which is the portion open to bikes, provides 13 miles of trails and several riding options. Many trails are dirt roads and easy in technical difficulty, but there are some steeper climbs and there are some single track sections that can increase the overall difficulty. Flora ranges from cool, shaded tree lined canyons to open chaparral that is hot in the summer. Our three recommended all start in Don Castro East Bay Regional Park, then take in the trails of Five Canyons. The recommended Medium Ride and Big Ride both add in a portion of the Chabot to Garin Regional Trail which runs in a section of Garin Regional Park adjacent to Five Canyons but detached from the main portion of Garin Regional Park in Union City. The Chabot to Garin Regional Trail gets little use and, while you start in the midst of housing developments, the trail quickly runs to remote canyons and ridges before topping a ridgetop peak with a radio tower. The Radio Tower marks the turn around point for the Medium Ride. The Big Ride adds in the remaining length of the Chabot to Garin Regional Trail that is open to bikes, going another 3 miles from the Radio Tower to the High Ridge Trail in Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park, where the Big Ride route then turns around to return on the same trail. Anyone wanting a super long and strenuous ride can take in the trails of Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park in addition. The Big Ride route is also a great candidate for a one way trek if a second car is left in Garin or Dry Creek Pioneer parking lots to shuttle you back to Don Castro. Restrooms are at the trailhead in Don Castro Regional Park.
In the Wet Season: All trails are open, but many become a sticky impassible goo after a rain.
Directions: Park at Don Castro Regional Park main parking lot at the end of Woodroe Ave in Fairview, approximately 2 miles south of the Crow Canyon Rd. exit from I-580, then southwest on Grove Way, left on Center St., left on Kelly St., and left on Woodroe Ave. A link to the parking location in Google Maps is here.