Del Valle Regional Park

My husband took Monday off, and we went for a hike at Del Valle. I have only hiked a small portion of this park by the dam about 8 years ago. I remember that hike as a rigorous climb. This is a park that is heavily used by fisherman and folks cooling themselves off on hot summer days. There is a large camping area too.

The water level is extremely low. I was told that this is a back-up reservoir. The area on the left of the photo by the water's edge that looks like a brown mass of land that runs up to the tree line was once under water. It better rain a lot this winter or California is in big trouble next summer.

Our hike started with a climb up Squirrel Gulch trail from the parking lot by the boat launch. The photo of the lake above was taken from the top of the ridge. We then meandered down the other side of the hill under the canopy of some very sad looking California Oaks. After a slight climb back up to Ridgeline trail, we proceeded to make left turns at the trail junctions until we reached the Hetch Hetchy trail.

We made a left and walked a short way before taking a seat on a bench for a much needed rest. After taking in the views, we descended to the shores of the lake.

We completed our hike along the Shore trail. There were numerous kayakers and folks fishing out on the lake. Total miles hiked were 3.43.  We took a drive over to look at the campground. There is no cell phone reception, and most of the sites were close together. Half of the campground was closed. The only two sites that we would consider for camping were sites 33 and 34 since those sites have some privacy. The campground is pricey, but it would make for a nice stopping place for those traveling through since dogs are allowed on trails.