It’s the final weekend of July 2022 and we have the perfect outdoorsy way to spend it. Look no further than Brushy Peak Regional Preserve located just North of Livermore.
Pack a cooler, grab some extra water and/or snacks and put on your hiking boots because it’s time to hit the trails. Brushy Peak is kid friendly and dog friendly. If you prefer to bike or ride horseback, that is an option too.
Summer weather, trails, great company and an awesome view? What else could you need?
Brushy Peak:
Brushy Peak’s Regional Preserve spans across 1,979 acres and is home to a wide variety of wildlife species. It offers great opportunities for hiking, running, biking, dog walking, observing nature and horseback trail rides over the park’s scenic trails. Make sure to download the map to find the trails best suited for you.
While you are out there enjoying the beautiful scenery, make sure to stop and look around for common native wildflowers such as the California buttercup, Johnny jump-up, lupine, blue-eyed grass and fiddlegrass. You will likely come across ground squirrels, amphibians, reptiles, badgers, burrowing owls, and the San Joaquin kit fox. Sadly, the ground squirrels are prey to red-tailed hawks, ferruginous hawks, and golden eagles, so keep an eye out.
Brushy Peak is home to so many, and is such a great place to relax and take it all in. For more information about the wildlife, check it out here.
Park Hours:
During summertime, the park is open From 8 am – 8 pm. A mid-morning visit or right before sunset sounds perfect to us.
If you are desiring access to the top of Brushy Peak and the northern part of the preserve, contact LARPD directly at (925) 373-5700 for information on guided tours.
How To Get There:
To get to the staging area located at Laughlin Ranch Staging Area follow the directions below:
From I-580 in Livermore, exit north at Vasco Road and immediately turn right onto Northfront Road. After about .8 miles turn left onto Laughlin Road and proceed approximately two miles to the staging area at the end of Laughlin Road.
History of Brushy Peak:
“Brushy Peak is a 1,702-foot landmark at the juncture of the San Francisco Bay Area, the California Delta, and the Central Valley. The peak and its environs have been recognized as sacred by generations of native Californians. Due to its geographical position, the area lies at the center of a network of ancient trade routes that linked Bay Area Ohlones, Bay Miwoks, and Northern Valley Yokuts, who were drawn to the area for economic, social, and ceremonial events. The Ssaoam triblet of the Ohlone peoples was probably the most closely linked to the Brushy Peak area, living in the surrounding dry hills and tiny valleys around the peak and nearby Altamont Pass. Ssaoam populations in the dry summer months may have dispersed and reconverged at various camps throughout the year.
The triblet hosted trade feasts near Brushy Peak, acting as brokers in a regional trade network with the Volvons, a tribelet of the Bay Miwok, and the Tamcans of the Northern Valley Yokuts. The Ssaoam’s ability to prosper may have had as much to do with their occupying this strategic trading location as with their ability to use the area’s food and limited water resources. By the early nineteenth century, life had changed for these tribes” (EB Parks).
To read more about the history of Brushy Peak, click here.
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