Acalanes Ridge

The Acalanes Ridge is a series of open spaces between the towns of Walnut Creek and Lafayette, and offers puptastic hiking for people and their pups! With several trails that connect these spaces, you and your adventure dog can get in a quick walk, or an afternoon of exploration.

There are four main trails that traverse Acalanes Ridge, with many smaller trails throughout. They can be walked separately, or taken together to form a loop, a pupular way many visitors trek. And with four main access points featuring kiosks with trail info, as well as several more entries in, you can jump on these furbulous trails from many different locations. To the east, you'll find an access point at the end of Sousa Drive, while to the northwest, you'll find another off of Camino Verde Circle, both in Walnut Creek.

Main trails include the short Sousa Trail off of Sousa Drive, Ridgetop Trail, Camino Verde Trail to the north, and the Briones to Mt. Diablo Trail, a regional path that connects Briones Regional Park to Mount Diablo State Park through Acalanes Ridge, further expanding your hiking opportunities. 

If you hike up to the summit, you'll enjoy stunning views of Mount Diablo, Briones Regional Park, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, Suisun Bay and more. There's a bench here for a rest, and a great spot to get out your water bottles and bowl to share with your dog, and even a snack to keep you both energized for the walk back. Since there's no access to water here, you'll need to pack in your own. 

While dogs are encouraged to stay leashed throughout Acalanes Ridge, they technically can go off leash as long as they stay with you and under control. There is a short trek along a fire road to get to the summit where you'll need to clip the leash back on. Always have clean-up bags with you, and leave nothing your dog drops behind. 

In Acalanes Ridge, you and your four-footed pal can enjoy a variety of settings from woods to open meadows, to ridgetop summits, and you may even catch sight of some resident wildlife like deer, fox, and raptors.

For a furbulous workout in a gorgeous natural area, grab your gear and head to Alacanes Ridge with your pup!