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Bay Area Ridge Trail: Los Cantadas to Skyline

⭐ 4.5 (2 ratings)
Oakland/Orinda, CA, Contra Costa County, East Bay
Intermediate
Difficulty
11.5
Miles
2,286'
Elevation
Gain
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Summit
Elevation
No Summit
No
Permit Required?
Fees?
No
Best Season?
🌸☀️🍂
🐕✅

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Overview

      The Bay Area Ridge Trail: Lomas Cantadas to Skyline offers a scenic hike through rolling East Bay hills, with breathtaking ridge-top views, shaded woodlands, and open grasslands.

Description

      The Bay Area Ridge Trail from Lomas Cantadas to Skyline at Tilden Regional Park offers hikers a picturesque journey through the hills and ridgelines of the East Bay. This 11.5-mile round-trip section of the Ridge Trail features stunning views of the Bay Area, from the rolling green hills of Tilden Park to sweeping vistas of San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the distant Marin Headlands. The trail is well-maintained, offering a relatively moderate hike with occasional steep sections and switchbacks. Hikers pass through oak woodlands, meadows, and shaded areas, making it a great year-round trail that showcases the natural beauty of the region.

      Along the way, visitors can enjoy a mix of open ridgelines and dense, forested sections, providing a diverse hiking experience. The trail connects several points of interest within Tilden Regional Park, including the Lakeside Picnic Area and Lake Anza, allowing for opportunities to stop, relax, and take in the views. This section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail is ideal for hikers looking for a moderate outing with rewarding scenery, perfect for a day hike in the heart of the East Bay. Whether you're an experienced hiker or a casual explorer, this trail offers an unforgettable adventure in one of the region's most beautiful parks.

Trail Reports

Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
I got unlucky with the fog layer, but I am sure the ocean views are amazing if you happen to get there on a clear day. The elevation profile on this one is interesting, with multiple climbs to get to Rodeo Beach, and multiple climbs to come back to Muir Beach. There's a bunch of surfers over at the Rodeo Beach side. Trails are clean and well marked.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
This is an amazing hike! Fantastic views over the various lakes in Desolation Wilderness. Also offers amazing views over Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay. The scramble at the summit was fun! It looked worse than it actually was. It was cool to see a PCT through-hiker along the way. Trail is easy to follow and well maintained, with the exception of the summit.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
This hike is amazing! Starting off at the desert floor and rising all the way through 4 (I think) different ecosystems with different wildlife, plants, and trees. 10k feet of elevation gain is substantial, but it was surprisingly not that difficult. Exciting hikes like this tend to get my mind wandering instead of paying attention to how much I am suffering. The gondola ride down was a bit scarier than I anticipated. That thing gets moving!
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
Very scenic ocean views and some views of the San Francisco skyline, with the Golden Gate poking over the hills. Relatively easy hike. Well maintained trail that is mostly concrete. Some cool ruins of the old military batteries. There's actually some legitimately great graffiti at the summit.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
The trail is well maintained and starts off very green, and opens up to some rolling hills with views over San Francisco and the surrounding area. You can see Mt. Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands fairly well. The summit is rather boring, but the views behind the summit make up for it.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
For being fairly short, the incline is pretty dang good! Very green with turkeys wandering around. The summit is fairly well forested, so the views of the bay are glimpses through the tree-line. Great little hike though! Parking is limited and on a residential dead-end street.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
This is a good little short leg burner. I specifically start down in a residential neighborhood and it makes the hike a little longer and adds some incline. This is a very popular tourist destination and it offers arguably the best views over San Francisco. TONS of people at the summit - as you can also just drive up there. Great little urban hike.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
The views here are incredible! It is a very popular hiking location with a decent size parking lot that absolutely gets filled up as the day progresses. Get there early! The summit is somewhat bland, but the rest of the hike makes up for it.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
Great views and a good little incline hike to train at elevation with. At almost 11,500' elevation it gets the lungs working a bit more than usual. Trail is decently maintained, but there's a section that requires a few ganders at the GPS track to make sure you are on the correct route. Great hike! Plenty of parking.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
This is where I saw my first black bear while hiking! It was ahead of me crossing the trail about 100 yards away. It didn't even look over at me as it kept walking up the mountain side. Boy did my heart skip a beat! It is fascinating to see these monsters roaming around in their natural habitat. Saw a handful of trail runners along the hike, but it was overall fairly quiet as far as traffic is concerned. Fantastic views over Lake Tahoe at a distance.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
The summit offers stunning views over Desolation Wilderness and South Lake Tahoe and all the other surrounding peaks. Don't let the short distance fool you! This hike is a rigorous uphill hike from the start to the summit. A lot of it has burn scars from the previous fire that went through.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
This hike is amazing! Hiking just to Flagpole peak is rather short - adding in Echo Peak makes it substantially longer and offers even better views of Desolation Wilderness and Lake Tahoe. The hike up to Flagpole peak requires some minimal scrambling, but it isn't anything too challenging.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
This is right in my backyard! I have hiked this (and the full length of the Bay Area Ridge Trail) many many times. It can get ticky at times - but it wasn't in February. The hills are still green! This will change as the summer rolls through. Well maintained trail. Easy to follow.
Username:
kyle ryan
Date hiked:
April 5, 2025
Rating:
No rating.
Ah! Mission Peak! This is a VERY popular trail - but luckily the trail is wide for the majority of the hike. This loop is much better than the typical out-and-back from Ohlone College. I have hiked it a plethora of times. Still a good amount of incline for the distance. Definitely gets the calves working!
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***DISCLAIMER*** Hiking involves risks, and trail conditions may change. This website is not responsible for injuries, losses, or damages. Use the information at your own risk—always research, prepare, and hike safely.

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