Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park

Foothill Rd, Pleasanton, CA 94588, United States

Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, located west of theI-680 motorway and the City of Pleasanton, California, became a reality in 1988, when the East Bay Regional Park District bought 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) to start what would become its second-largest park. In 1980, a real estate developer proposed the construction of a golf course and a number of new homes on the Pleasanton Ridge. A large number of area residents opposed the proposal and defeated it in a 1983 referendum.

In 2012, the Park District announced that it had purchased 1,367 acres (5,53 km2) from Robertson Ranch, east of Palomares Road, which would be added to the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. The area included the Sunol Peak landmark (a height of 2,163 feet (659 m). The price was reported to be $6.2 million. The report stated that the regional park contained 7,500 acres (30 km2) of land prior to purchase. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park is a 5.271-acre (21.33 km2) park located in the East Bay Regional Park District overlooking Pleasanton, California and the Livermore Valley to the east. The park is expected to grow by almost 1,500 acres (6.1 km2)(sic) with the acquisition of the Tyler Ranch.

• Acquisition of Tyler Ranch

The Tyler Ranch stretches for about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) along the Sunol Ridge. The north end of the ranch was abutted by the existing Pleasanton Ridge Park at the end of Kilkare Road. It also has good access to Foothill Road. The acquisition was supported by the Priem Family Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation of open space in the greater Bay Area. EBRPD claimed that the acquisition of Tyler Ranch was the occasion when the district had acquired 100,000 acres since it was formed in 1934.

• Visiting The Park

Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park contains more than 25 miles (40 km) of trails, most of which are dirt roads, except the Woodland Trail, the Bay Leaf Trail, and a few sections of the North Ridge and Ridgeline trails. Park elevations range from 400 feet (120 m) at the main entrance to more than 1,600 feet (490 m) at the highest point. 

The Augustin Bernal Park is adjacent to the park. This beautiful 9090-acre parkland is located on the oak-covered ridge overlooking the west of Pleasanton and the Livermore Valley. It is planned to be acquired over a period of many years as the core of the Ridgelands Regional Park. Parkland development was intentionally limited to the preservation of the pastoral atmosphere.

Pleasanton Ridge and beyond is occupied by the park. To the northwest, it flows down from Pleasanton Ridge to the upper Kilkare Canyon, where it continues up to Sunol Ridge and finally ends at its westernmost corner of Stoneybrook Canyon. Inside the park, the elevation is more than 1,600 feet.