De La Veaga Loop

Attempted to hike this trail today from the starting point shown on the map. I am always excited to hike trails close to public transportation, as I don't have a car. We tried to walk to the trailhead from the Orinda Bart station- it is not accessible as a pedestrian at all. We then grabbed an uber to find the trailhead completely locked down and fenced off, with a large sign saying a permit is required. I am not sure how long it has been like that but the starting point on the map is no longer viable. Sad day :(

One of my go to hikes for a workout. Trail Head easy to find & lots of parking. Trail in good condition. From the Start goes up, up, & up.. When you get to the top of the ridge you have great views of Reservoirs and also Highway 24 (ugh). Then you start down into a valley & move towards Berkeley. At one point you cross a road to get on a very narrow path that opens up to a STUNNING view of Oakland, San Fran and both Bridges. Coming back on the loop is really hard but you will survive. I hardly ever see anyone on the trail. Keeping it from a 5 star hike - pretty constant highway noise and a ton of powerlines that spoil some of the views

We didn't do the full loop, the start of the trail is near Orinda Bart and the by joining with the trails on the Berkeley side we ended at Rockridge Bart to Bart back to our starting point. Overall it was almost 7 miles. It was pretty steep climbing and very steep decline at the end.

This was one of those hikes that you can see a glimpse of on the commute through the tunnel. It gets up high and you can see everywhere. I did it solo in early winter so the weather and the views were great. I wouldn't want to do it in the summer. Most of the hike is exposed and would be very hot with all the hills. When I did it I saw no one anywhere..... I don't think I'd want to do it again...cardio challenge.