About the trail

This is a mostly-dedicated 7+ mile trail with some minor hills, especially by Saint Mary's and at the San Leandro Reservoir end. From end-to-end, the trail spans about 400 feet in elevation and 7-3/4 miles in length, as recorded by my bike's GPS.

Parking/staging areas

• Olympic Boulevard
• Stanley Intermediate
• Lafayette Community Center
• St. Mary's College
• Moraga Commons
• Valle Vista

My experience

I started cycling with purpose a little over a year ago, and have biked about 2,000 miles on this trail so far. I used to ride my road bike here, but since I like sticking to the trail (most frequenters take to the streets around St. Mary's), I've switched to a hybrid mountain bike with street tires to better handle the potholes and root-broken asphalt between St. Mary's and Valle Vista.

Other notes:

• "There and back" (~15 miles) is good for about 1,000 calories.
• There are 15mph speed limits posted in some areas.
• It's well used by foot traffic, especially in the mornings and on weekends.
• Tough, thorny weeds line the trail... kevlar tires work!

Bicycle rules

As copied from the official site:

• Bicycles are not permitted, either walked, ridden or carried, on trails marked "No Bicycles."
• Bicycles shall not be ridden at an unsafe speed, or greater than the posted speed limit. Be aware of how you are perceived by other trail users.
• Bells are required on bicycles on Park District trails.
• Bicycles always yield to pedestrians. Before passing, SLOW DOWN, ring bell and establish verbal contact.
• When approaching equestrians, call out, ring bell and STOP, whether you are seen or not. Ask for instructions on how to pass safely.
• On blind turns, SLOW DOWN, call out, ring bell and ride single file.