Great Escape: Briones Park

For this week's Great Escape, I'm recommending a hike through one of my very favorite sites in the East Bay Regional Park District: Briones Park.

Nestled  between Martinez, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek, the 6,117-acre Briones Park boasts gorgeous rolling green hills this time of year, plus creeks, grazing cattle, lots of wildlife (think red-tailed hawks, black-tailed deer, kestrels, even coyotes), wildflowers galore in springtime and panoramic views of the entire region, including Mount Tam, Mount Diablo, even the Sacramento River.

Dogs are allowed in the park; in some areas they have to be leashed. One word of warning: don't let them go in the stock ponds. Been there, done that, ended up with a dog-turned-swamp-thing in about 30 seconds flat.

I like starting from the Bear Creek Staging Area and doing about a five-mile loop up and down the hills. (You can get good directions here.) But there are lots of other trails, as well—no doubt equally as pretty.