Garin & Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks

This park has a nice, challenging mountain biking trail with an awesome view of the bay at the top! There are cows on the trail, but they usually don’t get in the way.

After arriving in San Fran last night, Nicole and I woke
up early to participate in the the ½ Marathon at the Annual Bay Area Running Festival which took place in this park.
There are beautiful vistas of the Bay from the hills higher up. The course is challenging with approx 2800 ft of net climb. A nice BBQ party is included at the finish and race organizers of Seneca Performance are super ok folks!
The weather was perfect, mostly overcast with a great breeze. I managed to place 3^rd overall with a time of sub 2 hours. Glad I signed us up.

Fairly New to hiking, and I fell in love with this place. I had a great hike, super relaxing, and love the sound of birds chirping away lol

Great place to hike. Ended up taking a detour after a park employee told us the completely wrong way to turn. Other than that it was beautiful.

Can this place be any more beautiful? So serene. So country, country, country… Love it! A real breath of fresh air. Great for relaxing views, reading, walking, picnics… enjoy solo, or with friends or family… whatever it is… Garin’s got it.

I’m sure this park is better than I’m reviewing to be, so I’ll have to check it out again next time. I went after it rained so it was kind of muddy in some parts. Not the greatest time to go hiking. Me and my friend didn’t really know where to go so we just started walking in directions where we saw a trail. There are many directions you can go. One of trails we went to lead us to walk up this super steep hill. It was pretty chill after that, and luckily, the view was already good from the top of that hill. Another trail we walked was suppose to lead us to some water (maybe a lake?) but it was too muddy to walk all the way.
The upside to the rain was that this park was really green, lively and pretty.
Overall, I think this could be some really good hiking. I will have to come back.

Me and my friend started the trail at around 7 pm which was not that dark keeping summer long days in mind, also thinking that we might return back by 8 – 9 going totally unplanned just with our sippers, cell phone and wallets in hand, we grabbed a map at the start point of Garin regional park, there are several trails we took the longest one which ends near dry creek apartments, Cana Road and then continued with High Ridge Loop Tr towards park exit near dry creek apartments, On our way after 45 mins walk we encountered nearly 40 – 50 wild cows which was so scary as they stared at us on every single step we took, the best thing we did was walking away from the trail even if it meant walking on the 2 inch uneven grass mountain, that moment was very scary as any noise or even a squeak would have made them attack us ! We could have turned back but we decided to keep going cause we were in between, As we continued we saw 7 – 10 cows again this time no ways we wanted them to notice us, originally we were to follow the Canal Rd but as these cows were right on the trail we got down a mountain again (more scary since I saw snake pics on a previous review) when we got down the mountain we came to know this was the High Ridge Loop Tr, The positive thing in this entire scary adventure was we had full AT&T coverage and the bay view City lights on the right side of the trail, As we continued we encountered a fox !! He was staring at us but we were just so nervous that we kept walking, I asked my friend to check out if he was there, he turned back and saw the fox was staring at us, it was getting dark but the city lights didn’t make it pitch dark, Later after a scary 45 mins trail walk around 15 mins toward the exit we encountered the cows again this time we started the phone flash light since we both knew that the city was close by and worst case we would get some help if anyone of us got injured but we crossed them without any danger, 5 mins close to the exit we heard peacocks scream, by this time any noise was scary to us, around 8:45 we were near dry creek park exit. Guys luck, patience, trust and common sense was the only thing that made us complete our trail.
Imp: The best time in summer would be from 3 – 7 pm, Please carry couple of maps since I dropped mine I guess when I saw the cows, Phones fully charged, water, wear full pants, do not yell at any point and yes courage when you actually face those cows !!

This year, Garin as a hike featured in the East Bay Regional Parks trails challenge. It’s labeled as a «challenging,» probably because of the mileage, but the hike itself was pretty moderate. I’ve been here before, but had parked at the Ziele Creek trailhead. On a sunny, warm March day, I recently visited Garin again, this time at the main entrance and enjoyed a 5.61 mile hike amongst the bright green hills. After 9 a.m. there is a $ 5 entrance fee at the Garin Ave entrance (cash only) and plenty of parking. At this entrance there are a ton of facilities for families such as picnic tables, restrooms and BBQ areas. There were a lot of people at main area, but once you’re up on the higher trails, the quiet sets in and you can enjoy sweeping views of the hills to the east and panoramas of Hayward and Fremont to the west.
The 2016 featured hike is a 5.61 mile loop on the High Peak Trail. It’s easy to find the High Peak loop trail by crossing a small foot bridge from the lot and through the cattle gate. The first mile is an ascent straight up, with a few sections that are pretty steep but manageable. For another couple of miles, my friend and I had the trails mostly to ourselves. We passed a few solo hikers and one or two groups-​it felt safe but still peaceful. It seems the main hiking crowds stay on the lower trails. High Peak Loop is well signed and has some varying terrain as you head down a gorge and through a small forested area. Eventually you make your way down the hills and wind your way past a few small ponds and to the main lot. Stopping once in a while for photos, we finished the hike in 2 hours and 10 minutes. If you’re doing the 2016 trails challenge I highly recommend Garin’s featured hike-​but do it soon while the hills are still green, the temps are mild and wildflowers abound! It was hard to believe we were in Hayward-​so close, yet so completely scenic and a great representation of East Bay parks.
Hike #5: East Bay Parks 2016 Trails Challenge
Miles Hiked: 5.61
Total Miles hiked in challenge: 18.9

After a few months of going to this park, I’ve got a change of heart. I give this park 5 stars and is my favorite in the area (Coyote Hills 2^nd, Quarry Lakes 3^rd). There are many trails you can follow. My favorites are the Tolman Peak Trail, Pioneer Trail and the High Ridge Loop.

I love this park so much and can not believe I just found it. I usually go on weekdays so parking is free and there is hardly any people around so my pup and I have the place to our-​self. We usually hike up the giant hill (whew, quite a workout!) and then continue the loop. The view is AMAZING. There are so many more trails we still need to discover! My FAVORITE part is they allow dogs off leash once you are a certain distance away from the main trails. This is perfect so my pup can run free and get a good workout :)

We are here before it gets too hot. The gate was manned today so it was $ 5, which is still nominal. Great hiking to be had, or aimless walking: make sure you have water because it can get very hot with or without the shade.
I wish they had more sitting areas & separate trails for horses & their byproducts, so to speak.
All in all free parking or combined with the $ 5 entrance fee is a good deal.

Until I heard about the apple festival I had no idea this park existed. Came for the once a year shindig.
Park was easy to find, tucked up in the hills in a residential part of town. We were greeted and paid for parking. There is no street parking available.
The park is huge! A lot of parking and trails going everywhere.
The festival was on a smaller scale but nice. There was Apple, cider and ice cream tasting, small petting zoo, music, kiddie arts & crafts and games. I bought a candied apple and fudge.
A kid friendly event that is close to home and free. I recommend checking it out.

Grew up in the Hayward & Union City area and had never been to to the Garin/​Dry Creek Regional Pioneer Parks… ‘Until just recently. I sure missed out on a pretty awesome park.
I’ve been in town, visiting for the past couple weeks and did a Unilocal*search: Dog, trails, hike, park. Voila and here we are! (‘And by «we,» I mean my bully-​pit, HAPA and myself.) We arrived shortly after 6pm as the dark, overcast clouds were building. I was hoping to catch a break from the insistent heat that’s been pretty constant. The temperature was in the mid-​seventies, heavy overcast, it was perfect.
As I pulled up to the attendant booth, I saw the «$ 5 Parking Fee» sign but luckily for us it was after 5pm which means FREE parking. «Thank you, ma’am!»
Note: There is another lot off of Whipple Road where the parking is FREE from open to close.
I pulled into the first lot on the right with only three other cars and plenty of open stalls, wasn’t crowded @ all, awesome! (Well, it was a late afternoon on a Wednesday so that definitely helped.) Being my first time @ Garin Regional Park, I was a bit apprehensive as I pulled into the lot… This place is huge and I could easily see me getting lost with highlights on the evening news, «Lost idiot & his dog! News @ 10pm!»
HAPA’s nose was sniffing the air as if it was bacon scented. As soon as I placed the car in park, his whining ensued. (Translation: Let me out! I wanna get out! LET ME OUT NOW, PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!)
Note to dog owners:
Off leash rules — The park does allow your pets off leash BUT please adhere to the guidelines, it’s safer for the other guests, your animals, as well as yourself. Also, it will help everyone, including your pet & you a more enjoyable outing. Off leash pets are allowed in the undeveloped areas of Garin Regional Park but must be leashed in the developed areas. It’s a relatively simple, straight forward rule but basically it just comes down to good sense. Also, if you’re pet doesn’t have the best of manners, is aggressive, and is the alpha in your family pack, it’s advised to leave the dog @ home.
Ticks — One word, «disease.» Well, more specifically, Lyme Disease. California has some areas where Lyme Disease is prolific and if untreated can be fatal. So, if you’re dog had an awesome day of frolicking in the brush, chasing squirrels, lizards, just having a ball, it is highly advised to do a thorough check of not just yourself but of your four-​legged friend as well.
HAPA Boy had a great time! Okay, «we» had a great time! It was a nice leisurely walk, in spite of the hills. The path ways are mostly dirt & gravel so expect to track a lot of that dust and grim back with you to the car. HAPA could’ve easily used a bath after we returned from out short walk but only 30 baby wipes and four paws soaks, he was back to clean… Well, relatively.
We passed a handful of people on our walk through the hills, most gave us the customary/​obligatory head nod or artificial, «meeting the in-​laws,» plastic smile and we obliged. There were a few who not even look @ us as we passed. (I don’t blame them, I wouldn’t say hi to me either.)
HAPA was happy as a pup to be off-​leash, running on & off the trail, in & out of the brush… Yes, I cringed @ the thought of him possibly picking up some unwanted, blood sucking, stowaways but WTH, let the dog have his fun! (Plus, ticks are removable when done properly and when caught early, Lyme Disease is treatable.)
Everything was fine until HAPA came upon his first pile of horse crap… «WHAT IS WITH DOGS WANTING TO EAT THIS SH*T? LITERALLY!!» I was pretty diligent in keeping the HAPA off a do-​do free diet, 97% success rate. The little sh*t ran ahead of me and had a «little sh*t.» I say little because it was just a a kernel of crap, more like a «Sh*tten McNugget.» However, after that little incident, back on went the leash. Sneaky l’il bastard. When I went to grab HAPA by his collar he ran away, did an about turn to face me and crouched down as if to say, «Try & catch me!» Oh, I caught him alright… ‘Who cares if it was 20 minutes later, out of breath, and a scraped right knee w/​a twisted my ankle. «Gotch’ya!» (Did I mention he’s a l’il sh*t… ‘But he’s MY l’il sh*t.)
We didn’t stay too long, sunset was @ 7:15pm, the gates were going to be locked in 45 minutes, the on/​off drizzling was more «on,» and my left knee was starting to act up. (Surgery Dec 2014; torn meniscus)
One thing I noticed was that I didn’t see any poop bag stations. Not a huge problem, if you’re like me and always have a few in your pocket. Overall, it’s a relatively clean, great looking park, let’s keep it that way. Don’t be that lazy @sshole who thinks he’s at home… ‘What you do in your trailer is your business BUT this isn’t your trailer. To have a park like this is a privilege, not a right. Enjoy!
— Big Aloha!
Food: n/​a
Ambiance: 5
Service: 5+
Value: 5+ (Priceless)

Went again to Garin Regional Park starting at May Rd (by Whipple Rd) Union City/​Hayward. Free parking there. One pit toilet.
We hiked over to the Red Barn to go to the Annual Apple Festival Sat 9÷12÷15. In the news they said that someone stole all the apples from their orchard they noticed a week before the festival and they were able to buy apples from some Bay Area orchards so the festival could still go on. Who would do such a thing?
There were a bunch of different heirloom apples that you don’t see often. Winter Banana — first time trying it. Can’t remember if I liked it or not. Gala; Rhode Island Greening; Gravenstein; Jonathan; Golden Delicious; Pittman Gold; Empire (no sample when I went, maybe later folks got to try?); Baldwin — they only gave a tiny slice so hard to say if I liked them all, ate them fine.
Saw a bunch of 4H animals: skink; donkeys; rabbit; chicken — they were in back of the barn.
Apple Cider — some people got to turn the machine, I just watched and then they gave tiny samples of the cider. I liked it.
Hand-​cranked ice cream — we all got a turn to hand-​crank the ice cream. It’s hard work! Ice cream flavor was vanilla was chunks of apples in it. Tiny cone & tiny scoop.
There was a booth selling hotdogs, sausage, drink. Another vendor sold candy: brittle, caramel apples, etc.
I would have liked another 10 minutes because I didn’t see the musicians singing & playing music.
Looked fun for the kids with making craft table and walking on stilts nearby.

I’ve been here twice so far going hiking with my family and love it!
NOTES:
~ This place is great if you’re a beginner. I just started trying to get into fitness, so I’m glad that this park is available for me to get into the swing of things (I’m slowly training myself to be able to hike up Mission Peak!).
Whether you’re young, old, or unfit, hiking here is definitely do-​able.
—
There are a variety of different trails, some in the sun and plenty in shaded areas as well. For the fitter group, there are more challenging trails around. For instance, there’s a really steep hill great for a challenge by a set of restrooms.
Also, I’ll be honest every now and again I come across a really beautiful view. I’m normally not a fan of the dry yellow California grass, but even I can’t deny there are a lot of beautiful moments. Also, the narrow bridges in the shaded areas add a lot of personality and flavour to your walk.
Overall, whatever your fitness level is you’re bound to enjoy a lot about this park.

I’m down with this hike. Well, it’s more like a leisurely stroll.
The path we took was about 3 miles roundtrip, mostly flat, and not too shady. Many dogs were there off-​leash which was nice.
Lots of poison oak on the edge of the trail so be on the lookout.
Parking is relatively available either in the lot or on the street.

I only recently discovered this park’s beautiful contents when my husband surprised me by taking me there to walk. I gone 2x now and absolutely love the place!
Perfect for the energetic walker or pet, there’s just so much to see!
Eventually, I would love to explore more of the campground spots but will work my way there. Great experience for those just starting the journey toward fitness

There is limited parking at Dry Creek and you have to come early. Good thing these trails are walking distance from our house. =]. Beware of cow or horse poop and wear old running shoes. This is a great trail for hiking though. It’s pretty popular. There are many different trails. There is one towards the left that lead to Garin regional park but that is several more miles up and I don’t think I can make that?! I see many bikers go up here and don’t know how they do it? I am not sure they are allowed, too? We came here and saw some cows or maybe bulls cuz they were chasing us and we were going up the hill! Do you know how hard that was? Being chased and you are told not to run away from them? I would say the trails are moderate to hard trails. I recommend bringing water, protein bars and walking sticks! It helps! Totally recommend this trail and worth it when you reach the top of the mountain to see the views…
(Checked in the wrong park!)

I rarely think to write reviews for our public parks. That’s the excuse I’m sticking with to explain why I haven’t written about Garin before now.
We’ve lived near Garin Park for almost 13 years, and have been enjoying it to some extent from the very beginning. We’re near the Ziele Creek trailhead, which is far less utilized than the main entrance. I call it our secret entrance.
It’s dog friendly, but look out for cows! And cow patties. And horse piles. Hey, I pick up after my dog, but I gotta step around their behemoth piles of dung. It hardly seems fair.
There are miles of trails. Foresty trails. Open fields. Ravines. Creeks to walk across on stones. Bridges. Even a little area where there are three old abandoned cars looking fascinatingly out of place among the trees. Geocaches. It’s humongous and beautiful and interesting.
Come visit.

I thought this park was beautiful and we saw just a very small piece of it.
1. If you come here, you will get a workout
2. If you come here, you will see beautiful rolling hills
3. If you come here, you will climb up beautiful rolling hills
4. If you come here, you will see panoramic views of the city below
5. Bring your camera
We will come back often. This park offers a great dual opportunity of beauty and health (that’s exercise!). It’s free in the off season. It hasn’t rained in a while so the trails were dry, but they are dirt so if it’s been raining they could be quite messy.