Completed: May 27, 2023 | Elevation: Briones Peak – 1,483′, Mott Peak – 1,424′ | Trail: Old Briones Road > Briones Crest Trail > Mott Peak Trail | Distance: 5.25 miles
For the long weekend, we decided to spend one day hiking the peaks in Briones Regional Park. Based on my research, the hikes weren’t supposed to be super hard so we got off to a reasonable start (for us), arriving at the Briones Road Staging Area close to 9:00 A.M. in order to tackle Briones and Mott Peaks. By the time we hit the trail, it was 9:20 A.M.
The first part of the trail was on Old Briones Road. When we reached the first junction, near a small pond (several dogs were happily swimming around in it), I got turned around and we ended up on Spengler for half a mile before I realized my mistake. We retraced our steps, this time staying on Old Briones Road until we came to the intersection with Briones Crest Trail.
We turned left, heading east first, towards Briones Peak. After three-quarters of a mile on the sun-baked trail, we saw a path heading up the slope of a hill on our left. There was no sign but according to the map, it looked like the location of Briones Peak. At the top, we found a survey marker and a bench on the other side of a wire fence.
With one peak under our belt, we backtracked and followed Briones Crest Trail in the other direction going towards Mott Peak.
Instead of taking the trail itself, we followed a footpath that paralleled the fence. It was a shorter, more direct route but steeper with a section that had washed out. We continued over the hill and down the other side to connect with Mott Peak Trail. As soon as we went through the gate we turned left to follow a trail up the hill to the top of Mott Peak.
On our return trip, we actually took Briones Crest Trail and followed it back to Old Briones Road. Even with our detours and shortcuts, we managed to complete the hike in just over two hours.
With these two peaks done, we headed to Bear Creek Staging Area on the south end of the park to tackle Russell Peak.
Find an overview of our Briones Regional Park hikes here.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.
Coda
This was a nice hike, not too difficult and with beautiful views of the delta and Mt. Diablo. I liked seeing the ponds/lagoons – not a feature that we come across often. Given how exposed the trail was, this is not a hike for summer. It’s also one of the busier areas that we’ve been too, with quite a few people out hiking and biking.
Additional Info
- There’s no fee to park at the Briones Road Staging Area. It’s just street parking.