Completed: August 26, 2023 | Elevation: Gossip Rock – 1,080′, Tolman Peak – 995′ | Trail: Tolman Peak Trail > South Fork Trail > FD 143 > High Ridge Loop Trail > Gossip Rock Loop Trail | Distance: 8 miles
We were back on the trail this past weekend, and finally checked off two East Bay peaks that had eluded us for a while. I wanted to tackle both peaks in Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park in one hike, but the High Ridge Loop Trail had been closed earlier in the year due to storm damage.
When we arrived at the Dry Creek Staging Area around 8:30 AM the lot was pretty full; I think we snagged the last spot. It was foggy as we walked up May Road towards the trailheads and it fortunately stayed that way for the entire duration of our Tolman Peak hike. The first 1.5 miles were flat so we made good time. However, once we reached the junction with the South Fork Trail and stayed left on Tolman Peak Trail to do the clockwise-loop, it was a steady uphill climb for almost a mile. Good thing we had that fog layer which kept the temperature nice and cool.
This is where things then got confusing. According to the AllTrails map for this particular hike, Tolman Peak is east of the intersection of Tolman Peak and South Fork Trails. This made sense to me because as we were coming up Tolman Peak Trail, I could see a tree-covered mound in the distance which was definitely the high point as I looked around us. However, my park map showed Tolman Peak south of the junction. AllTrails had the peak north of South Fork Trail and on my paper map it was south. Hmmm. I had to go with AllTrails on this one based just on what I was seeing. Even from the bench positioned just off the intersection it was clear that the high point was behind us. We took a cow path up to the top indicated by AllTrails.
It had taken us about an hour, less time than I expected. We finished the loop on South Fork Trail, which descended quite rapidly through a forested canyon. Back on level ground, we retraced our steps on Tolman Peak Trail until we came to a trail marked F.D. 143. The exposed 0.80 mile path wound up along the flanks of two hills, before joining the High Ridge Trail Loop. As we approached the crest, we came upon another bench, perfectly located across from the Gossip Rock Loop Trail, and stopped for a break to enjoy the views. By now most of the fog had dissipated, so we hurried to complete the hike to Gossip Rock. It wasn’t a long or difficult hike to the rocks.
On our return, we stayed on the High Ridge Loop Trail to complete a second loop. The lower section of the trail was shaded which made for a pleasant walk back to the car. All 8 miles took us just under 4.5 hours.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.
Coda
Reaching both peaks in one hike is definitely feasible, and we were able to keep a good pace because we lucked out with the weather. Portions of the trails are shaded but it’s still not a hike that I would recommend if it’s hot outside. We encountered only one other couple as we did the Tolman Peak loop. There were more people on the High Ridge Loop but once we got up towards Gossip Rock, we only saw one other person.