Briones Regional Park

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Briones Regional Park is a 5,756-acre (23.29 km²) park maintained and operated by the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) in California, USA. The park is located in the rolling, grassy hills between the eastern and western regions of Contra Costa County near Lafayette, Orinda, Pleasant Hill and Martinez.

Briones Peak is the highest point in the park with an elevation of 451 m (1480 ft), and offers panoramic views of Mount Diablo and the Diablo Valley to the east, the Sacramento River to the north, and the Berkeley Hills and Mt. Tamalpais to the west. The park is also home to many animals and birds, such as turkey vultures, black-tailed deer, coyotes, squirrels, and redtailed hawks.

[edit] The Lafayette Ridge

The ridge is a part of Briones Park and runs parallel to the city of Lafayette, CA. The ridge is approximately two miles long and begins at the parking lot of Springhill Elementary School and extends to Russel Peak (1357 ft or 414 m) where it diverges into the Russel Peak and Briones Crest Trails. Several trails branch off of the Lafayette Ridge Trail, most notably the Springhill and Buckeye Ranch Trails. The ridge offers excellent terrain for mountain biking enthusiasts with periodic gains of up to 200 ft elevation.