Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve

Photo by Michael Warner.

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Oct-Dec 2007

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by Ann Sieck — published October 01, 2007

Here's another hilly "island preserve" where views too often include adjacent subdivisions. But its "manzanita barrens" belie their unpromising name. A single-track footpath circles the sparsely forested chalky knob where manzanitas grown into gnarled treelings mingle with oaks, laurels, and madrones, arching overhead to make magical tunnels of dappled sunlight that open to bright sky and grassy hills.

The endangered pallid manzanita grows only in the East Bay, and Sobrante Ridge has the second-largest surviving colony—its presence here led to the park's creation in 1985. The plant relies on fire to clear old growth and germinate seeds, so its future is not promising here on a bluff near expensive homes. The pallids need full sun tempered by coastal fog, so they may be harmed by shade from trees that would not have survived fires. But the barrens, home also to brittle-leaf manzanita, seemed healthy and welcoming on our visit.

The barrens are only an up-and-down quarter mile from the Heavenly Ridge entrance, but this 277-acre park and its great ridgetop views can be explored from several entrances, including Pinole Valley Park off Morningside Drive, which has full facilities and lies a quarter mile by trail to the north. The preserve itself has a few picnic tables but no restrooms or water. Dogs permitted; bikes allowed on most trails.

Getting there: From San Pablo Dam Road in El Sobrante, go north half a mile on Valley View, right on Amend Road, and left on Heavenly Ridge Lane to the end. Street parking. [Ann Sieck]