Crockett Hills Regional Park sits just outside the small town of Crockett, at the west end of the Carquinez Strait. The East Bay Regional Park District says the land was likely hunting and gathering grounds for Native Americans, then became 19th-century ranch land and later part of the region's industrial history. The park ranges from 150 to 800 feet in elevation, with views of San Pablo Bay, the Delta, Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo.

Sources differ on its size. The district puts it at 2,124 acres, while Wikipedia gives 1,939 acres and says the park opened to the public in 2006.

Visiting

The staging area is at 1300 Crockett Blvd. Parking is free. The park is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., but gate hours change with the season: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in October and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November through February.

The original ranch barn, milk-house and corrals still stand at the Crockett Ranch staging and picnic area. Wikipedia says the picnic tables there can't be reserved and there's no campground.

Trails

The district lists hiking, running, biking, dog walking and horseback riding as popular activities. The trail network includes a 4.5-mile segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Wikipedia describes a mountain biking loop with narrow multi-use trails, some built specifically for mountain bikes, including Sugar City, Tree Frog and Warep.

Not all of the land is open. Wikipedia says much of the park is in land bank status and closed to the public, and the Goldfinch and Kestrel trails can close seasonally while eagles are nesting. Cattle grazing keeps the fuel load down south of Cummings Skyway.

Dogs and wildlife

According to Wikipedia, dogs must be leashed in parking lots and staging areas but may be off leash elsewhere if they are under voice control. The district lists western meadowlarks, western bluebirds and American goldfinches in the grasslands. Red-tailed hawks, American kestrels, golden eagles, northern harriers and owls use the valley oaks. Gray foxes, mule deer and raccoons also live in the park.

The neighboring shoreline: our Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline guide.