The Iron Horse Regional Trail is one of the busiest paths in the East Bay. Wikipedia says about one million trips are made on it each year, and the East Bay Regional Park District recommends it for bicyclists, hikers, joggers and runners.

Current closures

The park district says Contra Costa County is repairing the Robert I. Schroder Pedestrian Bridge, which carries the trail over Treat Boulevard. The bridge section is closed from Oct. 5 through Dec. 31, 2026, barring surprises. Work happens from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, excluding holidays and weather permitting. Drivers can expect 10-minute delays on Treat Boulevard and occasional lane closures.

Caltrans is also working on the Interstate 680 overpass above the trail near Glen Arms Drive and Laurel Road in Danville. The district asks users to be careful there and stay on the paved trail.

The route

According to the park district, the completed trail spans 32 miles between Concord and Pleasanton. It starts in Concord near Highway 4 and runs south through Walnut Creek, crosses under I-680 at Rudgear Road, passes downtown Alamo and the Alamo Square shopping center, follows a greenbelt into downtown Danville, and continues through San Ramon to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station and beyond. Wikipedia notes it also connects directly to the Pleasant Hill BART station.

Wikipedia's route map shows the trail crossing Treat Boulevard on the Schroder Bridge and Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon on another bridge.

A railroad turned trail

The trail follows a Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way established in 1891. The park district says the line was abandoned in 1978; Wikipedia gives 1977 and says the two counties bought the corridor and first established the trail in 1986. The newest piece, a 1.8-mile link from the Pleasanton/Dublin BART station to Santa Rita Road in Pleasanton, opened on Aug. 19, 2014, after almost 30 years of planning.

Wikipedia says the long-term goal is a route of more than 40 miles from Livermore to Suisun Bay.

Nearby

In Danville and San Ramon, the trail runs near Las Trampas Regional Wilderness country.