Shell Ridge Open Space

Solar ShellHappy Earth Day 2024!Shell Ridge OSP sits at 1,420 acres and features over 31 miles of trails. It is also home to a really spectacular wildflower display every spring, and this year's "super bloom" did not disappoint. The Good:*As stated above, thirty-one miles of trails that connect you to nearby Mt. Diablo State Park to the south and Howe Farmstead Park to the north. *Easy access to the park, as the trailhead in is just a few miles from DT Walnut Creek. *Dog-friendly trails*Some shaded trails*The hills are small and manageable and go at a nice steady incline. *Gorgeous rolling foothills and scenic city views from the top of them. *Flower displays as far as the eye can see, from yellow fields of mustard to purple pockets of Lupine, and the golden fields of poppies will dazzle your eyes. The Meh:*No restrooms unless you start and end your hike at Howe Farmstead. *Trails are mostly unshaded, so it's not a great place to come on a really hot day. *No bikes allowed, but there's clear evidence of bikes being ridden here. I'm not sure what good a rule is if it isn't enforced. *Trails are just dirt, which is fine when it's dry, but I can tell it's a sloppy mess when it rains. The Ugly:*Parking situation, quite frankly, fucking sucks. They have one lot to access the entrance at Fossil Hill Tall that holds literally eight cars. Normally, this is probably OK, but when the hordes of people show up to see the flowers on the weekends, it's a wild scene, baby. Pro Tip: Get off your ass, get here early, take a little hike while you wait for the poppies to open up, and then snap a few pics and away you go. Conclusion: Great trails, amazing park, but be prepared for crowds at certain times of the year.

Fossil Hill trail is where the wildflowers are blooming! Please be mindful of where you are walking and stay on the trail!Enjoy the beautiful sights of poppies and other wildflowers! I was here today 4.15.24 and it's going strong! If you need to get some air after doing taxes come and get some relaxing sights! The area is just beautiful and lush, so green and mossy in certain parts of the trail. There are no bathrooms so just be prepared. The murky grey pond with the ducks bobbing up and down is so cute. Parking lot is extremely small, literally an 8 car lot. You'll most likely have to park in the neighborhood but please be mindful and respect the homes and driveways. Enjoy and hope tax day isn't too horrible for you! Enjoy friends!

Shell ridge open space An open space, just minutes away from a busy shopping street, right in downtown Walnut Creek, Fossil Hill is part of Shell Ridge Open Space. What is special about Fossile Hill, is that volunteers of Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation (WCOSF) have been restoring native plants for more than 10 years. Their effort affords such a natural beauty for all of us to enjoy. It is evident in the springtime. I especially love the early morning stroll right before sunrise. It is so serene and zenlike. The undulating hills, the muted green grasses, bushes and trees. It is very pastoral.Once the sun had been out, from 10 -11 AM to 4 PM, the gold-orange poppies, the blue lupine, and purple chia together with lush green form a gorgeous spring palette. The trail has a wide ranch-style road, easy for all who are not wheelchair bound. You can do either a short 1/2 mile walk to enjoy wild flowers or the entire 3.5 miles.

Review #012 - 2023My two older sisters and I have been doing a lot of walking, but we don't get to hike too often.I decided to take them out to Shell Ridge on Monday, November 13th.We showed up at around 9:45 AM and it was still pretty warm considering it's almost fall and I was expecting the weather to be much cooler by this time of year.Luckily, this area has a decent amount of shade so we didn't get too hot before we finished our 3-mile hike. We came across a lot of friendly hikers & their dogs and a good amount of bikers.I've been here before, but we didn't get to hike out this far since we came with our Cub Scout and they didn't want to wear the kids out too much.My sisters said they really enjoyed the hike since it wasn't too strenuous, at least according to the path we chose.They are willing to come back with me again so that's a very good sign.There's a decent amount of benches along the trails, should you need a place to rest.However, we didn't see any restrooms--so, it's probably best to come after you've already emptied your bladder.

It's mushroom season!!! ;) I have been hiking this area so...ooo many times. Looks like the spring here is always early than other places.

Sooo beautiful in spring!! There are various trails that can accommodate long/short and easy/hard hikes.There is not much shade so I'm a fan of going early before it gets too hot. Very few people on the trails which is nice and peaceful

A beautiful place for a hike. Come early, it gets really hot and dry by noon. The address mentioned isn't really where the trails are at. One needs to take a right at the mentioned location and drive up to the parking lot at Borges Ranch Run Parking . There's ample parking and over flow parking space. Sulphur Creek is gorgeous! A nice picnic area with grill and water access is available near the parking area. Restroom access available.

wonderful pace to hike and explore nature great for yoga and meditation many great places for photo sluts as well as nature is in full effect

We met up at Howe Homestead Park for our hike of the Shell Ridge Open Space, which is maintained by the City of Walnut Creek. The Park is the trail head in the Open Space and there is parking and restrooms here.Starting on the Tovar Trail, the beginning portion was narrow due to the thick grass/weeds. Then the trail opened up as the grass was not thick. From there we took the Indian Creek Trail to the Briones to Mount Diablo Regional Trail before connecting back to the Tovar Trail and ending back at Howe Park trail head for our 5.5 mile hike.The trails led to scenic view of the open hills. There were some narrow trails and some steps down a hill and we pass Willow Spring Pond. The Open Space is home to Acorn woodpeckers and we saw one pecking on a tree on a trail.It's hard to fathom that you can drive about five minutes from Downtown Walnut Creek to reach the trail head to the Shell Ridge Open Space and be in peaceful scenery and greenery and be void of traffic noise and to just hear the pecking of a woodpecker.

Shell Ridge aka the donor! Shell Ridge donates so many of its' trails to other parks within the area. So many times I've hiked through a nearby park and didn't even know that I was hiking within Shell Ridge!So, I finally made it to Shell Ridge by actually driving to one of the entrances (not by accidentally hiking there from another park), and it was really beautiful. Started on the Twin Ponds Loop and hiked into Borges Ranch and back. Tons of wildlife. Tons of wildflowers in the spring. Tons of connector trails and beautiful rolling hills! There weren't too many people on this trail surprisingly, but I did run into some bikers. Be careful on some of the narrow paths because there isn't much room to maneuver and bikes come zooming out of nowhere even though many of these paths aren't even for bikes. I love that you can connect to virtually any park within Walnut Creek from Shell Ridge! I've hiked here from Briones, Mount Diablo, Howe Homestead Park, Old Borges, Sugar Loaf open space, Acalanes Ridge, Castle Rock, and the Diablo Foothills. The trails are so versatile. With its' connection to so many parks, you'll have a whirlwind of different trails to explore. This could also pose as a danger though. It's easy to get lost if you want to venture off to a different trail because the hills can all start looking the same. I've gotten lost here before, and it wasn't fun. Luckily, I was able to find an alternate route back. Take a picture of the map if you want to explore or connect to another trail, or just still to doing an out and back.Also, the wildlife is pretty rampant. Last time I hiked here, I saw a coyote on the trail. Since these trails aren't heavily trafficked, it makes sense. Just be aware of your surroundings. Like most other parks within this area, the trails offer virtually no kind of shade. Prepare for this by wearing sunscreen and bringing lots of water. If you're hiking in Walnut Creek, you're almost bound to enter Shell Ridge at some point or another. And when you do, you'll most likely enjoy it.