I have to admit, at the time I was there, I didn’t really like it , and thought it would be a great place for my friends to shoot one of their short horror films.  But looking back at the photos, it did have it’s own beauty.

The Herrier Loop Trail  is only 1.1, and when I looked at the map I couldn’t tell if there were going to be ways to extend it–quite a little trail for a 45 min drive. But the Trail Challenge guide mentioned fishing at the shoreline and other things that made it sound appealing :

“Bay Point Regional Shoreline provides access to undeveloped open space and marsh habitat in an area surrounded by residential, military, and industrial development. The public can enjoy views of Suisun Bay and opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, shoreline fishing, nature study, and other recreational pastimes. The nearly 150-acre parkland is at the approximate midpoint of the San Francisco Bay Estuary and the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta.” So I thought there must be something other than this little loop.   The land also has an interesting history.

I also thought that maybe there would be a little town to explore, however, what I saw, looked like it has seen better times.

Once you exit the main roads, you drive past a lot of trucks parked on the side of the road.  I know it is cliche, but they give me the creeps.  I think it’s because when I was in the 10th grade my media teacher made us watch the movie DUEL a few times. You then make a bumpy left turn past a small marina that looked really cool, and arrive at a small parking lot.  In the parking lot was one flatbed truck loaded with a person’s  furniture, and then a van pulled up packed to the gills with stuff, and an I love my dogs sticker.  I thought, ” Wow, someone else must be exploring all the East Bay Trails as they travel across the county!!”  I am so dim sometimes.

So we walked to where the trail loops starts, on your left about 100 feet are railroad tracks running through the brown grass, buildings in the distance past those. A cop was sitting at the trail head in his police car, and for whatever reason, this did not make me feel safe, and I imagined all sorts of crazy scenarios lol.

 

The Railways have a history at Bay Point, and if you love trains, this would be a great place to train watch.  I saw a freight train, a commuter train, and I think The California Zephyr in the short time that we were there.

Part of my dislike was that it was so damned hot, I made the mistake of thinking that because it was near the water, it would be the same temperature as where I live in Alameda…But this is more inland so it was a lot hotter, prob close to 90. Even though we are in the middle of a drought and the marshland seemed fairly dried up, it was also humid.

But it is beautiful, you do see mountains in the background, as well as the hills turning brown from the drought. And some Monkey Sunflowers.

It was so hot, I only did maybe a third of the loop, I recalled the Van lady walking up a different trail from the parking lot with her dog, that looked shady. I knew it would be quicker if I turned around, rather than finish.  There did look to be some tiny paths going through the marsh/brush, but the map said”no dogs allowed in the marsh.” So perhaps these lead to the waterfront?  Or perhaps I needed to go a bit further on the path. But Chico was HOT, and wasn’t having it.  I actually carried him most of the way back.  Even though I had him on a short leash so he couldn’t run, he was panting really heavy, much heavier than when we hiked in the Desert. He was panting like he just played fetch for 15 mins in the heat, and he runs full speed at that game. I felt really bad, that I had made this decision to come to this trail on such a whim, because, hey, it was only a mile, and didn’t think it out more.

And then we found the shade and it was all better…for a bit…

This path though, went only about an eight of a mile, if that, before running into some stumps and a sign saying End of Park Property, or something like that.

But it didn’t say No Trespassing, so we continued on it for a bit, you can see the marina to the right which is kinda neat if you like boats.  I really wanted to push through to the end to see if there was a magical place to sit by the water….but then I saw a tent, and another tent, and another, and they all had little yards, one had a small grave with a marker…so I knew I had come upon a spot where people were living, and felt like I was invading their privacy so turned around.

This sign shows the birds  one might see at the park, but we didn’t see any.  Perhaps, we needed to get to the water front, or perhaps it is the wrong time of year, we will try in the fall or winter, if we happen to be in the area. But for the most part, I think that this is a great place for the people who live in the neighborhood to take their dogs when it’s not hot, but not worth the drive.