Sycamore Grove Hike
Sycamore Grove Regional Park, Livermore,CA


Sycamore Grove Regional Park provides the ideal place to relax and enjoy nature. With 364 acres of parkland, Sycamore Grove is a great place to mike or bike along Arroyo Del Valle, or have a picnic. Sycamore Grove Park is an open space, preserved for nature study and passive recreation. The park is open year round. Nature programs are offered on weekdays (year round) and weekday evenings (summer only). Environmental educaiton programs are available for a fee.

Hike Description
Every inch of this park is alive with life-- in the air, in the grass, even in puddles. Begin your search for signs of wildlife at the Wetmore Road entrance. Follow the paved path until you come to the first sign designating the Nature Area. Turn left onto the broad trail that crosses the usually dry arroyo. Follow this nature trail through the sycamore grove until you reach the park boundary. While you are here, be sure to pause often and listen for the sounds of reptiles and rodents in the grass. If you are lucky and very patient you might even see an animal. Near the wet areas be sure to look for great blue herons. Don't forget to look up.

Cross the bridge and return to the park entrance via the paved path. Insects are very visible as they cross the road. Be sure to take your time and appreciate beetles, grasshoppers and ants up close. Don't forget: no collecting.

Alternate Routes
Wheelchair users can stay on the paved area.

A shorter hike starts at the park entrance and hugs the park boundary. Make a left at the first footpath which loops back to the parking lot.

If your group includes wheelchair users, the paved path would make a fine alternative route. Just stay on the pavement until you come to the bridge at the far end of the park, and then return the same way.

Hike statistics
Distance: main trail 4.8 miles, Nature Loop 1 mile
Time: allow 3-4 hours
Elevation gain: Flat
Suggested age: Tigers to Webelos
Suggested season: Year round

Maps
Sycamore Grove Park, LARPD

Access
By Car: From Oakland area, drive east on Highway 50 and take the First Street Exit. Turn right and follow First Street until it turns into Holmes Ave. Continue on Holmes until you reach Wetmore Rd. Turn left on Wetmore Rd. The park entrance is on the right.

Historical and Natural Features
With many different habitats providing food and shelter, Sycamore Grove is home to many kinds of animals. Wandering among the Park's sycamores, you may be fortunate enough to see a fox, a bobcat, or perhaps a Red-tailed Hawk soaring overhead. Magpies and Bushtits chatter as you stoll along quiet trails. A quiet hiker can sometimes find deer, rabbits and hares, ground squirrels, mice, lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs, and a variety of birds and insects in the park.

Administration
Sycamore Grove Park is administered by: Livermore Area Park and Recreation District
71 Trevarno Rd
Livermore,CA 94550
(510)373-5700
(510) 447-2754 FAX


Park Facilities
Parking, picnic tables, ranger on duty, bike path, hiking, equestrian trail, rest rooms. Sycamore Grove Park is open 365 days a year. Nature programs are offered on weekends (year round) and on weekday evening (summer only - get schedule). Environmental programs are available to schools and community groups on a fee basis.

Limitations and Cautions
No handicapped facilities.

Visitor Rules and Regulations
The Park is oopen from 8:00 am to sunset
For your safety NO: open fires or smoking, alcoholic beverages, weapons of any kind, swimming in the Arroyo, tree climbing
Do not harm, collect, or remove any plant or animal from the Park
Keep all motor vehicles, horses, and bicycles in designated areas
Pets must be leashed at all times
Stay within the Park boundaries, enter and exit at the Wetmore Road entrance only
Place all refuse in designated receptacles




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