Briones is a great place throughout the year, but in the spring the park really shines. Or maybe I should say blooms. Wildflowers, lots of 'em, thrive on the high slopes of the grassy hills here. Great patches of California buttercups, filaree, California poppies, lupines, fiddlenecks, and creamcups stand out against the lush green grass. Although cows graze here (making the trails wet, muddy, and rutted in the winter, and dry, dusty, and rutted in the summer) as in many hilly parks, flowers blooming near the crests are largely unmunched.
     Even when the wildflowers aren't in full splendor, Briones has a lot to offer. Five staging areas (including Lafayette Ridge Staging Area) provide ample parking, and some trailheads feature picnic facilities and reservable youth campsites. With a roughly circular shape and over 5,000 acres, there are a plethora of loop options. Most include a hike up to Briones Crest, which is near the center of the park. The highest elevation at Briones is under 1500 feet, so there are no strenuous climbs, although some trails do wander up and down a bit. Nearly all the trails here are open to cyclists and equestrians as well as hikers, so do expect to share the trails.
     For the featured hike, walk through the gate on the paved road at the edge of the parking lot. Old Briones Road starts out as a flat paved path, angling through coyote brush and small coast live oak and elderberry trees. You will probably see cattle right away, and more throughout the valley. At 0.13 mile, Homestead Valley Trail splits off from Old Briones Road at a signed junction. (Homestead Valley Trail is sometimes closed because of storm damage, but when the trail is open it makes a fine option for the climb up to Briones' lagoon area; just take Homestead Valley to Briones Crest Trail and resume the feature hike at the junction of Briones Crest and Old Briones Road.) Continue straight on Old Briones Road.
     The broad dirt multi-use trail crosses through a cattle gate and enters grassland. In spring, your first course of flowers may be presented off the left side of the trail: poppies lightly sprinkled over the upper slopes of green hills. Briefly, Old Briones Road seeks shelter beneath some California bay, coast live, valley, and black oaks. California buttercups brighten the understory in spring. When the fire road emerges back into grassland, Black Oak Trail sets off from a signed junction at 0.64 mile. Keep going straight on Old Briones Road.
     After another flat stretch through a pastoral setting, Old Briones Road crosses a creek near a corral, then meets Valley Trail at a junction at 1.0 mile. (Valley Trail is another option to extend your hike a bit. The hiking, biking, and equestrian trail continues at a flat grade, then climbs to a junction with Briones Crest Trail. Take a left on Briones Crest Trail, pass the park's high spot, Briones Peak, and then rejoin the featured hike at the junction of Briones Crest Trail and Old Briones Road.) Bear left to stay on Old Briones Road, and begin the ascent to the crest.
     In spring, your hike uphill will probably be enlivened by a variety of flowers. California buttercups cover entire hillsides with blasts of yellow. Delicate white woodland stars, bluedicks, various lupines, and yellow fiddlenecks all may be on display on the sides of the trail. In the hills' damp creases buckeye, California bay, and elderberry trees grow, with poison oak a frequent companion. If you happen to visiting the park at "poppy peak," you may notice hilltops at the crest flushed with orange from blooming California poppies. Purple lupines accompany California sagebrush in the dry rocky patches on the right side of the path. The views back down and across the valley seem to become more lovely with each step. After a moderate climb, Old Briones Road reaches the crest and a signed junction at 1.64 miles. But before you cross through the fence and reach that junction, look for a slight path to the left, leading along the fence uphill to a bench. Turn left and walk toward the bench.
    After a short slight climb, you'll reach the bench a a lovely view spot. In April, expect truly spectacular displays of California poppy, creamcups, clover, and lupine sprawling down the hill. Even if it's not spring, the bench makes a nice rest spot, with tremendous views of the west part of the park. It's also a fantastic place for bird watching. Bluebirds nest in boxes attached to the fence, so they are commonly spotted, as are kestrel, hawks, kites, and lots of smaller birds. Just over the other side of the fence to the east the Maricich Lagoons can be glimpsed. When you're ready to continue, walk back to Old Briones Road, pass through the gate, then turn left. After just a few steps, at 1.74 miles, the trails split at a signed junction. Bear left on Briones Crest Trail.
     The wide multi-use trail winds along the crest through grassland. A view back over your shoulder on a clear day could include Mount Diablo. Some coast live oaks line the trail on the right side in sections, but the left remains soft rolling grassy hills. Buttercups seem to favor area in spring. One of the Sindicich Lagoons comes into view on the left edge of the Briones Crest Trail. This part of Briones has been designated the John Muir Nature Area, and steps are taken to keep cows (and humans presumably) from harming the park's natural features. Lagoon Trail departs from the left side of the trail at a signed junction opposite the lagoon at 2.02 miles. (Lagoon is another good option for extending this hike a little over 2 miles. Take Lagoon to Briones Crest, turn left, and then turn right when you get to Mott Peak Trail.) Continue straight on Briones Crest Trail.
     The second Sindicich lagoon is visible to the right as the trail climbs slightly in a nearly straight section. At 2.32 miles, at a signed junction Mott Peak Trail begins on the left side of the trail. From here, all trails start to descend and leave the crest area. Turn left on Mott Peak Trail.
     Mott Peak Trail, another broad multi-use fire road, climbs for a few yards, then crests, crosses through a gate, and starts a descent. Off the left side of the trail, on one spring hike I was stopped in my tracks by a display of orange poppies sweeping uphill past an oak, like a freeze frame of a small brush fire. Yellow fiddlenecks were the prevalent wildflower along the trail on an April hike, but you might also see more poppy, filarees, and lupine. At 2.74 miles, Mott Peak Trail meets Black Oak Trail at a signed junction. (Mott Peak continues downhill until it ends at Abrigo Trail, which is an optional route. Turn left on Abrigo and then at the parking lot, turn left and walk along the road back to the trailhead.) Bear left onto Black Oak Trail.
     The trail, open to cyclists and equestrians as well as hikers, dips, rises again, then levels out along a ridge. From a bench on the left side of the path, vistas to the east include Mount Diablo, and Briones Crest. To the north more rolling hills stretch to Suisun Bay. Black Oak Trail's drop back into the valley is also visible. As the trail descends, another bench sits off the trail, near an oak-studded hillside. Then Black Oak Trail turns and shoots steeply downhill. In the spring, there may be many flowers in bloom. I've seen redmaids, woodland star, blue-eyed grass, and California buttercup in early April. Off to the left, a few buckeyes and California bays thrive near the creekbed. The trail sweeps right, crosses through the valley, then ends at the previously encountered junction with Old Briones Road at 3.74 miles. Turn right here and retrace your steps to the trailhead.

Total distance: 4.38 miles
Last hiked: March 8, 2018
Previous visits: April 5, 2000 and April 10, 2002