From Ohlone Land to Parkland M min To Clayton & ar Ca o D Byron sh k ia Walnut Creek Cree b Round Road lo Rush period, the rocky outcrops of Brushy Peak became Valley M Brushy Peak o Year opened: 2005 Acres: 1,979 retreats for bandits. During the 1870s, homesteads were rga n Te rr Mt. Diablo it Highlights: Hiking, bicycling, horseback riding. settled on and around Brushy Peak. Between the 1890s Morgan o State r Territory y Los Vaqueros Park Did you know? During the Gold Rush era, Brushy and World War I, local ranch families held picnics and Reservoir Regional Preserve Vasco R Peak was a favorite hideout of the legendary Mexi- dances around the rock outcrops, and in 1900 and 1901 o Caves a d Camino T Livermore can bandit Joaquin Murietta. San Francisco’s Bohemian Club held outings on the peak a s s a j a for prominent local citizens. During the 1920s and 1930s r North a ighla H nd Joseph Laughlin built farm buildings on the property, HISTORY Brushy Peak is a 1,702-foot landmark at Road which are probably the remains of the buildings seen in CONTRA COSTA COUNTY the juncture of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Cali- 0 2.5 Miles ALAMEDA COUNTY Brushy Peak fornia Delta, and the Central Valley. The peak and its the parkland today. Manning Regional Preserve Rd. ad C Ro o ss Brushy Peak was identified as a potential park by the Road l a environs have been recognized as sacred by generations l i P d e Rd. t r a n C n Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD) in o i o l of native Californians. Due to its geographical position, R a m h Tassajara n ta Vasco l g A y o the 1970s, and 507 acres were acquired in 1994. In 1997 Creek u the area lies at the center of a network of ancient trade n a Northfront L R an agreement between LARPD and the East Bay Regional d Livermore Av. Road . routes that linked Bay Area Ohlones, Bay Miwoks, Dublin Tassajara Southfront Park District pledged cooperation in the further acquisi- 580 Road and Northern Valley Yokuts, who were drawn to the Hopyard . St Pa Road Livermore Patterson ss Rd. tion, planning, and protection of Brushy Peak Regional Santa Rita Road rst area for economic, social, and ceremonial events. The Fi Greenville Road Ssaoam tribelet of the Ohlone peoples was probably Preserve. the most closely linked to the Brushy Peak area, living GPS Coordinates: 37.748540, -121.709023 WELCOME! in the surrounding dry hills and tiny valleys around the To Reach Brushy Peak: peak and nearby Altamont Pass. Ssaoam populations, Please be safe and enjoy Brushy Peak, and help us From I-580 in Livermore, exit north at Vasco Road in the dry summer months, may have dispersed and protect and preserve this precious parkland. Visitors are and immediately turn right onto Northfront Road. reconverged at various camps throughout the year. The responsible for knowing and complying with park rules After about .8 miles turn left onto Laughlin Road and tribelet hosted trade feasts near Brushy Peak, acting as (Ordinance 38). See www.ebparks.org/rules. proceed approximately two miles to the staging area at the end of Laughlin Road. brokers in a regional trade network with the Volvons, SAFETY and ETIQUETTE a tribelet of the Bay Miwok, and the Tamcans of the • Stay on trails. Taking shortcuts can be dangerous Northern Valley Yokuts. The Ssaoam’s ability to pros- and causes erosion. per may have had as much to do with their occupation • Wading and/or swimming in undesignated areas of this strategic trading location as with their ability to may be dangerous and may harm the watershed. use the area’s food and limited water resources. • Carry and drink plenty of water. Dehydration is a By the early nineteenth century, life had changed leading cause of injuries on the trail. for these tribes. In 1772, Pedro Fages made the first • Be prepared for sudden changes in weather European expedition into west-central California, conditions. passing through the Livermore Valley on his return • Trails can be slippery, rocky and steep. Proceed to Monterey. From 1806 to 1836 the Ssaoam lived at carefully at your own risk. Mission San Jose, founded in today’s Fremont in 1797. • Feeding or approaching wildlife is dangerous and A Partnership with the By the mid-1800s, as mission lands were divided into illegal. Mexican ranchos, some of the former Mission San Jose • Bicycles are permitted on designated trails only. Indian people became laborers on the new ranchos. Horses have the right-of-way on trails. Livermore Area Area Recreation & & Park Park Distric Districtt By 1848, at the conclusion of the Mexican-American • Keep the parks beautiful. Pack out what you pack in. An independent independent special special district district War, the rancho lands of central California had become 4444 East Ave. Livermore, California 94550-5053 part of the United States. During California’s Gold RULES (925) 373-5700 Dogs must be kept on leash at all times while in http://www.larpd.dst.ca.us/ the preserve, including in parking lots, picnic areas, East Bay Regional Park District POLICE, FIRE, MEDICAL EMERGENCY ................................9-1-1 developed areas such as lawns, and on trails. They must 2950 Peralta Oaks Court EBRPD HEADQUARTERS .....................................1-888-327-2757 be under voice control at all times. Oakland, CA 94605-0381 PARK OFFICE .......................1-888-327-2757, option 3, ext. 4565 1-888-327-2757 (1-888-EBPARKS) (TRS 711) www.ebparks.org Reprint: 10/20 Brushy_Peak_text_20180412.indd 1 10/8/20 8:58 PM 14 To Brentwood To Livermore and I-580 13 BRUSHY PEAK REGIONAL1000 PRESERVE VASCO ROAD RESOURCE PROTECTION AREA. ACCESS BY RESERVATION ONLY. CONTACT LIVERMORE AREA RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT 12 (925) 373-5700. Brushy Peak 1702 1300 L I 1400 A R T 11 P 1.46 Unpaved Multiple Use O O (Hike, Horses & Bicycles) L 1200 .12 K Mileage Between Points A E P Paved Road Y H 1100 Seasonal Stream S U R Seasonal Pond, Lake B Parking, Disabled Accessible 10 1000 1000 .11 Drinking Water, Accessible MEMBERSHIPS .10 The Regional Parks Foundation W Restroom, Disabled Accessible E 800 S offers memberships to park T Information Panel users. Enjoy Free Day-Use Parking, Swimming, Dog Pass, .65 10/20 Gate and more. North SIDE Call (510) 544-2220 or visit .40 RegionalParksFoundation.org. 700 9 LOOP TRAIL 0 1/4 1/2 Mi. In order to reduce or prevent W E the risk of serious head injury S T LOOP Contour Interval 20 feet or death, state law requires .81 900 T that all bicyclists under age 18 R S L A I I A wear an approved helmet D I PEAK R E L T While riding on trails and .94 PRESERVE NATURAL FEATURES Roadways. The District also L O N O A Brushy Peak Regional Preserve’s wide variety of strongly recommends that all C P BRUSHY .80 8 equestrians and bicyclists wear M wildlife species is supported by a similarly broad A helmets at all times. TRAIL T .76 range of plant communities, among which 800 California annual grassland is dominant. Non- Park Residence DOGS MUST BE KEPT ON LEASH .08 native herbaceous plants and annual grasses AT ALL TIMES WHILE IN THE 700 (ryegrass, wild oats, soft chess, etc.) predominate– PRESERVE. .31 a consequence of the land’s continued cultivation in the past. Native perennial grasses (purple 800 7 needlegrass, creeping wildrye, etc.) are sporadic Laughlin Ranch and widely scattered; saltgrass is found in the Staging Area .54 alkali seasonal wetlands, such as in the main valley 900 PARK drainage within which the staging area lies. ENTRANCE Common native wildowers include the California .61 buttercup, Johnny jump-up, lupine, blue-eyed grass, ddle-grass, and many others. These and L A U non-native wildowers provide sustenance for G P 6 OO H L numerous insects – an important link in the food L NCH IN RA chain. .41 The most obvious grassland wildlife species is the ground squirrel, whose burrows are inhabited by amphibians, reptiles, badgers, burrowing owls, D Y and the San Joaquin kit fox. Squirrels and cotton- E 1.14 R tails are prey to red-tailed hawks, ferruginous R hawks, and golden eagles. Western meadowlarks 5 A N C feed and nest in the grasslands, and ll the air 800 H with beautiful song. Sandstone rock outcrops LAND BANK 600 NO ACCESS T F provide nest sites for a variety of raptors and rock R r i c A k I wrens. Woodland habitats range from pure stands L L a of coast live oak and California buckeye to k e intermixed habitats of valley oak, bay laurel, and Service sagebrush. Shrubs include poison oak, monkey- ( s 4 e vehicles a only ower, gooseberry, and elderberry. The oak s o n woodlands support deer, bobcats, rodents, and a l DALTON many bird species such as hummingbirds, cedar ROAD waxwings, orioles, robins, woodpeckers, and the 700 various raptor species mentioned above. Neighborhood trail access only. Parking is not allowed on Several spring-fed ponds, constructed by ranchers Laughlin Road. .39 RESOURCE PROTECTION AREA in the past, lie along the seasonally wet drainages Please stay on marked trails. and provide habitat for federally protected 3 Dogs must be on leash at all times while in the Preserve. California red-legged frogs and California tiger LIVERMORE salamanders. Other native amphibian species that breed in the ponds include the western toad and Pacic tree frog.