1041 Wetmore Rd, Livermore
Map of the park: http://www.larpd.dst.ca.us/sycamore_map.pdf
Open and level with wide trails and trees. No gates to open. We see deer and turkeys along the trails.
There is a designated horse trailer parking area, and $2 parking fee. There is a water faucet in the parking area, and there are "comfort facilities".
There is a stream which may be dry in the summer and fall, depending on release of water from Del Valle reservoir. Two of the water crossings are on trails open to horses. The first one you come to starting from the entrance is fine for carriages, the other would be pretty rough.
I was there (riding) on New Year's weekend, 2003, after a very rainy December. The water in those crossings was up to my horse's chest, and moving fast. I think that had a mini attempted this, he would have been washed away!
Some parts of the trails are stony - shoes recommended. At a walk, it would take about 2 hrs to tour all trails on the lower level.
Some paths are narrow and not open to horses, and horses must stay off paved paths. There are pedestrians, bicycles, roller skaters and dogs on leash, but I've never encountered anyone who was rude. One section is designated as "wildlife area" and horses are permitted only at the walk, but it's a very nice trail winding through the trees. This connects to Del Valle reservoir, but the connecting part consists of a narrow paved trail and the paved road, so I wouldn't recommend it for carriages. To return, you must turn around at the end.
There is a new section of the park, opened Jan 2000 (lower left portion of the map). There are 3 trails leading up to it, one of which is a nice gradual slope lined with trees. The others are pretty steep for carriages, so I use the gradual one up and down.
Until this summer, you had to go through a 5' wide gate to access the new part, making it off limits to most carriages. The fence has now been removed. The new area has few trees, is less used by other park visitors, and consists of a fairly flat loop with some side trails that are quite steep. There are squirrel holes, including in the road. There is a watering trough up there. The side trails are not loops - you have to turn around at the end - and there is no place to turn a carriage around part-way up. Nice views from the top, but not recommended for driving!
Gina Miner
10/26/2003