[Clintox50]

Hey I've got a few hours to kill in the Union City area on Saturday morning. Are there any good rides in that area? Road or MTB... of course MTB preferred. Thanks!

 

[zorg]

From an MTB perspective.

Short answer: no.

Long answer: Coyote Hills is small (over by the Dumbarton bridge) and not that fun (even if you ride non compliantly). Mission Peak, in south Fremont, is just a brutal climb (2000' in less than 4 miles) of a fireroad, but you get nice views at the top. Both will probably have non rideable sections with all the rain.

 

[trailripper]

theres abs nothing

 

[NoBalance]

I'd agree, try for either Mission Peak or if you head north a tiny bit you can gain entrance to Garin Park via Tamarack(tamarack and mission st) street. Good rides? Well, good TRAINING rides, sure.

Here's a GPS route I did recently that passes Tamarack st at the lower/southern end.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/19882291

Edit: its Tamarack Drive not street. very close to Union City actually. park near the end of Tamarack drive. i did the route counter-clockwise.

 

[turboox]

The Plunge in Hayward.

 

[NoBalance]

The Plunge in Hayward.

You can connect to the Hayward Greenbelt trails that do terminate down at the Plunge but that involves a tiny bit of road riding ... check my other Garmin rides for greenbelt routes to add.

 

[Clintox50]

I'd agree, try for either Mission Peak or if you head north a tiny bit you can gain entrance to Garin Park via Tamarack(tamarack and mission st) street. Good rides? Well, good TRAINING rides, sure.

Here's a GPS route I did recently that passes Tamarack st at the lower/southern end.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/19882291

Edit: its Tamarack Drive not street. very close to Union City actually. park near the end of Tamarack drive. i did the route counter-clockwise.

That one looks promising, and close. My wife is doing the indoor skydiving thing (it's an all girls thing or else I'd be doing that too!) which is at 880 and Alvarado Niles Rd. Do you think I could ride from there and access Garin from either Industrial Pkwy/Garin Ave or from Whipple/May Rd? What type of bike is best? XC, AM or Cross? I'm riding my Reign X at UCSC on Friday so if that will work ok I'll just stick with the one bike for the trip.

 

[NoBalance]

Yeah not sure there's an entrance off of May Rd but there could be ... if not, swing around to Tamarack Dr.

This is mostly fireroad so wouldn't need a big bike but lugging the Reign X up that hill will be a great workout.

 

[trailripper]

That one looks promising, and close. My wife is doing the indoor skydiving thing (it's an all girls thing or else I'd be doing that too!) which is at 880 and Alvarado Niles Rd. Do you think I could ride from there and access Garin from either Industrial Pkwy/Garin Ave or from Whipple/May Rd? What type of bike is best? XC, AM or Cross? I'm riding my Reign X at UCSC on Friday so if that will work ok I'll just stick with the one bike for the trip.

That is prob a 25 min ride to the tamarack drive entrance.

 

[twindaddy]

After the rain you'll be better off just hanging out at the Krispy Kreme. Garin/Dry Creek don't hold up well in the wet - thanks in large part to the cows churning it up.
Alternatively, there is a TGIF around the corner which sometimes has a descent tap selection.
Seriously - if it rains again in the next two days it'll be more aggravating than it's worth.

 

[MrCrash]

If you wanted to stay on the road, you could go 10-15 minutes north to Castro Valley and take the roadie up Redwood. You could also take East Castro Valley Blvd to Palomares for an out-and-back - the high speeds of traffic make Niles Canyon kinda sketchy for cyclists.

The dirt in most parts of East Bay turns into a clay that sticks to your tires when it gets wet. No fun.

 

[Clintox50]

Thanks for the help guys. I had a great mtb session at UCSC on Friday and then the mention of Palomeros Rd. led me to this 65 mile route I ended up doing and had my wife pick me up on the way home to Sacramento.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/east-bay/275126255566736377

 

[grrrah]

nice, I was gonna suggest the road bike, which is the better alternative for that area. Looks like you found it!

 

[Rex_Skidmore]

So, I'm waiting for the Dentist

and I pick up Sunset mag, which has NorCal Day Trips
including Union City & they suggest using BART

points covered:

Coyote Hills Regional Park
Dry Creek Garden
Nectar Garden
DUST Marsh
Gerry's Grill
Korean Grocery
Cam Huong
Los Dos Gallos Taqueria
Mr. Kebab
Mayflower Cantonese

ebparks.org/parks/trails/alameda_creek
ebparks.org/coyote_hills
ebparks.org/coyote_garin

Sunset says: go now while it's green.