Hiking the Rim Trail

At the Lafayette Reservoir.
This time of year, things are pretty dry and the days can still get warm. It was in the upper 80's when I was out this past Sunday and after a long summer, the trails were pretty dusty, moon like in some places as you can see from the tread marks. It's only a 4.7 mile hike, but it is steep in places and with the dirt and dust, I don't recommend doing it in sandals.

The trail offers some great views of Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas Regional Park as well.

Came upon this doe but she didn't want to pose for very long. Maybe it was the time of day or the relative obscurity of the trail when compared to the more popular and paved lower trail, but only encountered a handful of other hikers and joggers on this portion of the trail.

             
 A tamer portion of the trail at the eastern side of the reservoir. The hills of Briones Regional Park are on the horizon.

And a pretty nice view of the reservoir itself. I was on the trail for three hours which made for a nice afternoon hike and mini-photo safari to a place I've frequented often, but not seen from the vantage points the Rim Trail offers.