Morgan Territory Regional Preserve

Ok, I’m only giving this 3 stars because when I went today, I was attacked by swarms of bugs! It must be bug hatching season because the flying pincher bugs were unreal! It looks like it’s a pretty cool hike though, so I’ll be back sometime.

Morgan Territory has been on my «to-​hike» list for many years, but recently I finally followed through with the 6.85 mile loop hike that’s part of the 2016 East Bay Regional Parks trails challenge (
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Arriving at 8:30 on a May Sunday morning, there were very few cars in the lot, which made my friend and I a bit uneasy, but as the hike wore on, we saw enough people out to feel comfortable, but not overly crowded. What I love about the Trails Challenge suggested hikes, is that they tend to give you the highest elevation gains at the front end of the hike and that they take you on routes that allow you to see a wide variety of terrain and scenery in the park. Morgan Territory was a great sample hike. We started out in the lush green canyon on Coyote trail. It’s a rocky trail in some portions but lovely shaded with a small creek gurgling nearby-​one of my favorite parts of the loop. After about 1.4 miles, we went through the cattle gate and took Stone Corral trail through an open meadow that was still carpeted in green in early May. The steepest part of the hike was Highland Ridge Trail, our next section. It was a steady burn up the hillside here and where we encountered some not-​so-​happy looking cows. It was a large group with two calves, that unfortunately had separated from their moms-​leaving them on one side of the trail and the mom coming down the trail right at us. We back tracked and let her come through and once she was close by them again, we huffed up the incline as fast as possible. She snorted a bit at us, which was unnverving. It was a bit stressful, but ended up being fine. Once we hit the Eagle Trail and the Volvon trail, we saw more hikers and even more spectacular views. The section of Volvon we were on opened up to amazing vistas of Mount Diablo and Round Valley. Lots of beautiful wildflowers along the way and varied terrain. The trails challenge hike takes you on a detour off the Volvon trail to the Prairie Falcon trail which consisted of chaparral and small bushes but amazing scenic views down some cliff sides. It didn’t seem to be a well traveled path but it was a great little hidden gem in the park, versus staying on the main trail. It eventually connected back with Volvon and to the staging area.
Overall, I really loved my hike in Morgan Territory. Spring is the time to go. The trails were carpeted in green and wildflowers abounded. It was an interesting contrast to Round Valley and other area parks, which had already turned brown. I suppose more fog gets trapped up in the ridges and valleys of Morgan Territory (science?)
It was quiet with less hikers than other parks, but amazingly scenic with so many varied trails. We finished our loop in just about 3 hours-​the climbs we faced weren’t overly difficult. It was more the distance than the elevation that made EBRPD categorize this as a challenging hike.
Know before you go:
–long and windy 1 lane road once you leave Clayton and turn on to Morgan Territory Road. Give yourself plenty of time to make the trip out here.
–No cell reception in the park or en route. –It gets hot quickly, even before noon, and even on spring days
–wear a hat and bring lots of water.
–Finally, come with a hiking buddy-​the park is so vast with so few people, that while we never felt unsafe, it would have been eerie in some spots if hiked alone.
It’s a commitment to get out here, so plan a 5 + mile loop and make the most of it while visiting.
Hike #6: East Bay Parks 2016 Trails Challenge
Miles Hiked: 6.85
Total Miles hikes in Challenge: 25.75

Best place for wildflowers in the Bay Area.

Good hike, good workout and awesome view especially around Feb. March time frame. Only 20 minutes from Tracy, in and out!
–Bring Water
–Wear sunscreen
–Enjoy the hike/​walk
Will be coming back.

Windy hike on a beautiful sunny day. We took the Volvon trail and enjoyed the views. Very few cars on the one lane road. Looking forward to future visits.

Absolutely beautiful here, enjoyed every moment even though it was cold and windy the day we went (it is November, so can’t really complain!). Road up there sucks, and to be honest wasn’t sure I would go back, I hated it so. But is was so peaceful up there we will definitely do it again.

Super nice. Lots of cow poop, which the dogs loved! Windy and not that many people. We enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone looking for a little out of the way.

RULE NUMERO UNO WITH A REGIONAL PARK: MAKE. CLEAR. DISTINCT. OBVIOUS. FREQUENT. TRAIL. SIGNS.
Thaaaaaat said, I decided upon this new landscape with company for a late afternoon brisk walk. Shoulda known better that with our experience, brisk=3−6 hour Survivor episode with the darkening skies! While we’d gotten a late start with this area after roughing through the RIDICULOUS «one-​way» road to get to the entrance, we were newcomers & had no clear indication of our breadcrumbs heading back to the car. Multi-​ways, worn, infrequent signs with no actual landmarks for us «read by the stars» trailblazers, we got completely lost and had to call for assistance. It was a dark & darker night by the time we got back to the entrance.
So, yeah. This place is as cruddy as crud gets w/​no views, dangerous one-​way road to the parking lot, sign posts in desperate need of a makeover, and seeming to have more trails than signs.
Happier Trails with our next pick!
P-​frickin-​S: have at least ONE ²⁴⁄₇ park number to call in case someone gets lost or other specific park ranger matter! What is the point of having 3 numbers listed for a place when one is disconnected & the other two go to voicemail after hours???
P. P. S. There should also be maps available at every ¼-​mile or something in a No Man’s Land like that.

Beautiful place for hike and perfect for kids! We went in late spring, so the hills were still a little green. The hike had a nice amount of coverage from the sun as well, which is greatly needed in Livermore! See more pictures and details from our day at

If you enjoy hiking the I highly recommend Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. During our scenic natural hike we were surrounded by numerous wildlife.

Very pretty and quiet park for hiking.
I hiked in April, the wild flower season. California puppies, brodiaea, lilies, larkspur, etc, all are blooming. Grass are so green, so the undulating hills are beautiful.
Also you can see a lot of windmills in the distance and whole central valley.
I started from the trailhead Morgan Territory road staging area. From Volvon trail to Valley View trail, then came back via Volvon and Condor trail. Just 7 miles with 1200 feet elevaion gain. Good for beginners, but make sure to have plenty of water because it could be hot in the East Bay.

Very nice regional preserve in the Tri-​Valley area! Good place to go hiking, and most of the trails are relatively easy and not too steep. Stunning and fabulous views of Mount Diablo as well as all the other hills around you! You can even catch a glimpse of Brentwood. Great and nice quiet place to get away from all the city life. Hills and trails to the east of the parking lot/​staging area are more shaded than those on the west part. Good workout and very refreshing.
Sometimes you’ll come across cows but don’t do anything to provoke them. They’re simply hungry and wanting to be left alone.

This is by far my favorite Regional Park in the area. I absolutely love how every single time we visit it is never too busy, and there are not many people around at all. This allows to really tune in with nature and get in touch with your spirit. When you are walking around, it is so quiet that all you hear is the nature around you: an acorn falling off a tree, a bird singing its morning song, a leaf blowing around in the breeze. It is truly a beautiful place to be; alone or with good company (or even your dog).

The drive alone to Morgan Territory is absolutely stunning. My dad and I used to come here quite frequently when I was a kid, and now we continue! Unfortunately the drought has destroyed what used to be a large pond, where turtles, frogs, and other forms of aquatic life resided.
The views alone from this place are absolutely gorgeous, you’ll see all kinds of plant life, cliff faces, and even good olé Mt. Diablo towering off in the distance. This kind of scenery doesn’t get much better than it is.
You’ll occasionally see friendly cattle wandering through the trails, they are not aggressive, just lazy and hungry. :)

Welcome to the 925’s retreat. And I mean retreat. It’s not a long drive to get here, but it feels long. The road is windy through farmland and an oak forest, and the road through the parkland is just over one lane wide and in terrible condition. Not many cars in the dirt parking lot. Once you go onto Morgan Territory’s trails, it’s rare that you run into other people. It is truly a place to get away from it all.
That writeup just knocked out the casual strollers.
Actually, you don’t need to be a hard-​core outdoors junkie to appreciate Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Most of the trails are not steep, so your bike won’t get too much out of control. The hills to the west are typical burning hot during the summer, but the hills to the east are in that dense oak forest, providing lots of shade and dropping the temperature a few degrees. Great views. Good chance of seeing wildlife. Backpacker’s campsite that I hope to use soon. Interconnected with Mt. Diablo State Park. I don’t recall there being any water outside of the parking lot, so bring a large water bottle.
My favorite spot: Park on Morgan Territory Road roughly two miles north of the parking lot. It looks like it’s the Clyma Trail, and it meets up with the Highland Ridge Trail. Keep hiking up, and up, and up, and up. At the top of the ridge, turn right where there is no trail, and keep hiking up. And gradually, there’s Mt. Diablo, imposing its view on you. A mere picture on Unilocal does not affect you as seeing it in person does. If you can carry a picnic setup for just over half a mile and a 300′ elevation gain, then do it; this is my favorite lunch spot in the preserve.
All in all, a park that refreshes your brain and soul while giving you a good workout.

Mid-​April is an AMAZING time to go — after the rains + before the summer heat = beautiful green rolling hills. We kept saying it looked like the Windows background.
The drive up is a little scary — there’s about 5 miles once you enter the Regional Preserve of single-​lane, curvy/​hilly road with a LOT of blind corners. But once you get up higher you realize the view behind you is fantastic. We even saw a flock of sheep being herded close to the parking lot!
The trails are horse-​friendly and dog-​friendly.
Trail map:
We did about a 6 mile loop going north from the parking lot. Here are the trails we took with mileage & highlights:
Condor Trail (0.39)
Prairie Falcon Trail (0.54) — great views of the rocky valley within the preserve and Mt. Diablo to the northwest.
Volvon Trail (0.21)
Hummingbird Trail (0.10)
Blue Oak Trail (0.63)
Volvon Trail (0.08 + 0.25)
Loop Trail (0.42+0.12) — amazing views of a reservoir to the southeast, Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevadas in the distance. You kind of need binoculars to see the Sierras, and if it were less hazy we would’ve been able to see the peaks:
Volvon (0.70+0.04) — a nice area for lunch with lots of rocks to sit on, both in the sun and in the shade.
Stone Corral Trail (0.66)
Coyote Trail (0.76 + ?) — this part had the most elevation change and clambering over rocky paths.
Back to the parking lot (0.12)
Overall there was an equal amount of open and covered trail. The trail was dirt and wide, well-​maintained for most of it. It got narrow and rocky during the Prairie Falcon Trail loop.
A few of us did an extra ~3 mile loop to the west, across the street from the parking lot:
Clyma Trail (0.21+0.19+0.90)
Mollok Trail (0.26+0.74+0.06+0.19+0.21)
This hike was much more in the open, you had a constant view of Mt. Diablo, and the coolest thing was we could pretty much see the entire hike we’d done earlier to the north and east.

Let me start by saying that I didn’t really go through the preserve but didn’t know where else to put this review. I rode my bike along Morgan Territory Road — is that through the preserve also? — and it was awesome. Empty East Bay hills rolling off into the distance, golden and scrubby (in a good way). We came up from Clayton and then down into Dublin. From Clayton it’s a one lane road uphill through the trees with a ravine on one side and dramatic views of the hills beyond. After the top and the entrance to the preserve you can see the windmills to the east and just lots of open hills as you bomb down down down to civilization. There are a few farms and mcmansions but it’s mostly empty grasslands. It’s hard to believe you’re still in the Bay Area. It really feels like you’re out in the boonies.
I’m reserving one star for a return visit to explore the preserve some more.

A really, really beautiful area. You will not believe that you are this close to the bay area. This park is a little less crowded than others partly because the approach to the area is a single lane, curvy road that climbs up some pretty steep hills. It is recently paved and in good shape, but watch out for oncoming traffic and bicyclists. I could see there being some very nasty accidents here.
Classic East Bay Hill and riparian habitat. Plenty of oak trees in the valleys, which also means poison oak. Lots of it. This can be difficult to avoid because the trails are very narrow at times, steep and treacherous. We made the mistake of choosing such a hike when we took the Coyote trail to the Mollock trail loop. There is quite an elevation gain and the trails were very narrow in parts with poison oak on all sides. Not ideal with young children. Just a warning if you have kids. If you don’t, I highly recommend it as long as you are careful as it felt like we were in a primeval forest a million miles from anywhere and thousands of years in the past with the mist and the birds chirping and squawking (aside from the occasional sound of a small airplane passing overhead — oh well). Even my seven year old remarked about how he felt like he was in a tropical forest. He’s watched too many nature shows. But I knew what he meant.
There are other trails that are much wider (fire roads) and go up to the ridges for what I suppose must be spectacular views. These may have better suited us, but I wouldn’t trade my primeval forest away for anything. Unless I come down with a case of poison oak in a couple of days.
Getting 4 stars because like all the parks in the East Bay there are lots of cattle and their dung… You will see less evidence of this on the steep creek trails like the ones we took. They don’t allow cattle there.

What an awesome preserve. I’ve hiked and biked in the preserve several times over the last 4 years and rarely seen other people. Since I live near the Finley Road trailhead, I always enter the preserve from that location, but have ridden my bike out to the main entrance/​parking area off Morgan Territory road. The trails/​fire roads are in immaculate condition — perfectly maintained and well-​marked. The highlights of this preserve are the following: incredible views, abundant wildlife, few people and well maintained. I love riding my mountain bike from Finley Road to the top of Highland Peak (microwave/​cell towers). It’s a great workout — climbs almost 3,000′ and has sweeping views of the Central Valley, Mt. Diablo and the San Ramon-​Tri Valley area. Check out the amazing Buckeye trees blossoming in late spring-​early summer — they are gorgeous specimens! Finally, it’s cool to see the short golden tan grasses shimmering in the light breeze on the hillsides. Somehow, these hills are void of nasty Yellow Starthistle! Morgan Territory Regional Preserve is a «can’t miss» on a beautiful day. F-​I-​V-​E Stars!

I’ve been here more than a few times and it’s my go-​to place for getting my adventure walk on.
Perks:
x Beautiful views. I feel like the trails at Morgan Territory offers you views that other places like Round Valley, simply cannot. It’s absolutely majestic and gives you a feel for the more rustic side of nature out here in the East Bay.
x Quiet. Not a lot of people come out here. Aside from the few groups of teenagers who come out here to get lost and smoke in the hills on the weekend, this place is pretty much quiet as can be on the weekdays. There is an active ranger service and the past few times I’ve come out here, they’ve always been out and about and helpful.
I needed to find the easiest trail and I was assured that nothing was easy about Morgan Territory. Fantastic! (that really is a perk, I swear)
x Animals. Yes. You will run into animal life out here. Precautions are necessary as always, but you’ll find that the majority of animals you run into are pretty much harmless and keep to themselves. I’ve come across cows, horses, and every now and then you’ll run into someone walking they’re extremely cute dog. You also get your fair share of mosquitos. Which you know, I just «love» *eye roll*.
x No admission. It’s 100% free to park here, but they do have strict rules for arrival and departure times. You have to leave by sundown and as someone who comes in from the Clayton entrance, that’s a good thing.
Not so great bits:
x You can get to Morgan Territory from either Livermore or from Clayton. I live in Brentwood so obviously Clayton’s the go to entrance. Oh man, get ready to puke. What an incredibly windy road and just when you think you’re there, you are not there. Not at all! But you will see beautiful farms and the occasional deer and eagle… and turkeys *shudders*. So it’s a pretty animated road at times aside from the «Are we there yet?» that will ensue.
x I mentioned it briefly above, this is a somewhat popular spot among stoners. I know about this place because in high school well, I had friends that frequented here. It’s a legend place to go apparently. However, I’ve been here about 10 times in the past couple of years and I’ve never run into these types before. What I do know is that they’re the peaceful bunch and will stay out of your way.
x I wouldn’t necessarily suggest walking by yourself out here it is the Clayton/​Brentwood/​Livermore area. There is a high chance of encountering coyote and who knows what else and cell reception can be a bit a spotty. I would definitely bring a friend because it’s always more fun to hike with a friend… who can keep up.