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San Jose, California
Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
Contra Costa County
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®
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San Jose, California |
Morgan Territory Regional Preserve Contra Costa County |
Morgan Territory Preserve, has a wide range of habitats and landscapes.< /br> On this hike we will pass from rolling grasslands spotted with goves of buckeye, giant live oaks and lichen covered rocks to a long forgotten almond orchard to woodlands mixed with oak and bay trees to chapparal areas covered with manzanita and chamise bushes.
We start out on the Clyma Trail which takes us into part of the west side of the park. We then take Highland Ridge Road down, crossing Morgan Territory Road again and follow it up to the Eagle Trail. This takes us to the Volvon Loop Trail where we turn left and pass below Bob Walker Ridge. We will have the meeting at the north end of this loop where there is a view of Mt. Diablo the Delta and Central Valley beyond. We then continue on the Volvon Trail until we come to a right turn onto the single track Prairie Falcon Trail that takes us to some rock ledges with an amazing view. At the end of this loop we rejoin the Volvon Trail and then turn right on Condor Trail, which takes us back to the parking area.
Level: 3 - Miles: 7.25 - Elevation change: 980 ft - Host: Troy and Amy
From San Jose Take I-680 North to I-580 East toward Livermore, exit onto N. Livermore Ave. and turn north. Shortly after N. Livermore curves left (west) and becomes Manning Rd., turn right onto Morgan Territory Road and follow it for about 5.5 miles to the staging area.
Travel time from San Jose: Approximately 1.5 Hours
Parking is Free
Dogs are Allowed
Dress appropriately, layers are suggested
Restrooms - Only available in the parking lot
We will meet in the parking lot.
According to Native American folklore, at the dawn of time, Tuyshtak (today's Mount Diablo) was the sacred birthplace of the world. Supernatural beings, the First People, lived here. The First People are often designated with the names of the animals whose attributes are reflected in their personalities-animals such as Condor (Mollock), Prairie Falcon, Eagle and Coyote. These personages created Native Americans, and provided them with a bountiful, beautiful world. Most of the park's trails are named to commemorate these First People (Condor, Prarie Falcon, Fox, Coyote and Eagle trails), while other names refer to natural features (Valley View, Blue Oak and Highland Ridge trails). Hog Canyon and Jeremiah trails harken back to the park's ranching past.
Morgan Territory is located within the traditional homeland of the Volvon, one of five Native American nations in the Diablo area who spoke dialects of the Bay Miwuk language. Their way of life was characterized by a rich heritage of social, political, economic and religious tradition--tradition built upon thousands of years of living with the land, during which new ideas, technologies and Indian groups came into the area.