Spengler Trail

This trail was probably a ranch road leading from Alhambra Creek up to the Briones Crest Trail and conveniently called a "trail" when the land was purchased by the park district. It leads through sections of oak woodlands that provide shade on a sunny day. Descending from Briones Crest, there's a short downhill with views of Mt. Diablo. Although this section is steep, the trail surface is pretty smooth so you at least don't have to worry about turning an ankle. The trail then makes a sharp left hand turn and drops into a steep gully that is loose dirt when dry or slippery mud when wet so watch your footing here. From this point, there are more gullies and unnecessarily steep pitches that follow and some can be slippery when wet. This is more of an ATV trail and if you can avoid this one by taking other trails in the area, that would be recommended.