Is Palomares Road Open? Castro Vly to Niles Cyn

[Eric Linser]

A quick question. I'm looking at riding a 200km perm in the East Bay on Sunday. So I was wondering if Palomares Road is open to cyclists? It's on a couple of routes I'm looking at. I know Redwood Road is still closed, and there doesn't appear to be an estimated time for it to reopen (?!).

FYI, SF Marathon is this Sunday, July 28. "During the event, the Golden Gate Bridge east and west sidewalks will be CLOSED from 5 am to 10 am to accommodate the runners. During these temporary closures, we will have a free bike shuttle to take cyclists across the Bridge while the sidewalks are closed."

Eric Linser

[Rory A]

Palomares Road is open going off the Alameda County road closure site - https://www.acpwa.org/about-us/roadclosure.page

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[Colin Moy]

Palomares is open,  but Niles Road is very unsafe. No shoulder, fast cars. I would not advise.  RE: Redwood,  Branden Trail is steep hard pack is doable

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[Drew Levitt]

Palomares is open. I agree that Niles Canyon Rd isn't a great experience, but I've never actually had any trouble there, so I'd probably chance it if the route is worth the trouble.

Another option, if you're coming from the east, is to take Kilkare Rd and the Sinbad Creek Trail to the top of Pleasanton Ridge and pop out at the top of the Palomares climb, as shown here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45652776 I haven't ridden this trail but Doug Williams informs me that it's "chill," presumably more easily traversed than the Brandon Trail, which I have ridden and is indeed doable, albeit very steep and pretty rutted after last winter's rains.

Drew

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Drew Levitt

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[Noah Swartz]

Niles isn't the best road, but it's short. It has a few spots of low vis, but if you keep your wits about you I generally feel that it's safe. It will be far from the worst road you've ridden.

It is also better from sunol to the base of palomares vs the other way around, as heading west on it is predominantly down hill.

If Brandon appeals to you, you can also ride the one armed scissor perm that does an out and back on palomares and avoids Niles canyon entirely.

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[Doug Williams]

Chillness notwithstanding, this route enters the EBRPD land bank, clearly marked "No Trespassing" on the Pleasanton Ridge Park map and as such I would never suggest anyone ride it on a public forum.  The entrance to the Park from Kilkare Rd. is also private.  

Seconding that Niles Canyon is okay, not great, but note that it is closed to cars during the Niles Canyon Stroll and Roll which is a great time to plan a ride in the area.  (Although I can't find any info on the 2024 edition, I hope they haven't given up on it!)

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[Dan]

Niles Canyon East-to-West (Sunol to Palomares) is actually not too bad currently; there is a temporary stop light on Niles due to a washed out road/one way traffic. You'll likely have to wait at the light for a few minutes BUT it means that for the most part, the cars will all be grouped together, and you'll have the lane for yourself for the next 10 minutes or so needed to get to Palomares.

Yes, Redwood is closed and seems like it will be for a while, BUT Brandon trail is not too bad in the South-to-North direction and I ride it often on the road bike. I wouldn't ride it the other way unless on bigger tires. If coming North-to-South, I'd recommend taking Skyline to Golf Links, through the Zoo, then Foothill to Lake Chabot (which is closed to cars part way but open to cyclists and peds). I just did this yesterday if you want to see the exact turn-by-turn: https://www.strava.com/activities/11971593662

Dan P

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- Dan
510.378.0926