Address: 3849 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette (address to parking lot; fee charged) 
                                                 OR
                 37.870832, -122.141664 (End of Paseo Grande, Moraga) This is free neighborhood parking. Please be                                               respectful of residents. 
Parking: You can park at the main entrance on Mt. Diablo Blvd, but it will cost you $3 to park for 2 hours or $7 to park all day. Free parking is available on the other side of the reservoir in Moraga, in the neighborhood at the address above. I prefer to park at this entrance, as it's free and not crowded like at the main entrance. Please be respectful of residents.
Hours: Approximately sunrise to sunset. Jan: 6:30AM-5:30PM, Feb: 6:30AM-6PM, Mar: 6:30AM-6:30/7:30*PM, Apr: 6AM-8PM, May: 6AM-8:30PM, June/July: 6AM-9PM, Aug: 6AM-8:30PM, Sept: 6:30AM-7:30PM, Oct-Nov: 6:30AM-6:30*/5:30PM, Dec: 6:30AM-5:30PM (*daylight savings)
Type: Hike (strenuous)
Regulations: Dogs must remain on leash, 6-foot maximum. Dogs are not allowed in the reservoir.
Best time to visit: Spring, winter, fall, evenings or early mornings in summer. Trails can be very hot in summer with little shade.

Description: This is a beautiful hike, which can be challenging. There is a lower, 2.7 mile paved Lakeside Trail, as well as an upper 4.7 mile Rim Trail. The upper trail has gorgeous views of the reservoir and distant hills, but has some very steep, challenging hills. If you start at this entrance, you will climb up and down a few hills, ascend to a paved trail that wraps around the reservoir, and then climb back up to where you started. We often start on the Rim Trail, take one of the many connecting trails down to the Lakeside Trail, hike for a mile or so and then take another connecting trail back up. Most of the connecting trails are quite steep, and you'll get a great workout. 

If you begin on the Moraga side, you will start on the upper Rim Trail. If you are not up for a strenuous hike, you can park at the main entrance (3849 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, CA), pay $3 to park for a maximum of 2 hours, or $7 to park all day. From here you can take the 2.7 mile Lakeside Nature Trail around the reservoir. This trail has a few hills, but it is paved and is not nearly as challenging as the Rim Trail. 

There are several pit toilets and garbage cans near the main parking lot and spread along the lower Lakeside Trail, within each mile or so. There are drinking fountains near the parking lot, but pack plenty of water if you wish to circle the entire reservoir. 

Click here for a trail map courtesy of EBMUD