From his home in Martinez, naturalist John Muir had splendid views of the surrounding hills and ridgelines. But he preferred hiking for even more expansive vistas. “I only went out for a walk,” he wrote in his journal, “and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
Now you can, too, at Alhambra Hills Open Space, a 297-acre preserve that includes land that Muir once owned, located about two miles from his historic house. Previously slated for development and saved after years of grassroots organizing, this open space is home to the highest ridgeline in Martinez and hundreds of oak trees. With a peak elevation of 698 feet, the ridge features a 360-degree view of Mount Diablo, Mount Wanda and the Franklin Ridge, Briones Regional Park, and more. It officially opened to the public in February 2025.
The main entrance and trailhead of the preserve is on Alhambra Avenue at the east end of a church parking lot, where you can take a photo of the trail map at the kiosk.
Cross two cattle gates to ascend a steep fire road below transmission lines, with houses in a ravine to the left. When I visited on the first day of summer, a violet-green swallow flew above tawny, nonnative grasses.
Soon, the trail enters a quieter world where mourning doves coo. A nearly vertical slope to the left of the trail drops into a ravine thick with coast live oak, California bay, and poison oak. Although summer was just getting started, the leaves of California buckeyes were already brown and withered, as if in solidarity with their flowers. A mule deer was on the far side of the ravine, and the shadow of a turkey vulture revealed its position in the blue sky.
On the way up is a sweet grove of slow-growing blue oaks, which can have roots as deep as 80 feet or more. I heard, but could not see, birds from the trees. Using the Merlin Bird ID app, I identified the calls as belonging to oak titmouse and spotted towhees.
When you reach the main trail at the ridgeline, you can explore in either direction. With just over three miles of trails, the entire preserve can be walked in one visit. While unnamed, the trails have numbered posts to help orient you.
Turn left at Trail Post 4 (T4) for a showcase of majestic valley oaks and a drop in elevation. Here I wrote in my notebook, “ABSOLUTE QUIET,” even as an American kestrel called “klee-klee” above dry grasses rattling in the wind.
Turn around and backtrack at T6. (The gate is locked at T7 and the trail ends.) Continue past T4 for a high point that reveals the 360-degree view described earlier, where on a clear winter day you can see snow on Muir’s beloved Sierras. At the end of the public trail, a valley oak with an impressive burl provides a foreground for views of Martinez, Benicia, and the top of Carquinez Strait. On my return, a lesser goldfinch and a house finch perched on an old fence post.
You can drop down to the right at T3 for a trail with expansive views of undeveloped land. This trail overlooking Briones provides occasional, deep shade from valley and coast live oaks that were likely here in Muir’s time—and possibly when the Karkins, a tribelet of the Ohlone, hunted and gathered in Alhambra Valley and along this ridge.
When the trail splits, stay to the left and drop down to a pleasant glen of coast live oaks, buckeyes, and the largest blue elder I’ve ever seen. At T8 you will have to backtrack up the hill. (Although the map appears to indicate that you can continue to T7 to complete a loop, that portion of the trail is actually not open to the public.)
Sign up today!
These trees, trails, and public views were nearly bulldozed for houses. After the land was zoned for residential development in the 1980s, the city approved plans for more than 200 homes in 1990. The number was later reduced when the threatened Alameda whipsnake was discovered on the property. In 2011, the Martinez City Council approved a scaled-back plan for 110 single-family homes.
Around that time, local resident Jamie Fox began crossing “No Trespassing” signs to hike and watch the sunsets from the ridgeline that Muir described as being “delightful in color like a fairyland.” He joined a small but mighty coalition to save it, but most had given up hope until Fox found an 1894 parcel map showing that Muir had once owned a portion of the land. Volunteers spread the word on social media, at council meetings, on hikes, and at farmers markets. Support grew, and in 2022, Martinez voters approved a $79 annual parcel tax to buy the land. The city paid $19.2 million—a steep price for a steep property. By comparison, the John Muir Land Trust paid $4 million in 2019 for Almond Ranch, a 281-acre property along the Franklin Ridge. Still, protecting this scenic land and its ancient oaks for future generations was a worthy investment.
Martinez now boasts a bold collection of protected lands. In addition to the city-owned Alhambra Hills, there are the properties on the Franklin Ridge saved by the John Muir Land Trust, the John Muir National Historic Site owned by the National Park Service, and the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline and Briones Regional Park (which touches on Martinez), managed by the East Bay Regional Park District.
With the addition of Alhambra Hills, a long-envisioned 17-mile John Muir Heritage Trail is now a possibility. But connecting Alhambra Hills with 12 miles of existing trails in Briones (via Reliez Valley Road) and Mount Wanda along the Franklin Ridge (via Alhambra Valley Road), will take time, money, and planning.
Muir immersed himself in nature, he said, to “get as near the heart of the world as I can.” Thanks to Martinez voters, we, too, can reach for that heart on the ridgeline, where a red-tailed hawk has the best view of all.
If you go
Alhambra Hills Open Space
The draw: The tallest ridgeline in Martinez, ancient oak trees, and John Muir history.
Getting there: 5850 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez 94553. Parking available at Bethany Baptist Church (except on Sundays). Open seven days a week from sunrise to one hour after sunset; closed during high fire danger times. Two additional entrances were not open at the time of publication.l drive.
Exploring: About three miles of trails, open to hikers, cyclists, and dogs on leashes.
Online: For more about the effort to save Alhambra Hills and about John Muir’s relationship to the land, read Bay Nature’s previous coverage.
