Hikes around water are hard to find in the East Bay. Both Del Valle and Shadow Cliff are closed due to Covid-19. A friend suggested
Lafayette Reservoir (I had never heard of this one) and off we went on our not-far-from-home-and-stay-safe hike. Lafayette reservoir is a dam - and you park on the dam wall!
It was a lovely, sunny day - and even though the water activities are closed, trails are open. The walk around the lake is nice, and if you stick closer to the water, less crowded. Most people we passed wore masks, though this was a more crowded trail than the ones we have been to recently. Fishing along the shoreline was permitted, and we passed many families fishing.
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| Fishermen on the many piers sticking into the water |
On the trail we passed a family of turkeys - with father and mother carefully shepherding the babies in the middle :)
Lafayette dam was originally planned as a much larger dam than it actually is - the dam tower is an indication of how high the water was expected to be. The original dam ran into trouble though, and the new dam that was built was much smaller than the planned one.
Whenever we were near the water, the wind was strong! You can see the effect of the wind on the water in the photo above. A nice hike - and all the boats and canoes lined up by the water suggest this may be a fun place to come boating.
Some things to know: restrooms are open. Parking is by the hour, up to a maximum of two hours, or by the day.
