21st Anniversary East Bay Hills Hike & Ride

Jun 06th, 2023

August 30 – September 4

Join us at the 21st Annual East Bay Hills Trails Benefit Hike and Ride. Our 5-day hike is held annually in conjunction with our concurrent 6-day equestrian ride. Hikers and riders are mostly on different trails during the day, but share campsites, meals, stories & camaraderie, and enjoy entertainment each evening.

Register here:

HIKERS

EQUESTRIANS

Registration Fees: 

  • Early Bird Pricing (Ends 7/15):
    • Hikers: $105/Day or 5 Days for $500
    • Equestrians: $105/Day or 6 days for $605
    • Youth Hikers and Equestrians (under 18) can join with an adult participant at $35/Day
  • Regular Pricing (7/16-8/15)
    • Hikers and Equestrians: $110/Day with a discount for those who register for all days
    • Youth Hikers and Equestrians (under 18) can join with an adult participant at $40/Day
  • Late Pricing (Begins Aug. 16th)
    • Hikers and Equestrians: $120/Day, no discount for complete event
    • Youth Hikers and Equestrians (under 18) can join with an adult participant at $50/Day
  • Just Dinner
    • Visitors can join you for dinner in camp for $25/night

Benefits Local Trails

By participating in this event you help trails! Thanks to the efforts of numerous and tireless volunteers, the East Bay Hills Trails Benefit has raised over $400,000 for the construction, maintenance, and restoration of the Ridge Trail and other East Bay trails. This event is co- sponsored by and benefits the Bay Area Ridge Trail, Volunteers for Outdoor California, and the Metropolitan Horsemen’s Association, and is supported by a generous matching grant from Bay Area Barns and Trails

Go to the East Bay Hills Auction and support trails with your bid.

 

CLICK ON THE + SIGN TO EXPAND EACH SECTION BELOW

EBH Event Details

  • Registration for each day includes 3 daily meals (vegetarian options at all) and campsites for Hikers and Equestrians. Meals are available from Wednesday breakfast through Monday lunch.
  • Camping gear for the hikers is shuttled between the first two campsites for you, so that only a daypack is required on the hikes.
  • Equestrians can count on shuttle rides between the camps so that they can both ride and move their trailers on the 2 days when we move from one camp to the next.
  • Evening programs will be both educational and fun.
  • Enjoy daily hikes or rides along the Ridge Trail and connected trails, and, this year, on Mt. Diablo. Hikers can choose either a 6-8 mile hike or a longer 10-12 mile option each day. Throughout the event, that will take you on 18 miles of the Ridge Trail, from the Richmond hills to Oakland, with up to 35 miles of hiking nearby trail loops across varied terrain, featuring the streams, forests and stunning views for which the Ridge Trail and Mt. Diablo are famous.
  • Click here for maps of the shorter routes (6-8 miles).
  • Click here for maps of the longer routes (10-12 miles).
Equestrians:
  • Enjoy daily rides along the Ridge Trail from the Richmond hills to Castro Valley and connected trails. The suggested routes are 10-17 miles daily as well, which can add up to 100 miles of riding, if you do it all, across varied terrain, featuring the streams, forests and stunning views for which the Bay Area is famous. Rides tend to ride in small groups for shorter or longer rides each day. The trails in each park include both fully multi-use fire roads and single track trails, some of which are multi-use. Expect to encounter hikers, runners, dog-walkers and equestrians during the week.
  • Click here for maps of the equestrian routes for each day.
Camp with us at 3 campsites—on the Tuesday (before the event starts the next morning) and Wednesday night in Tilden Regional Park, on Thursday and Friday night at Joaquin Miller Park, and Saturday + Sunday night at the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association on Mt. Diablo. Click here for driving directions to all the campsites.
  • The famous V-O-Cal Shower tents will be set up at the first two locations.
  • The Roberts Park swimming pool is open on Thursday and Friday very close to our campsite.
  • Our Mt. Diablo location includes a clubhouse with a dining hall, swimming pool and showers.
  • Star-gazing through smaller and larger telescopes at nearby Chabot Observatory is available on Friday, with evening programs, including a naturalist and other speakers and an equestrian performance, on the other nights.
  • Our raffle guarantees prizes for anyone with a raffle ticket, and our silent auction features great bargains every year.
  • We will help arrange car-pools to assist hikers who need to move their cars on Thursday when we hike from Tilden to Sequoia Arena, and our volunteers will be on hand to shuttle drivers back to the start of their Ridge Trail ride between the two camps after the riders move their trailers to Sequoia. On Saturday morning both riders and hikers will drive from Sequoia Arena to the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association. Click Here for Driving Directions to all Campsites
We encourage you to ask friends, family and other trail enthusiasts to support you (and the trails!) with a donation, but this is optional.

Donate HERE to Benefit Local Trails

East Bay Hills Trails Benefit has raised over $400,000 in the last 20 years for the construction, maintenance, and restoration of the Ridge Trail and other East Bay trails. This event is co- sponsored by and benefits the Bay Area Ridge Trail, Volunteers for Outdoor California, and the Metropolitan Horsemen’s Association, and is supported by a generous matching grant from Bay Area Barns and Trails.

Bid on the OnLine Auction now LIVE Thru Sept 2

East Bay Hills 2023 Benefit Auction
You can bid on one-of-a-kind outings and artwork, guided tours and trail adventures, plus wine, gear, event tickets, and much more.
We are on the honor system and assume everyone aged 12 and over is vaccinated.
  • Youth Hikers (under 18) can join with an adult participant at $40/Day.
  • All youth/minors must attend with a registered parent or guardian.
Volunteers are needed to help with the important tasks that make this event a great one.
If you have to cancel for some unfortunate reason, please let us know so that we can adjust accordingly and make your space available to someone else. Full refunds will be available to those who cancel with us by August 16th. We can be flexible ​​in the case of unforeseen circumstances. Please email events@ridgetrail.org to cancel your registration.

Questions?

Contact Morris Older at 925-510-3149, or email questions to ebhills@ridgetrail.org

Registration sold out?

Sign up for the Ridge Trail Event Notify List

 

Top Ten Reasons to experience the legendary trip this year – for one day or as many as you like:

1 – Make new friends on the trail – and make friends with new trails!

2 – Only $110/day for 3 meals, trails and camping, – our volunteers enable most of the fees to support local trails! Expert leaders and hiking guides will make sure you have an unforgettable experience.

3 – Win in Saturday’s raffle — prizes include outdoor gear from REI, Camelbak and more!

4 – Extraordinary evening entertainment!

5 – It’s local — who says you need to travel hundreds of miles for an unforgettable camping experience!

6 – Great food! Hot camp-cooked breakfast every morning, hearty handmade sandwiches for lunch on the trail, delicious gourmet dinners – with vegetarian options at all meals.

7 – Hikers carry just a daypack —we move your tent, sleeping bag, and gear so you don’t have to carry them!

8 – Forage for wild berries and plums on the second longest continuous section of Ridge Trail from Richmond to Castro Valley.

9 – Spectacular views of the Bay, the Sierras, and Mt. Diablo. Get lucky and see the Farallon Islands!

10 – Camp out under sparkling skies – AND view the stars from the largest public telescopes west of the Mississippi at Chabot Observatory!


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