Foothill Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features River/Creek · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Cows graze around this trail, as a nod to the history of this land. They are monitored by a resource management plan.

Foothill Trail starts at tiny Eagle Lake, at the end of Hotel Trail, deep in the Joseph D. Grant County Park backcountry. The first 0.1 miles of Foothill Trail is flat as it goes through an open grassy area.

Foothill Trail then enter the woods, where it will stay for most of its route. These woods are thin with grassy groundcover. Descending gradually to a small creek, the trail veers left at the 0.2 mile mark and begins to follow this creek, sometimes almost in the creek, so it can be muddy and rocky. Climbing gradually, the trail veers away from the creek temporarily around the 0.3 mile mark, but then returns to follow a tributary to the first creek, upstream in the thin, sunlit woods.

Just before a major trail junction at the 1.1 mile mark, Foothill Trail leaves the creeks behind and breaks out of the woods, revealing Mt. Hamilton with Lick Observatory on its summit, ahead. Foothill Trail then passes Bonhoff Trail and Manzanita Trail, goes through a shaded section, and then a field next to a Cal Fire installation on the left. After passing the Cal Fire buildings, Foothill Trail ends at the Smith Creek Trail start.

Thinly wooded creek valleys, and grassy hills, green in the spring, golden in summer/fall, with oaks. Cows, deer.