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Hayward Plunge
15 reviews
3.8 of 5
awsome downhill, super technical, lots of speed (45 mph avg.), lots of turns, and bad @#$ jumps(jumps are really just mounds on the trail about a foot tall, but you get launched off of them) Super long(8min to get to bottom @ 30mph), nice view of forest and best thing is there is NEVER any sort of wind because you are in a forrest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
take decoto road northbound, (toward mission blvd) When you hit mission blvd, take a left, go straight for about 7 or 8 miles until you get to the Hayward plunge indoor swimmingpool,(you cannot miss it) Make an imidiate right once you have passed he pool(soory, I do not know the street names) Then manage your way up the steep hill, you will pass a cemetary, once you com to the end of that road, make a right, there should be a high school to your left. make a right where the street divides. you will drive about 1000 feet or so, make a right on bottom of the hill, right before the turn, keep going up the street untill you get to durham, there make a left and park. You now are at the top and ready to go. There is actually two trails that you can mob down. one will be at the begining of durham road, and the othe is about 200 feet down durham to your left
Summary: The 1st reviewer said speeds up to 45 BS. The fastest I have gone is prob somewhere around 30. There are not many hikers on the trail mainly because no one knows where it is. Its deffinatly fun no doubt. I wouldnt drive 30+ mins for it though. Someone has been building some burms and kickers *wink* latly. If your a Dj'er there are some jumps on the lower section that you will enjoy. Dont bring your big hit full Dh big. We ride 7points, bullits, Nomads, etc. In all my riding I have seen less than 10 ppl on the trail. I ride it once a week.
It can be very leafy in the fall and winter. Beware.
Get ready to drift!!!! :)
Recommended Route: Trailhead on the left of oakes )going up oakes.
Other recommended trails in the same area: JMP, Chabot
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Summary: This is the first time I've ever written a review about anything so bare with me. I used to ride this trail a lot when I was younger and I really enjoyed the night rides but it has been years since then. I just had my girlfriend shuttle me up this morning and all I can say it was great. I'm just getting back into Mt. biking so I wasn't going very fast but the trails seem to be very technical. I could tell that Hayward Park services is really not maintaining the trail, but the ride was still good. The inclined killed me (had to dismount and hike it).
Recommended Route: Here is the exact directions of how to get there:
From Decoto Rd:
L- Mission Blvd.
R- Fletcher (first right passed the Hayward Plunge. Fletcher turns into Walpert St.
R- 2nd St. (the very end of Walpert)
R- Campus Dr.
L- Oakes Dr.
The trail is is where Durham and Oakes intersect. There are two trail heads. One right where the two streets meet and the other is down just aways on Durham St.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Lake Chabot, Garin Park, JMP and Redwood in the Oakland/Berkley Area.
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Summary: What an awesome trail
I parked at Memorial Park on Mission and rode up to the top where it meets Durham rd.
It's got a few creek crossings, some single track and is a pretty trail since it follows the creek and is in the shade.
It wore me out on the uphill since I'm just getting back in to riding after a couple of years off but coming back down made it all worth while.
Some parts can be slippery on the downhill so be aware.
My computer said jsut over 7 miles up and back.
-Rich
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Review Date January 18, 2004
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 4 of 5
Technical Difficulty 4 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a month
Reviewed by: Cohiba101
,
Weekend Warrior
Summary: I just moved to the Bay Area from Europe and decided to search for some trails close to where I live. After checking MTBR.com I found the "Hayward Plunge" trail.
Since I'm more of a downhiller, I prefer starting up at the top trailhead on Durham rd in Hayward. I get a friend to drive me up first though. =)
The starting section is fairly rutted, steep and consists of doubletrack with some tight switchback sections. Make sure your brakes are working and that you have your bike set up for downhill (i.e. lower the seat and get behind on the bike!) After that you enter a small forest trail which varies from tight technical singletrack sections to doubletrack.
Especially on the first part of the trail you can get some nice air off some jumps, but watch out for oncoming hikers or horse riders. Hitting either at full speed could really ruin your day. With this in mind, you can still get some good speed up, but if you are going as fast as the first reviewer mentions (40 MPH +), you're risking an accident with another trail user.
Overall the trail is pretty technical, and you've got to react fast in some sections. A few stream crossings are in there as well, but I mainly hoof those.
Once you arrive at the bottom, you'll see Campus Drive. If you cross the road there, you can continue on to the "Wally Wickander" trail, which starts with a few uphill sections, but then the rest is all downhill with some small jump opportunities from berms along the way. You will pass a few picnic and BBQ areas, and see some nice little valleys and a waterfall. This part of the trail ends at the Hayward Plunge swimming pool and recreational area, where you'll find a small ampetheater and some tennis courts.
Overall, a fairly technical trail, and a superb training opportunity for those ppl who can't get away for long rides during the week. And if you can have someone drop you off at the Durham trailhead, even better!
I once tried climbing uphill from the Campus Drive trailhead, but on my trailbike (GT STS-1000 DS) that was a real killer. Basically, it is all uphill until you reach the entrance at Durham road. Without a doubt this would be a real challenge to hillclimbers if you started out from Campus drive (or even from the Hayward Plunge park entrance)!
Still, its worth checking out if you live in the area. A full loop is about 8 miles.
Recommended Route: Take 880 to Jackson Street, go east(away from San Mateo Bridge). Merge onto Foothill Blvd. Turn right on D Street, which turns into Fairview Avenue. Go uphill on Fairview. Turn right on Oakes, then right on Durham road. Durham is a small street, not to be confused with Durham road in Fremont. After about a hundred yards on Durham, you run into the Hayward Recreation Map at the trailhead.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Lake Chabot, Hayward Peak
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Review Date February 1, 2003
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: t carter
, from alameda
Summary: I parked at the Park on the South side of the upper loop above CSUH ( I think it's called Highland Park). From here you ride down a fairly steep section with a few switchbacks, through a small creek crossing, and join the main trail by one of the largest Eucalyptus trees I have ever seen. This place does stay pretty wet, & consists of narrow fire roads or doubletrack. While the trails would not be considered technical in decent conditions, the mud can make it tough going. Some of the creek crossings (5 or 6 total) I walked, but others I could ride through. Take your pick. There are a few sections of loose rock, but mostly it's just dirt road riding. Some of the climbs are steep enough to be challenging in dry conditions, and are worse yet when muddy. This will be a nice training loop in drier conditions, when there is more daylight after work. Till then I'll go elsewhere. Watch for hikers as this area is ringed by homes and families walk here. The original reviewer who claimed to have "mobbed" down the trail at 45 mph in here is nuts, full of it, or both. Why bother, the trail isn't that challenging, slow down and enjoy the forest, and try not to kill the locals.
Recommended Route: I rode the entire greenbelt including the upper loop and the lower section out and back between Campus Dr. and the Plunge. This entire ride is around 9 miles.
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3.8 of 5
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3 of 5
