Review Date
September 27, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: Former Cheesehead ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I try to ride this trail every time I'm in the CAMBA area. It doesn't get a lot of press because it's fairly new and hasn't been added to the CAMBA map packet, yet. Therefore, it's always empty and "mine, all mine!" The trail is fairly consistent throughout it's 8.6 mile duration. Once you've ridden a mile or two, you should have a good feel for it's terrain, speed, and the technical prowess required... no big surpises are coming.

There is mild elevation gain/loss and the terrain is fairly untechnical. There are a few fairly intermediate moves required and the most difficult aspect of the ride is dealing with the bumps of the singletrack. I'm no trail-builder, but I think this trail could benefit from more (yes, I said more) riders on it. That said, I continue to make it an annual pilgrimage when I'm in the area... I really enjoy this ride!

Recommended Route:
From downtown Hayward, go north on Hwy 63 about a quarter mile to Hwy 77. Go East for about a mile or two and look for the park sign for Hatchery Creek Park. It will be shortly after you cross Lake Hayward. Turn left and park in the gravel lot on your left.

From there, ride up the road and look for the trailhead (it's a couple hundred feet up the road... can't miss it). I just follow the trail markers and stay on the Trail moving Northwest toward the Mosquito Brook Trailhead.

Once at Mosquito Brook, I turn around and head back toward the Fish Hatchery trailhead. I think that's the entire trail.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Rock Lake is the "standard bearer" of the area.