The Iron Horse Regional Trail is a rail trail for pedestrians and bicycles in the East San Francisco Bay Area in California.
This trail is located in inland central Alameda and Contra Costa counties, mostly following a Southern Pacific Railroad right of way established in 1891 and abandoned in 1977. The two counties purchased the right of way at that time, intending to use it as a transportation corridor; the Iron Horse Trail was first established in 1986. The trail passes through the cities of Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and Concord. When completed, the trail will span from Livermore in central Alameda County to Suisun Bay at the northern edge of Contra Costa County, a distance of over 40 miles (64 km) connecting two counties and nine communities. The trail also directly connects to both the Dublin/Pleasanton and Pleasant Hill BART stations.
The Iron Horse Trail according to Wikipedia
East Bay Regional Park District brochure and maps
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| Old Southern Pacific Trestle |
Railway Drainage Crossing |
While many caches are hidden along the Iron Horse Trail, this one is instead hidden on the old railroad roadbed. The railroad roadbed lies some 30 meters east of the Iron Horse trail on a built-up dirt berm, and is easily accessible from the trail near Ground Zero on an auxiliary "path". While the railroad ties and rails were removed long-ago, the rocky ballast upon which the ties and rails lay still remains. A still-sturdy trestle - the cache namesake - is the prominent feature at Ground Zero.
Nearby parking may be found on side streets off of Amador Valley Blvd. near the Iron Horse Trail Crossing (N 37 43.180 W 121 55.161).
If you are weary of zntargvp (spoiler: magnetic) nano caches or guard rail hides, this is neither. Stealth is not really required, as Ground Zero is away from the trail. While sandals are not advised, heavy-duty cache-wear will not be required.
The cache contains log-sheet only, so remember to bring a pen to sign the log.