Bobo the Husky and I have been hiking the Montclair Railroad Trail several times a week, as one of our morning routes. The one-mile trail follows part of the old Sacramento Northern railroad bed, and connects Montclair Village and Shepherd Canyon Road. There are several access points, but Bobo and I typically join at the top of La Salle. The path winds through oak, bay, and redwood areas, with lots of old eucalyptus stands along the way. The deep shade provides a cool place to walk during our summer heat in late September and October.
The Sacramento Northern Railway was a 183-mile electric interurban railway that connected Chico with Oakland by way of Sacramento, in Northern California. The Sacramento Northern provided an efficient, affordable rapid transit option from 1912 to 1957. The route included the 3700-foot long Redwood Peak Tunnel, which passed under the Oakland Hills between upper Montclair and Eastport station in Contra Costa (the tunnel has since been decommissioned and the entrances sealed).
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Trail head at La Salle in Montclair Village in Oakland
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| Sacramento Northern railroad history |
The trail is wide, with benches provided along the way. They are perfect for catching your breath, personal reflection, contemplating the universe, or writing and reading (we've seen all in actions)! Signage along the way provides history of the railroad, and the trail. Distance is posted at the quarter-mile points. The trail is well maintained by a neighborhood group of volunteers. Bobo is mainly interested in sniffing everything, and greeting people and dogs along the way.
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| Exploring the railroad trail with Bobo the Husky |
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| Old eucalyptus grove, as well as oak and bay |
I was curious about the one weathered post for Cytisus spp. (no other species are identified along the trail). Cytisus is a genus of about 50 species of deciduous or evergreen shrubs in the legume family (Fabaceae), commonly known as brooms (such as, French broom and Scottish broom). No native broom plants grow in Northern California, so they are considered an invasive species. They have probably been removed from the trail (but the trail sign remains).
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| Old identification sign for invasive broom |
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| Chicken-of-the-woods mushroom growing on a dead eucalyptus stump |
On our last hike along the trail, we discovered this beautiful chicken-of-the-woods mushroom specimen. Chicken-of-the-woods also like decaying oak wood. Several other specimens were also growing in the area, all in about the same stage of development. We always see something new and interesting along the Montclair Railroad trail.
