From Bay Area Hiker's review of the Lafayette Reservoir Rim Trail:"Should EBMUD ever decide to transform their Lafayette Reservoir into a theme park, they need only to slap down some tracks on Rim Trail and turn the roller coaster carts loose. Rim Trail is a bucking bronco of a fire road, constantly rising and falling as it runs along a ridge around Lafayette Reservoir. The loop is less than 5 miles, and . . . (a)round the 4th mile I felt like screaming, 'enough already with these hills!' . . . . The hiking-only fire road starts a moderate climb through valley and coast live oak, with yellow star thistle, coyote brush, and poison oak in the understory. . . . Soon enough the easy hiking is over, and the trail takes the first of many sharp drops, followed by an equally steep ascent. . . . A nasty bit of steep up and down hiking ensues. . . . Suddenly, Rim Trail plummets downhill. The Olmsted Brothers map shows this stretch as a hogback, and it is certainly a challenge to hikers with tender knees and/or hips. . . . There is very little shade as coast live oaks and an occasional blue elderberry tree linger well off the sides of the trail. . . . Rim Trail persists, rolling up and down at a moderate pace. Finally, at 4.29 miles, Rim Trail runs out of steam (and hills). . . ."
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