Quarry Lakes Regional Park

Walk, run, jog, row, fish, bike, do pull ups, swim, sit ups, push ups. Quarry Lakes Regional Park is an all in one fitness machine--and its free. Good for triathlon training.

To get there: Quarry Lakes is located in north Fremont. The official parking lot is located off of Isherwood on Quarry Lakes Drive. However, there is a parking fee. I recommend parking in the nearby residential areas or at the Isherwood Staging Area of the Alameda Creek Trail and walking in. From I880, take Thorton Blvd exit eastbound. Make a left on Paseo Padre Parkway. Make a right on Isherwood and go over the bridge. Immediately after the bridge on your right is the Isherwood Staging Area. Or better yet, ride your bike.

This park is larger than Central Park/Lake Elizabeth, and closer for Union City residents. This spreads the crowds out, even at peak times the park feels empty, but not in the parking lots.

Jogging and running:
This park is Runner's World's dream. Quarry Lakes is also the best located park in Fremont with some semblance of slopes, inclines, and declines. (More on Coyote Hills and Mission Peak later. They are not centrally located like Quarry.) The network of trails around each lake means you can mix it up, and the scenery will make you forget that you are in the heart of the Bay Area, until you see the BART trains go by on the East side of the park.
Watch for rabbits, a variety of birds (more than just ducks and geese).
Also watch for American High School Track and Cross Country team practices here.
View the park map with trail lengths here: http://www.ebparks.org/files/EBRPD_files/brochure/quarry_map.pdf

I recommend the following loops:
1. Rainbow Lake Loop. Good for those who park at Isherwood Staging Area, interval trainers looking for lap times, and beginners. Rainbow Lake is the lake in front of you as you enter from the Isherwood Staging Area lot. It is 1.2 miles around this lake. When the water is low, you will notice dirt road going into the water. These ramps are excellent for wind sprints.

2. Count the Fisherman (or BART Trains) Course. I call it this because it seems to pass all the fisherman. Instead of timing or distance, an alternate method of progress might be to count how many fisherman or BART trains you see/pass. Stop when you reach a predetermined number. Or sprint in between them.
From Isherwood, take a right at the gate and walk/warm up to the first T intersection. Make a left at the intersection (Volunteer Recognition Grove on your left). Start here at the grove.
1. Go straight, then make a right, and follow trail along the land bridge (Old Creek Trail). When you reach the Y junction at the other side of the park, it has been .6 miles. About halfway across this landbridge, look carefully to your left. There is a wooden stairway that leads to the water. When the water is low, the whole stairway is exposed. This small flight of stairs is good for stair training, although you will need to balance on the narrow wood.
2. Bear left and go up the small hill for .3 miles (Western Pacific Trail-named so because of the train tracks nearby).
3. Take the peninsula loop, bearing left onto it. The tip of the peninsula makes for some postcard views when the water is high enough. .55 miles for the whole loop.
4. As you get back to the WP trail, make a left and then stay to the left. .2 miles to the sidewalk portion. The gravel will give way to wide side walk, as you pass the Swim Center entrance, boat ramps, and parking lots. Follow it around, bear left past the boat ramp for the 'Old Creek Trail.'
Bear left again to stay on the land bridge in between Rainbow and Horseshoe Lake. .55 miles along the landbridge and back to the starting point. 2.2 miles total.

Explore the map for more options. Lago Los Osos is pretty, however, if you take the Western Pacific Trail along its East edge, you have to take the Alameda Creek Trail to loop back to the Isherwood lot. (Which is also pretty, several upcoming posts will discuss and break down the Alameda Creek Trail.)

You will find a set of pull up bars near the Bald Cypress Grove. Also, the grassy areas along the main parking lot are good for situps and push ups. Along this course there are small trails that lead down to the water's edge. These are good for wind sprints.

Swimming: Of course I started this blog in the winter. The swim center is open April-October. I'll post after I visit it this spring. There is a fee to use it, worth it for locker rooms, shower, beach, and lifeguard.

Biking: The lack of serious hill climbing probably negates this park's use for real mountain bike training. But for the rest of us, all of the trails are open to bikes. The gravel is dense enough, but not recommended for road bikes. This park is the only one in the area that could give you a triathlon in one park. The trails are fun and muddy after rains.

Fishing: Permitted only in Horseshore and Rainbow Lake. You need the DFG license and EBRPD Fishing Permit.

Post coming soon: The ultimate biking hill climb-found in Fremont.