Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Looking Out My Back Door.

Monday, July 18th, 2016 10:26 pm

Morgan Territory Road - Clayton to Livermore (and back)
Distance : 14.5 miles
Est. Drive Time : 35 minutes

    I decided to take an impromptu solo trip today. I knew I wouldn’t have enough time during my days off this week for any kind of a long trip, but I did have a window of about four hours this afternoon with no plans or obligations. I had seen Morgan Territory Road on Google maps a few weeks ago, and after checking out a few sections on street view, I knew I had to check it out.

The beginning of the 8 miles of one-lane road, heading toward Livermore

    So I headed over Kirker Pass to Clayton, and took Clayton Road which eventually turns into Marsh Creek Road, and turned off onto Morgan Territory Road. The first couple miles is a sweeping two-lane road with small farms and homes on land on either side. Winding deeper into a section of the East Bay hills that used to be known as the "Black Hills", Morgan Territory becomes a winding, sloping, sometimes very narrow one-lane road that snakes its way through the hills; varying greatly in elevation. At the top of the road are beautiful views over the lush valley surrounding Marsh Creek.

View from Morgan Territory Road

View from Morgan Territory Road
At the Livermore end of the road is Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, a 4,700 acre preserve in the hills of Morgan Territory. I pulled into the parking area and walked about ¼ mile down the main trail to check things out. There were lots of squirrels running around, many different species of birds and I’m sure, remote as it is, Morgan Territory Regional Preserve would be a great place to set up for a day of wildlife watching or photography. I will definitely have to go back sometime for a hike. Heading again towards Livermore, the scenery changed and before long there were very large luxury homes lining the road and I could see that I quickly coming into town.

Morgan Territory Regional Preserve

Morgan Territory Regional Preserve

Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
   
I decided to turn around and head back the other way over Morgan Territory Road to get back home; the drive in this direction (Livermore - Clayton) was a bit more interesting and I think it made it easier to enjoy the views. The 8 mile section of one-lane road is wonderfully remote and I saw very few other vehicles or signs of human existence. Some sections seem just wide enough for a vehicle and there are many different hairpin turns winding their way up and down the hills.
    
View from the highest point on Morgan Territory Road.
A winding, wavy section of Morgan Territory Road.

I’d recommend a drive across Morgan Territory Road for anyone in the East Bay that may not have enough time for the long drive to the coast or the mountains, but still wants to get out in nature and explore the most remote sections of our state.

Trying to catch a shot of a family of deer, but they eluded me. Beautiful scenery either way.


With all the time spent searching for different places to explore and new roads to drive, I largely ignored my local area, which of course includes Mt. Diablo and all of the surrounding natural land of the foothills. I now know that I have been selling myself short by not looking for adventures closer to home. I would never have believed that anywhere within the confines of the Bay Area could be so remote without having seen it myself. Taking this trip on my own also made it feel that much farther out there. The feeling of isolation was rather relaxing and I enjoyed knowing that for the most part, I was the only person around. This place is literally right over the hill from my house, and was really an eye opener for me. I will now be making a point to explore as many back roads as I can find; as close to home as possible. These will probably make for the the shortest stories, but will be something I can do more often, and honestly I’m intrigued by the thought of searching for remote areas and discovering all kinds of awesome places close to home.


My name is Tim Drake.
This is my backroads blog.
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2 comments:

  1. I thought I put a comment on here but I guess it didn't post. I'll try again. Reading this has made me curious to see what else you find nearby. Also, I love the title of this post! 😄

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought I put a comment on here but I guess it didn't post. I'll try again. Reading this has made me curious to see what else you find nearby. Also, I love the title of this post! 😄

    ReplyDelete