The Iron Horse Trail From Richard Katz's
Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email
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Chapter ironhors
The Iron Horse Trail: The Longest Trail
As of this writing, the Iron Horse Trail has twelve miles of contiguous skating path. It runs from Rudgear Road in Walnut Creek to Pine Valley Road in San Ramon. It was nicknamed the Iron Horse when it was part of the Southern Pacific railroad line. Someday it will be over thirty miles long, according to the blurbs of the East Bay Regional Park District.
Start in the middle of the trail in downtown Danville. The path south to San Ramon is an straightaway through soon-to-be-developed industrial park; the southernmost portion is especially suited for beginners and kids. The path north toward Walnut Creek the trail passes horse farms. Right in the middle, in Danville, the trail has a discontinuity that has been only partially clarified by the street signs. That's why I think it's best to start after having a cup of coffee and a snack at a genuine French bakery on Railroad Avenue.
The first time you go out here, call ahead to the National Park Service and get a reservation to go out to Eugene O'Neill's place. O'Neill is still the only American dramatist who won a Nobel prize. His wife Carlotta moved him out to Danville in the 'Forties to get him away from distractions. That was before they built the freeway. The house they built with the prize money is actually in Las Trampas Wilderness, just outside of Danville on Kuss RoadIf O'Neill were around, he would no doubt want to inspect his house now that it's a National Historic Landmark. I suspect that he would take a trip out to see it, and then write it up the same way he wrote up all the other unlikely places he had been: freighters, barges, cheap hotels, seedy bars. Believe me, it would not escape his notice that there isn't a single scrap of paper with his work on it anywhere around the place.
After you get back from Gene's, check out the Farmer's Market in the same parking lot where the Park Service picks you up and drops you off. Gene would have done that, just to watch the people and listen to them all talk. Authentic Dialogue. He practically invented it.
How to Get There by Car from Interstate 680:
Take the Diablo Road exit in Danville. Head west on Diablo Road into town until you get to the main drag, Hartz Avenue (note that you have to drive through the base of a clock tower to do this.) Try to park anywhere on or around the next street over = Railroad Avenue. The Iron Horse Trail at this point runs just behind Railroad Avenue and the shopping mall that includes Pascal's French Oven. You can cross the trail by turning left onto Hartz from Diablo Road, then right on Prospect.
What It's Like:
Let us recommend that you begin with the southern part of this trail. First locate Pascal's bakery, fortify yourself with first rate coffee and pastry or fresh fruit and some bread, and head down the sidewalk in front of the minimall to Prospect Street. You will see the trail going off to the right, but don't take it. Instead, look for the black and white street sign "Iron Horse Trail" that resembles a one-way sign. The sign points you down Railroad Avenue. You skate briefly in the street, jog left on Church Street and skate briefly through a parking lot (where the Farmer's Market is held.) Be sure to continue to follow the black and white street signs. At San Ramon Valley Boulevard the trail jogs way to the right and takes you across the intersection of San Ramon Valley Boulevard and Interstate 680. The trail's marking system seems to break down, though, where the trail crosses Sycamore Valley Road. You have to jog left at the light, then jog right to find the continuation of the trail.
From this point on and south, the Iron Horse Trail consists of long, straight, uneventful stretches of asphalt. The pavement is in bad shape near Crow Canyon Road, but only at the intersection itself. At Norris Canyon Road there is a patch of truly excellent blacktop, followed by concrete with wide expansion joints toward Bollinger Canyon Road. Look over to the left on Bollinger Canyon Road. You can skate in that direction to the Community Center, where there is some very nice pavement for figureskating; or cross the street to get to the skate shop in the Market Place mall, in the back of the Any Mountain store.
The Iron Horse Trail is an excellent place to try out skating, and the Any Mountain store (located in close proximity to the trail) is as good a place as any to rent some skates. People who rent skates are mostly renting them to try out it out, see if skating is their cup of tea. One skate shop owner in San Rafael said that "most" of the people he rents to subsequently buy skates from him. Just don't attempt to answer any of the Any Mountain rental person's questions about "Do you want ABEX precision bearings or ---". If you do, you will get out of there in about twenty-five minutes. If you simply say, "Anything that rolls," you'll be out in five.
The last mile and a half of the trail is truly uneventful. If you like wide open spaces, this is it. Good pavement, too. The Iron Horse Trail ends abruptly at Pine Valley Road, to be continued.
From downtown Danville to Pine Valley and back is well over ten miles.
If you want to do some more, you can skate north on the trail you spotted off to the right of our starting point at Pascal's in Danville. You'll pass through remarkably rural landscapes. Around Livorna Road there are some beautiful horse farms. This trail north is harder on children an beginners, though. It's a five mile whistlestop tour through backyards and street crossings. But for the last 2.5 miles before the staging area at Rudgear Road (the confluence of Walnut Creek's Main Street, Danville Boulevard, and Interstate 680) you only have to cross five streets.
Places to Eat:
When you get to the southern end of the trail, you might want to go just a little way east on Bollinger Canyon Road to the Market Place. In the middle of the mall, at #600, is Espresso Romano (510-867-1100), open for coffee drinks and pastry at 7 A.M. Sundays is coffee only; other days they serve sandwiches too. The Any Mountain skate rental shop is across the parking lot from Romano's side door.
If you get to Danville while they're holding the Farmer's Market, help yourself to some of the finest fruits, vegetables, smoked fish, bread, preserves to be found on a rollerskating trail anywhere. If you want some genuine French pastry, roll on in to Gilbert Sonet's Pascal French Oven at 125 Railroad Avenue (510-838-7349.) Opens M-Sat 6-5, Sunday 7:30-3:00. If you want a sitdown meal, roll on into the Uptown Cafe, located across Hartz Avenue from Pascal's, and sit yourself down outdoors. Skates and Kids Okay. Superb. (510-838-8588.)
Public Transportation:
The County Connection #121 line can get you to the Iron Horse trail from BART Walnut Creek.
Ratings:
Path Surface = ***, some ****
Public Transit Access = ****
Surroundings = **
Level of Difficulty = EASY
Overall Rating = ****
Length = 15 miles
Other trails to check out in the neighborhood:
Contra Costa Canal Trail
Lafayette -- Moraga Trail
10/10/96
Sometimes a person will walk right up to you and stand there right under one of those signs, and ask you where the trail is
Note from the Author: Haven't put in links to the other chapters yet.
From Richard Katz's Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email
Back to Richard Katz's Homepage
If you want to go back to the Table of Contents of Skating Unrinked, Back to TOC