Vasco Caves Regional Preserve

I went on a guided tour to see Vasco Caves. It’s part of the East Bay Regional Parks and the only way to see them is to Sign Up and go on a guided tour. For Alameda County residents it’s $ 30 per person, others pay a bit more.
It’s about 45 min away from San Leandro to Round Valley Regional Preserve in Brentwood. FREE parking there, 2 pit toilets.
Leader Eddie was our guide w/​an assistant. They had a van that the assistant drove, while Eddie rode w/​the 20 paid ppl on the tour in a small shuttle.
Bathrooms available at the parking lot at Vasco Caves, some picnic tables too. Hike was from 9am-​2pm, there were lots of breaks and stories. We had a 20 min lunch stop. We hiked about 2.25 miles total, a few steep areas, but not hard. Saw some birds, lizards, tadpoles, sheep. Didn’t see the fairyshrimp or tiger salamander — bummer.
Caves are more like wind caves and not something you can go into. There was a very faint rock art w/​some old stuff & new stuff (graffiti).
I’ll have to go back maybe in a few years: Dec-​March. April might be good for spring wildflowers, though not much when I went on Sun 4÷5÷09. No hikes in the Summer — too hot.
Website here:

This is on my list of «must see» places in the Bay Area. It is so special that you can only get there by guided tour. I took my sons there in November ’07. We were all utterly captivated with the place.
Highlights: Ancient American Indian cave paintings. Vernal Pools filled with squirming fairy shrimp. Sandstone caves with unusual «concretions» protruding from the wind-​and-​water-​carved sandstone formations. Abundant bird life including Red Tailed Hawks, White Tailed Kites, Harriers, Falcons, Turkey Vultures, Burrowing Owls, Kestrels, Golden Eagles, and more. Bring binoculars!
Our tour guide was Mike Moran. He’s got a million stories and knows a lot about the history of the area. His tattered Bird Book was passed around many times as he pointed out various flying creatures during the hike. It is not a strenuous hike and Mike moves along at a relaxed pace. You don’t want to buzz through quickly anyway. We found ourselves stopping at every bend in the trail to take in something new.
Vasco Caves is still revered as a sacred spot by local descendants of Ohlone, Yokut, Bay Miwok, and Plains Miwok Indians. You can feel the magic of the place as you stand under a majestic oak and view the paintings on the cliffs. The view of the canyons and valleys from this plateau is amazing and incredibly calming. Up above this area, on a rocky bluff and near the vernal pools, a pair mortars are worn deep into the rock shelf from years of pestle grinding by past inhabitants.
We explored Vasco Caves in the fall and the grasses were dry. I expect that it cooks in the summer. We’ll be going back in the spring to see Vasco Caves with a green carpet of spring grass. For more info and reservations: