1,249-acre park opens east of Fremont, offering sweeping views

Local resident Charlie Albertalli of Fremont bikes along a trail at Vargas Plateau Regional Park in Fremont, CA, Thursday, May 5, 2016. Local resident Charlie Albertalli of Fremont bikes along a trail at Vargas Plateau Regional Park in Fremont, CA, Thursday, May 5, 2016. Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close 1,249-acre park opens east of Fremont, offering sweeping views 1 / 22 Back to Gallery

High in the hills between Fremont and Sunol, a onetime cattle ranch studded with oak and eucalyptus trees opened Thursday as the newest park in the East Bay.

While a relatively small property, with 6 miles of recreational trails amid 1,249 ridgetop acres, Vargas Plateau Regional Park is a considerable boost to a growing network of wildlands on an edge of the Bay Area still seeing rapid suburban growth.

“It’s amazing that I’m just a 10-minute drive from Fremont and there’s no development here,” said a 52-year-old tech worker who didn’t want to give his name because he had called in sick to check out the park. “It’s like you’re in a whole new world here.”

For dozens of people who wanted to set foot on the East Bay Regional Park District’s newest property on opening day, the biggest treat was the view.

“It’s incredible. You can see practically all of the Bay Area from up here… the Dumbarton Bridge, San Jose,” said Veronica Roderick, a Newark resident whose afternoons have been freed up for hiking since she lost her job in tech support. “I give the park a thumbs-up.”

The 6 miles of trails, which are open to hikers, bikers and equestrians, follow old ranch roads on the crest of the ridge, leaving most of the climb to the steep drive up Vargas Road from Interstate 680.

Early visitors described the park — home to golden eagles, hawks and deer, among other animals — as a great area for families and shorter treks.

The property does not share a border with any of the park district’s other properties, like nearby Mission Peak, but district officials said they expect to eventually build connecting trails.

Vargas Plateau also hosts 2 miles of the emerging Bay Area Ridge Trail, a yet-to-be-completed 550-mile loop around the region.

The new park did not come easy. The East Bay district acquired most of the land in the mid-1990s from the two families ranching it, the Vargas and the Tavares families, for $6.6 million. But a legal battle with neighbors over traffic and parking, as well as efforts to ensure that endangered wildlife was protected, delayed the opening.

A settlement was eventually reached with nearby property owners, which involved limiting visitor parking to a small lot outside the park’s entrance as well as slightly widening Vargas Road.

“It’s another successful effort by the park district to open up hilltops and scenic areas to hikers, bikers and horse people,” said Dennis Waespi, a board member for the district, noting the agency’s longtime struggle to preserve land as open space. “It’s more access to the ridges of the South Bay.”

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander

How to get there

Vargas Plateau Regional Park is located at 2536 Morrison Canyon Road, Fremont. From Interstate 680 in Fremont, exit at Vargas Road, drive about 1.6 miles to Morrison Canyon Road, and turn right. The staging area is ahead on the left. Parking is limited, so carpooling is recommended.