We took a Class 3 day trip on the South Fork of the American last week. Everything was…read moreprofessionally done and went smoothly. Our equipment was in excellent shape. Our guide was experienced, patient and knew the river well. He took good care of my 10 year old granddaughter, who was a first-timer. This is a quality outfit. I recommend them without reservation. Of note: the South Fork has become a bit crowded with rafts. I'll be trying a different river next time.

We've rafted twice more with All-Outdoors since my last review - Goodwin Canyon in October 2022,…read moreand then Middle Fork American River again this past month (both 1-day trips). The last time we rafted Middle Fork American was on a cold, gloomy, drizzling day in October 2019 - so we had to give it another go in warmer weather. This time around was just as memorable. Two of us in the boat ended up falling out in the water at Tunnel Chute, which happened so fast that I barely knew what had happened - thankfully, there was a nice calmer stretch of water right after through the river tunnel, so we were easily able to get back into the raft. (Thank you to our guide, Troy, for hauling me back in, and for being an awesome guide in general!) Plus this was one of the photographer spots, so the action was all captured for us to laugh about later. Later, after our tasty sandwich picnic lunch, we had a few unexpected events happen, starting from the portage down Ruck-a-Chucky Falls. Shout-out to all three guides in our group - Troy, Shea, and AJ - for handling things so calmly and getting us all back where we were supposed to be! We had plenty of calm stretches floating down the river as well. The canyon is beautiful and quite peaceful. We saw a ton of dragonflies flying above our heads, masked ducks chilling on rocks and diving underwater, and wild grapes and blackberries growing alongside the river. We'll be back again for another trip with All-Outdoors! Maybe we'll try a 2-day or 3-day trip next time.

Come here mostly to get my steps in at the track, play Pokémon Go, and chill to the awesome view…read more Now have added watching wildlife to the list. I've seen a coyote, lots of squirrels, and plenty of birds. Oh, and in spring, the cherry trees on the lower slopes throw on their gorgeous floral finery. If timed right, residents can take family photos. The park is often calm on weekdays. But it can get quite crowded when baseball or soccer leagues hold tournaments and/or the community room is rented out for a party on weekends. Parking is often impossible at these times.

Amazing park/community center in the Eastern side of San Ramon. Equipment is very well maintained…read moreand there are many unique play structures rarely found at other parks. There's a zip line, a large slide, a regular play area for older kids and a toddler play area and finally a splash pad for the warmer months of summer. Definitely something for all ages here. Parking is easy with plentiful parking surrounding the periphery of the park. Highly recommend for a safe and fun day out for the kiddos. P.S. The view from the top of the tall slide gives you a great view of the park grounds!

My favorite hike in the Bay Area (so far)! The grand loop consists of the Juniper Trail, Summit…read moreTrail, North Peak Trail, Bald Ridge Trail, Meridian Ridge, and finally Deer Flat Road. 6.8 miles with a total elevation change of 1,800 feet sounds like a lot, and it is (especially if you're used to flat trails). Definitely bring water and snacks for energy. Driving to Mt. Diablo is easy enough. Entering via South Gate, there is a $10 vehicle entrance fee. Going up the mountain itself can take up to 30 min, with avoiding bikers going both up and down the roads. I managed to find one of the last spots at the massive turnaround at Juniper Campground at 11am. I definitely recommend coming early just to find a spot. There's also bathrooms at the campground. Since the "trail" is a loop you can either start on the Juniper Trail and go clockwise or start on Deer Flat Road and go the opposite way. We chose to go clockwise and ascend ~700 ft up to the peak. There's a cool info center at the top detailing the mountain's history and wildlife of the area. The rest of the hike was descending 1,800 feet down and re-ascending 1,000 feet to make it back to our car. Honestly, I don't know if one direction would be easier than the other, but if you want pics at the top you might want to start at Juniper Trail first so you're not too sweaty at the top. The weather was nice for the first half of the hike, no clouds and barely any wind. But the second half was around the other side of the mountain so winds picked up. Definitely bring layers!

I haven't been to Mt. Diablo since I was a kid, so it was a blast from the past coming back! You…read morecan drive all the way to the summit, so my friend and I decided to hike the "grand loop," which covers ~7 miles and goes around the whole mountain. We were fortunate enough to have a very clear day, and you can see for miles and miles all the way around the mountain. Views were amazing. It was an eighteen hundred foot elevation gain, so no joke, but only about 400-500 per mile for the 3.5 miles that went uphill. Definitely was steep at points but very doable, even for those who aren't in the best hiking shape. Not sure I agree with my dad, who claims the views from the summit are some of the best in the world, but it was definitely well worth a visit, and I really enjoyed getting the 360 degree view throughout the course of the hike! A few tips: set your GPS for the juniper campground to get you to the nearest parking lot. I recommend going clockwise so you can end on a high with the summit (and a downhill!). The trail is hot always the best marked, so I recommend downloading a free app such as AllTrails to make sure you don't lose your way!

We visit this trail for the first time last weekend. It was a nice walk with the kiddos. There was…read morelots of shade on the trail which was really nice given how hot it gets at Dublin. On cooler days it gets a little windy here so carry a light jacket. At the end of one way we saw Emerald Glen Park so we crossed the road and had the kids play at the park. Such a nice way to energize the kids before heading back to complete the trail. All in all a quiet and kid friendly trail. We'll definately be coming here often!

"Scary Alligator (or was it a Crocodile?)"…read more This open space and trail is part of the East Bay Park system. It is definitely NOT the crown jewel of their park system. For a long time, it was just a dirty old parking lot and a poorly maintained trail. The big old parking lot is still there, but there are some nice additions behind that area. There's a good-sized parking lot off Tassajara. From this point, the park really doesn't look like much. Well, you're about half right. There is a trail that leads out of the park, and if you go left you join up with another paved trail, sort of like the Iron Horse Trail. This trail is well maintained and looks quite new. If you take the trail out of the rear parking lot and go right, a trail continues next to the US government property for about a half mile or so, then just sort of peters out. There seems to be a homeless person living near this area, next to the creek, close to the US government fencing. I started to go underneath a big oak tree, then spotted some strange looking pieces of trash. I did not go any further. There is a new, well-designed bridge crossing over the creek. Believe it or not, the bridge is actually a site worth seeing--beautiful woodwork along the top edges of the bridge. You can see the giant concrete pieces from an old bridge. If anyone has a photo of the old bridge, please post. The only photo I have shows it in big pieces. There aren't many facilities in this park. There is a big outhouse in the dirt parking lot. That's about it. Oh yes, here's the rest of the story: Near the old parking lot, there are some wood piles. One big log looks like an alligator snout. I admit I jumped when I first saw it. Then, I realized that this area probably doesn't have many alligators. A friend of mine explains that seeing animals in nature is a sign of spiritual wisdom. I'm sure he's right. Check out the alligator photo I posted. Scary, huh?

"A hero remembered never dies!" I owe today's…read morewonderful time to my wife. i was not going to the Memorial Service today, but my wife said, " You served, You go." We enjoyed the celebration, and the "All Wars Memorial. I felt important today when I got to stand up during the service.

Pretty great park with duck pond, playground, sand volleyball court and, of course clean restrooms…read more Playground has some fun climbing structures and overall appropriate for toddler to 10 years old+/-.

The last(?) bastion of ClubSport. While it isn't large and lacks the amenities of the other, former…read moreClubSports, it makes great use of what it has. The equipment is very clean, and everything is super organized. The staff is extremely friendly, and the community they have there is very strong. Don't sleep on this gym, guys.

Love this club. But PLEASE enforce the rules about no oils or strong scents in the sauna. People…read morebring strong essential oils in there. People with respiratory conditions or allergic reactions are affected. I'm still coughing 4 hours after leaving the club. It really is becoming a problem.

Snapology is an amazing enrichment class. My son absolutely loves the time he gets to spend in this…read moreafter school program. It's a great blend of creativity and following directions. He is always smiling ear to ear when he leaves class. Denise is so kind and patient with the children. She is very thoughtful in her curriculum planning and how she addresses the children. We highly recommend taking a snapology class with Denise. We are very grateful to have it as an option at our son's school and we can't wait for our daughter to be old enough to join too!

My 8 year old participated in the Science of Superpowers - Online Summer Camp, and it was…read morefantastic! Teacher Brandon was amazing with the students! He was funny, kind, smart, and incredibly patient. I know that online teaching can be a challenge, but he was a total pro! Not only was the class fun, but the students learned everything from science topics (DNA), to story-telling, and even some ELA lessons. Teacher Brandon did a great job keeping the camp fun while teaching the campers important lessons. Even though my son was in our living room, Teacher Brandon made it feel like he was in an actual summer camp. I would highly recommend this program.