A local favorite! Old Borges Ranch is a peaceful step back in time hidden right in the Northgate area. It's well-known for being a great educational spot for kids to interact with farm animals like rabbits and goats, but don't stop at the ranch fences. The spring hiking here is incredible. The hills turn a vibrant green, and the atmosphere is so serene that it's just you, the birds, and the occasional cow. The trek through the different ecosystems is beautiful, and the panoramic views at the top are worth every step. A perfect escape for anyone looking to trade the city sounds for rolling hills and fresh air. read more

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Amazing historical site full of interesting history of what the early settlers life style. Clean restrooms and fun visiting the animals residing there. read more

I grew up down the street from this gem and loved coming here as a kid. Now I bring my little to explore, see the chickens and goats and get some exercise. I do love coming here, but wish they had more animals out. read more

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A very beautiful place that celebrates an old family tradition. The views are amazing and the historic value of having places like this is priceless read more

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This hike offers a moderate challenge, making it ideal for those like myself who don't hit the trails often. Starting from the ranch area--where you can spot adorable Pygmy goats--the route gradually ascends, offers sweeping views, including a glimpse of the city. While there are some inclines along the way, they're generally manageable. read more

Old Borges Ranch - Nice view - Hiking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I planned an outing with my family and was pleasantly surprised I have lived in the area my entire life but have never made it to Borges Ranch. I would recommend going early in the summer months due to the weather heating up in the afternoon. It's a real experience. Seeing all the old farm equipment and artifacts was really interesting for all of us, down to my 22 month old grandson who especially liked the old tractors and pumping water well. I would definitely come back but book a time for a tour of the inside of the house and farm animals with the 4 H. There's a sign posted on how to make a reservation. read more

Of all the years I lived in Walnut Creek, it's only during the last year of pandemic shut downs and outdoor activities being key to my sanity, that I've discovered Borges Ranch. Located up a narrow windy road, I've found the parking to be more plentiful and the trails quieter when embarking from here in to the open space. You can easily connect to Shell Ridge and Diablo Foothills from here and loop the two parks together. It was during spring and summer 2020 that I came here more often and have been able to get away from the more crowded staging areas of Shell Ridge. The ranch itself, when there are not restrictions, has pastures you can visit and see the animals up closer. Right now they are closed but you can still say hi to the goats theory the fence. It also has some cool old farm equipment and during non pandemic times, I believe hosted special Ranch Day events with demonstrations of historical "life on the farm." There is also the Hanna Grove picnic area where this is a restroom and additional parking. Be careful on the way in and out-there are some ditches and area of the road that can be dicey-be aware of cars coming your way and take it slow (this is also important because of the deer and turkeys I often see out here.) Wildflowers are abundant on the trail in spring but summers get hot and dry, with very little shade-plan accordingly with plenty of water or come early evening. Gates close half hour after sunset to plan to be back at your car on time to head out. Truly grateful for this local gem for hiking and taking in nature without the crowds. Review #27 of 100 review goal in 2021 read more

Old Borges Ranch - Goats at the ranch (pastures are currently closed until COVID restrictions are lifted) - Hiking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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This trek is not for the faint of heart. I'm not saying this because there are steep inclines or dangerous heights or anything. The hike through the hills are actually fairly moderate. But, what I am saying it for is because of... field mice. Tons of them all over the trails. So many that it will make your skin crawl. If you're generally not afraid of rodents, then it probably won't bother you. But if you're like me, I would avoid certain trails so that you can fully enjoy your hike. As far as the actual farm goes, I only parked nearby and saw a few of the animals. This review is more geared towards hiking the trails versus the farm area. It was a warm summer evening in July, and I decided to do a sunset hike in the hills. The fun part about hiking in the summertime is that you don't have to rush to beat the sun at night. The bad part?! Well, the obvious scorching heat and limited greenery. If you're hiking here in the dead of summer, don't expect to see many plants or flowers. Just dry brush and several dirt paths. I started my hike from the ranch parking lot at the Borges Ranch Trail going East. The fun thing about Old Borges is that it connects to nearby Castle Rock, Shell Ridge, and the Diablo Foothills. There are a ton of trails to explore here and you can hike for as long or as little as you want to. I took the Borges Ranch Trail to the Costanoan Trail which l slowly took me up a gradual incline. It also exposed me to a ton of field mice. Not sure if they were so prominent because it was a dry summer, but even when I didn't physically see them, I could hear them scurrying in the brush with my headphones on the loudest setting. Yes, it was scary... especially when they were running out in front of me on the trails constantly. I'm just simply not a fan of rodents and I was completely disturbed at how many there were. Didn't see many people out, but I'm sure a dog would have a field day here. I ended up connecting to the Ridge Trail which while dry, was still incredibly beautiful. Something about hiking along narrow ridges in the hills always seems to just tug at my heart strings. At my highest point, I was able to catch a stunning glimpse of Mount Diablo and the gorgeous Walnut Creek back country. Even in the dry East Bay heat, you can also find spurts of greenery on the hills. I spotted a few benches along the way, but I personally wouldn't dare sit my ass upon them unless I was ready to get attacked by field mice! Yeah, I'm probably exaggerating but that was exactly how I felt at the time. The most enjoyable part of this hike was turning around on my way back up the hill to the most lovely views of the sun setting. This is without a doubt, an excellent spot for sunset hiking and especially during the summertime. Would I hike Old Borges regularly? To be honest, I probably wouldn't but only because of the rampant amount of field mice and the limited inclines here. I am planning to come back sometime this spring to see if hiking around this time is better. read more

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A trip along the narrow road to the Borges ranch is a trip back to the time when this part of Contra Costa consisted of isolated ranches and farms. The Borges family first settled on this land in 1899. They built the redwood house, which us still is standing, in 1901. There are also barns, sheds, farm equipment, corrals, and farm animals, Cows graze on the hillside. There is also a seasonal pond. Driving the narrow road that winds up the hill to the Borges Ranch you will leave the hustle and bustle of urban life and enter farm life in the early 1900s. The ranch is a prime example of the rural cattle ranches that flourished in California in the late 1890s and the early 20th century. If you visit this well maintained park you will get a glimpse of that period. It is a great place for both adults and children. If the history doesn't appeal to you it is also the base for hikes along Shell Ridge Open Space. read more

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Another entry into "I didn't realize this had a Yelp entry". Due to a quirk in geography, a piece of Walnut Creek history was not overrun by middle-class ranch houses and McMansions, but is now preserved as part of Shell Ridge Open Space. The old Borges homestead is located down a narrow winding road that is accessed by a remote narrow road running by Northgate High School. The house, barn, and the rest of the farm was kept just the way it was. The city of Walnut Creek plays up this history, too. There are occasional open house days, where the general public can walk through the inside of the house. For me, those were the most valuable. Showing my little girl their little girls' bedroom, and she promptly bounced on the old bed. My wife listening with strong interest when an elderly Borges family member sat in a rocking chair and told stories about when he lived on this land. As for me, both of my grandparents were ranchers, didn't update their houses much, and I have first-hand knowledge that the Borges' setup is truly authentic to how these people really did live. On living history days, they have cloggers, sheep shearing, crafts, and projectors showing old movies like Will Rogers' "Ropin' Fool". Wow. If you like the outdoors and don't care about history, the Old Borges Ranch is a trailhead for many romps through Shell Ridge. The fire road past the barn leads to that ridge where you can climb straight to the top. The city also has popular nighttime hikes (no flashlights allowed) leaving from the pond at the bottom of the hill. The hiking group from the Hunny's church has done several hikes here, and we always have a good time on these trails. Old Borges Ranch is worth many, many visits. read more

We went to Old Borges Ranch. its a historic ranch, with barn, ranch home, and animals. Its great for the entire family. There is also many trails to hike in this area. read more

Old Borges Ranch - Borges Ranch, Walnut Creek,, CA - Hiking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

The former ranch of early Walnut Creek pioneer Frank Borges is the home base for Walnut Creek's Shell Ridge Open Space activities. The ranch complex includes a blacksmith shop, numerous outbuildings, and farm equipment displays. It also features a barn and covered trellis available for group reservations. The Borges family home, built in 1901, houses historical displays of the early 1900's. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Gayle and I have been here for Heritage Day and recently at the end of a cool 2.5 mile hike that started at the old Howe Homestead. Borges Ranch and the nearly Bob Pond Area is a wonderful place to take the family and explore history among the great outdoors. read more

I went down a road that seemed suitable as one lane so I don't know how it would work if someone came from the other direction. Luckily, I didn't have to find out. I went down this road and there were signs of Old Borges Ranch and I followed it until that's where I ended up. There were a row of parking spots.. You can walk around and check it out. You're welcomed to go in the pens with the animals at you own risk.. meaning if something happens, it's your fault. I've seen many goat screaming like a human videos on YouTube and I was so amused to walk around and hear this very sound of goats that sound like humans screaming coming from the pens. ..but all I saw were goats and chickens. read more

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so coollll!! #yessssss!!! I LOVEEEE IT HERE! the goats 10/10! the people #blessed. Brang my kids here and they were so happy for this moment. read more

Even though you can drive to Borges Ranch, it makes a great destination for a hike in the Shell Ridge Open Space. If you have kids or are kids at heart, the best attraction is being able to pet the sheep and goats. You can even brush the sheep! read more

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Beautiful green space! The trails are well maintained and the park is very clean. Plenty of trails to choose. read more

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Love this place. I discovered it when I came here hiking with my Sunday hiking group. Kids will love the sheep, chicken, rabbit, pigs and hens on display and adults who appreciate history will like the old farm implements, tool shed, and the 1900's rancher's home. Kids can go inside the animal enclosures and pet them if they like. If you are still a child at heart yell "durrrrrrr" to make the sheep yell back at you :) Being from a farming family myself, I love the sights, smells and sounds of this place. In winter it looks even lovelier with green hills and cows grazing on the pasture. Go here once and chances are, you will want to go back again! read more

Old Borges Ranch is great place to get a good work out. I've been here only twice in my life, but the incline on the hills do help your calves and thigh muscles! It connects to castle rock park as well, so you'll have plenty of land to cover! Check it out. read more

Old Borges Ranch - Hiking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

We love Borges Ranch! Kids adore the animals, try to feed the goats the figs when they are in season, and sit on the tractors. We meet up with folks all the time, it's a great place to occupy the kids while waiting. The hikes themselves are beautiful and varied, with the trails connecting to regional park and Mt. Diablo if you really want a trek. Spring is gorgeous, summer is deadly in the heat of the day so come early or late. We bike here, we hike here, we run the dogs here. Great place. Thankfully Walnut Creek has preserved open space and treasures it. If you bring your dogs, remember to bring bags and not be those awful people who give the rest of us a bad rap. read more

Great place to take the dog for a walk/hike. It's off leash once you hit the trails. I really enjoy the options of trails to take. There are ones for the physically fit and others for the not so much. The trails are shared w/bikers and horse riders. I didn't see any cattle grazing but some of the woman I went with say there are at times. My only problem is there aren't enough signs posted to tell you which trail to stay on. I could have easy gotten lost if the woman I went with didn't know there way back. No water fountains or bathrooms along the way so bring the water and go b/4 you head for the trails. Also...be aware of horse and cow poop along the trails. read more

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The only reasons why I'm giving this place two stars are because of the adorable animals and the setting itself. The animals are darling and the property is gorgeous. However, my boyfriend and I chose this location for our first maternity shoot and it turned out to be a bittersweet experience. We were able to take some great pictures, but when our photographer told my boyfriend to sit on one of the fences, it started to go downhill. Out of nowhere, this crazy lady who lived on the property with long black curly hair and glasses yelled "You need to get off the fence! That fence is 100 years old!" Mind you there were no documents or postings anywhere that said this. As my boyfriend was coming down, she said again in a rude manner: "You need to come down now!" talking to him like a five year old. My blood started to boil. There are ways to approach people politely and ask them in a nice, PROFESSIONAL manner, but this "Karen" was on a power trip. Then when my boyfriend went to the parking lot for a minute, she had the audacity to stand a few feet away from me with some other lady and watch me take my pictures as if she was spying on me. I was close to telling her that she was invading our personal space and that she needed to leave, but I ignored her as if she didn't exist. Then our photographer wanted to shoot a drone video of us walking around the property to made it extra romantic. This crazy bitch started yelling our photographer from the barn area saying that the property was a no fly zone.....again no documents or postings anywhere statring this. My boyfriend and I had had enough of her. My boyfriend asked her where her legal documentation was to prove what she was saying was accurate. First she said she didn't have anything to show us then she said she didn't need to show us anything. Mind you other visitors in the parking lot are hearing and seeing everything so they could clearly see how unprofessional and disrespectful she was. Next she decided to say "You guys must be Trump supporters" because my boyfriend was wearing a Grunt Style "Made in the USA" shirt. I told her she practically ruined our maternity shoot with her big mouth, acting like a spy the whole time and we were going to shoot somewhere that was more peaceful down the road. She said "Good! Get out of here! We don't want you here!" I'm sure the people that heard all of this thought she was just lovely. In my opinion, she is a very angry, bitter individual who envies other couples who are actually happy since she's obviously not happy with herself or her life. So fair warning to anyone who visits this place....enjoy the scenery and the animals, but if you see this lunatic walking towards you, go somewhere else for peace and quiet. All I can say is.....her negativity and bitchy behavior didn't take away from all the beautiful pictures we were able to take....including the pictures on the fence so I guess I guess joke is on her LOL! read more

We enjoyed Borges. It was very beautiful walking through the rolling hills, and getting to choose from several different trails. A lot of the hike has no shade, so do prepare yourself for that. There is also a nice picnic table area with a field just before you get to the trails, so you can bring a ball/frisbee and some sandwiches if you are more so looking for some relaxation time. read more

Old Borges Ranch - Gorgeous open trails. - Hiking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

SUCH a beautiful place to take a walk and a trip back in time. The ranch home wasn't open when we went, but the windows are such that you can easily peek in and look at the artifacts they have organized that show was life was like for the Borges family at the turn of the century. The lambs, goats, chickens are all free to pet, and the barns and sheds and equipment look just as they did. It's so cool and the lands are gorgeous to wander around. A must-see in Contra Costa. read more

Who would have imagined a working farm sits within the beautiful rolling hills of Walnut Creek? This is a good adventure with kids. You will see old tractors and farm equipment, a windmill, a few farm animals including lots of goats, and even may see some deer or wildlife roaming around. Pack a picnic if you want to stay awhile. There isn't much to do, but it's worth a visit at least once! read more

Went on a nice loop trail this afternoon. Great weather, great view. The ranch is super cute---takes you right to how it was 100 years ago...will come again, for sure! read more

Dont advertise a ranch and say it is open when there is nothing to look at but a "black smith" barn - with nothing educational. If "open" means we have 2 sets of micro-barn doors open with black gates locked up tight -well have at it. So unhappy we wasted 20 min driving in and 20 min driving out and an hour to and from WC for crap. read more

Love the spot. Beautiful for hiking, great for sunsets, and usually not too many people around. It's fun to see the little historic farm, and definitely a great spot for a picnic. read more

We went here for a Cub Scouts' spring camp out. To get to our campsite, we had to travel quite a way on what seemed to be like a one lane road to the campsite after we got off the freeway and off the main country road. Of course, it was also a time for me to get holy and talk to God at this time and pray that nobody else was approaching on the road. Yeah, who has the right of way on a one lane road? I have to thank my hubby more for driving the family everywhere as I play my part as Miss. Daisy. Anyway, this place is very lovely and rustic. It's a short drive from San Ramon so not much complaints of "Are we there yet" from the kids. They have the old Borges Ranch which shows what I can imagine were the bygone days of Gunsmoke and Little House on the Prairie. There are various animal pen lots (goats, sheep, pigs, and chicken), a barn, a blacksmith house, numerous outbuildings, an old fashioned outdoor school setting display, and many unrestored farm machinery equipment displays. The house wasn't open the weekend we were there, but we peeked into the many windows in awe of what life was like back in the day. We also lay yonder and followed the fresh poop trails. So I give thanks to the rooster's lively and nagging cock a doodle doo every minute shooing us up and out or our tents around five and six in the morning. I wanted to strangle that cock who nags everyone up so early at the break of dawn, but then I must wonder if I sound like him when I try to wake my kids and husband up during the week for school and work. Perhaps I was an annoying cock in my past life? So perhaps I should not hate the cock, but celebrate his lovely shrill on repeat that can make my ears' hair vibrate. Note for campers: we were thinking of pitching our tent under the shady tree until some of the wise men/other Den Leaders informed us that rattlesnakes like to chill out there. Please note there are rattlesnakes in this area. So we moved our tent location far away from the trees which was the open ground sunny area. Thank God for rattlesnakes who can shake their tail to let us know it's not cool to hang out with them. It would be nice if all snakes could give us such a warning. Kids and adults had a lot of fun. We did free play throwing around the good old flying saucer/frisbee, crafting a make your own rocket and then launching it in another competition, performing our skit and watching other Cub Scouts' skits, and enjoying a lovely group dinner of bread, salad, and spaghetti pasta with meatballs. The boys and families had fun as we wrapped up the night with hot chocolate and homemade smores. I really relish the idea of being away from technology and just being free, using one's imagination, and having a homey time talking to others and getting to know one another outside the hustle and bustle of our crammed schedules and suburban life. No Real Housewives of San Ramon drama here. So yes, I would recommend this place or any camping journey for a nice time travel back to the early 1900s. It's nice to get out of the hustle and bustle and just imagine. I think I would have really dug living in such an era as I am an old soul. If you are not a camper nor enjoy camping, it's nice to come out here to hike and get a panoramic view of the Castle Rock area up in the Walnut Creek Open Space. Here's some other important information if you and/or family are interested in doing a weekend tour: http://www.walnut-creek.org/about/visiting_us/borges_ranch.asp Hours: The ranch area is open for viewing daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. Self-guided tour brochures are available at the Ranger Station. Free weekend tours. Learn what it was like to live and work on a family ranch in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Join the Park Ranger for a guided tour of the Old Borges Ranch by meeting at the Hanna Grove Activity Area parking lot on the fourth Saturday of each month at 2 p.m. Educational Programs are conducted at the ranch for school-aged children and civic groups. read more

Way cool sweet old historic ranch. Some farm animals. JUST BE CAREFUL when you drive in here with a NARROW windy road, GO SLOW. It's just a way cool place to hang out, down below before you get to Borges Ranch is a picnic table and restrooms. Some many great hiking trails here to. read more