Spring is here, which means every weekend someone on the street asks where to take the kids on bikes without fighting cars or driving an hour. Here’s the practical shortlist — flat, paved, stroller and training-wheel friendly, all inside the Tri-Valley.
Iron Horse Regional Trail is the backbone.
It’s flat, paved, wheelchair accessible, and runs 4.24 miles through San Ramon alone on an old Southern Pacific rail corridor. About a million trips happen on it every year, so don’t expect solitude — expect strollers, scooters, and leashed dogs. Best family trailheads are San Ramon Central Park (12501 Alcosta Blvd — parking, restrooms, direct trail access) and the Bollinger Canyon and Crow Canyon crossings. New as of November 2024: the $14 million, 230-foot Iron Horse Trail Bridge at Dublin Boulevard finally closed the at-grade gap near Scarlett Drive.
Worth riding just to see it.
Alamo Canal Trail is the Dublin-to-Pleasanton connector.
It’s 3.6 paved miles starting behind the Dublin Library at 200 Civic Plaza, with a safe I-580 undercrossing so nobody has to cross the freeway. TrailLink calls it “a safe, non-motorized route for children and adults” between schools and homes, and that’s exactly what it is. It ties into the Iron Horse Trail and, on the Pleasanton side, the Centennial Trail…