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Palomares Road – Foothill Road — Pleasanton loop from Union City

Palomares Road – Foothill Road — Pleasanton loop from Union City

Moderate

4.9

(7233)

16,723

riders

Palomares Road – Foothill Road — Pleasanton loop from Union City

02:52

62.3km

630m

Road cycling

Moderate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: April 29, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

8.43 km

Stony Brook Park & Canyon Entrance

Highlight • Canyon

This branch of the old Niles Canyon Railway lines is now a museum line to the historic train depot.

Tip by

16.1 km

Palomares Road

Highlight (Segment) • Cycleway

A challenging but absolutely beautiful stretch up the canyon following the Stonybrook and Palomares creeks.

Tip by

29.4 km

Shri Sai Temple Climb

Highlight • Climb

Shri Sai Temple Climb is about 400 feet up the road to the south. It is a Hindu temple run and maintained by devotees and volunteers only. Here you have an overlook of the Dublin Valley.

Tip by

34.5 km

Foothill Road Bike Lane

Highlight • Cycleway

Though very short, this small section of easily visible cycling lane makes the intersection much easier to navigate on your bike.

Tip by

38.4 km

Foothill Road — Pleasanton

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

This stretch of Foothill Road runs between the city and Pleasanton Ridge, giving you a great feeling of being on the edge of wilderness.

Tip by

44.0 km

Arroyo de la Laguna — Foothill Road

Highlight (Segment) • River

This section of Foothill Road follows closely along Arroyo de la Laguna. Seeing the river and unique farm animals on the side of the road is a treat!

Tip by

46.4 km

Sunol Depot

Highlight • Historical Site

The Sunol Depot houses the Niles Canyon Railway, a museum that showcases the role of the railroad in the development of California, as well as the United States.

Tip by

49.9 km

The history of trains in Niles Canyon dates back to the building of the original transcontinental railroad. The first Western Pacific Railroad Company (formed in 1862) started construction in San Jose towards Sacramento. It built twenty miles of track that reached into Alameda Creek canyon in 1866. Its first passenger excursion entered the canyon on October 2 of that year. Construction was halted shortly thereafter, however, because of disagreements between the railroad’s contractors and its financiers. In September, 1869, four months after the famous golden spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah, the Central Pacific Railroad completed the transcontinental rail link between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay, finishing the track through the canyon. The CP had acquired the Western Pacific and other local railroads and built track to connect them at a waterfront terminal at Alameda Point. Very few rebuilding programs by the railroad left the Niles Canyon line with much of its original cut stone bridge abutments, culverts and retaining walls from the original Western Pacific’s right of way (circa 1865). These unique constructions can still be seen today.
Steam locomotives pulled trains through Niles Canyon for eighty years before diesels took over in the 1950s. In 1984, after twelve decades of railroading in the canyon, the Southern Pacific ceased operating trains on the right-of-way, pulled up the tracks, and deeded the land to Alameda County.
The Pacific Locomotive Association entered into an agreement with the county and began rebuilding the rail line in 1987. Association volunteers worked for over a year on the first part of the track reconstruction between Sunol and Brightside. On May 21, 1988, almost 122 years after the first Western Pacific excursion, the Pacific Locomotive Association brought railroad passenger operations back to life in Niles Canyon. Presently, Niles Canyon Railway provides train rides to the public year-round between Sunol, California and Niles in Fremont, California. ncry.org

Tip by

62.3 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

29.3 km

19.5 km

13.4 km

< 100 m

Surfaces

54.2 km

8.12 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (370 m)

Lowest point (10 m)

Weather

Today

Monday 18 May

28°C

16°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 24.0 km/h

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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

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Palomares Road – Foothill Road — Pleasanton loop from Union City

Stony Brook Park & Canyon Entrance

Palomares Road

Shri Sai Temple Climb

Foothill Road Bike Lane

Foothill Road — Pleasanton

Arroyo de la Laguna — Foothill Road

Sunol Depot

Niles Canyon Railway

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