Lake Herman Recreation Area

Trail
N/A
N/A
Free
3stars (3.00)1
2stars (2.00)
2stars (2.00)
N/A
N/A
N/A
No
Benicia
Solano
More Info
Photos
Benicia Community Park
The high trail descends back into the core of Benicia Community Park from where we started our hike. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Mount Diablo
In the opposite direction from Lake Herman, this is the view along the high trail. Not ideal, but there is Mount Diablo in the distance. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Lake from the high trail
The high trail along the ridge overlooking the lake provides views such as this. Note the Lupine flowers in the foreground. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Overlook
A small, steep side trail leads to the top of a hill overlooking the lake. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Lakeshore
The trail hugs the shore of the lake heading toward the dam. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Getting closer
The trail descends from Benicia Community Park, getting closer to the lake's shores. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Trail View
Much of the trail down to and around Lake Herman is paved. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Lake Herman
Lake Herman as seen near the start of our hike. The dam creating the lake can be seen at the far shore. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Log Entries
Hiking to and from Lake Herman via Benicia Community Park
By Austin Explorer on 3/26/2022
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 4.27 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Coppertone and I started this hike at the Benicia Community Park since we did not know where the trail we were going to hike would end up.  There's ample parking here, though it can be very crowded if there are a lot of baseball games going on.  There were not many free spaces when we started, but there were plenty when we finished our hike.

We started off looping around the baseball and softball fields to get to the back of the park where the entrances to the trails are located.  We had used this point a week ago to hike the Rolly Wiskerson Trail.  This time we turned right and hiked what we'll call the Lake Herman Trail.

As the name implies, the trail wraps around part of Lake Herman, a small man-made lake which serves as part of the community's water system.

We spotted a good number of California Poppies and Lupine along the trail.  Another purple flower, which we could not identify was also showing off its colors.

At the end of Lake Herman we found an old house and a few structures perhaps used by the park or utility folks.  There's also a smaller, but much more sedate, parking lot from which to start a hike.

As we doubled back we decided to check out some of the well worn side trails that parallel the Lake Herman Trail.  The first is a small side trail that ascends to the top of the small hill overlooking Lake Herman.

A longer parallel trail traverses the ridge overlooking the entire area.  Because we hiked the Summit Spur we ended up joining what we'll call the High Trail halfway through.  The ridge here overlooks the park to the northwest.  In the opposite direction you're right on top of the backyards of a housing subdivision. You can easily see Mount Diablo from here, but you'll also see lots of houses and a petrochemical plant.

The trail eventually descends into Benicia Community Park and joins up with the park's paved loop.  We walked around the park mapping out trail segments for this park before calling it a day after logging 4.27 miles.

Recommended Item
Recommended Item Best Easy Day Hikes San Francisco's North Bay (Best Easy Day Hikes Series)
Tracy Salcedo
Your price: $9.95 Buy Now
This guide features twenty-two of the best short hikes in San Francisco's North Bay. Accurate maps and detailed directions make this pocket-sized handbook both easy to use and authoritative.