Sealed With a Kiss

Kiss Under the Mistletoe at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park

Pucker up! This 2.7-mile loop through the East Bay's Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park is brimming with a holiday staple—mistletoe.

Start from the Foothill Staging Area, and head up the Oak Tree Trail, climbing past ancient oaks surrounded by grassland. Get onto Sycamore Grove Trail and climb until reaching the singletrack Meadow Pond Trail. Traversing the hillside, stop at the giant oak that grew bench-like branches into the ground to help support its enormous weight. Hills gallop across the horizon, decked with oaks and cows.

After almost a mile on the Meadow Pond Trail, meet up with the Woodland Trail and switchback through mistletoe-covered oak trees… one, two, three ... so … many … smooches!

The Foothill Staging Area is located on Foothill Rd. and has a bathroom and drinking fountain. Mistletoe is easily spotted in oak trees with no leaves and looks like a green bush growing among the branches. Here's a trail map of the area.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  2. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  3. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  4. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View