Bonhoff Trail to Manzanita Trail

A leisurely hike among the changing oaks. Leisurely, but not necessarily easy in places. The nearly one mile Bonhoff trail is a roller coaster trail with a couple of very steep but relatively short hills. The trail leads to an intersection with the Foothill Trail and the Manzanita Trail at the lowest point on the hike. The Manzanita Trail is a long climb for most of the hike out. It's studded here and there with the colorful black oaks that are changing from their summer green to orange and a brilliant shade of yellow in places. You will also start to see the eponymous Manzanitas and their unmistakable rust-red (sometimes maroon) bark. The last section of the trail is a modest slope down to a mud banked frog pond full of rather large bullfrogs. The trip back down Manzanita is an easy stroll. The first hill from the trail junction is a tenth of a mile of 25+% grade and a half a mile further is another steep (albeit short) up. After a third, another gentle slope until you drop back down to Mt Hamilton Rd and the Twin Gates Trailhead.