The Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail is a 7.65-mile paved path running roughly parallel to St. Mary’s Road, connecting the Olympic Boulevard staging area in Lafayette to the EBMUD Valle Vista staging area on the southern edge of Moraga. Following the route of an old railroad line, it’s flat, family-friendly, and one of the best ways to experience Lamorinda without a car.
The Route
Starting at the Olympic Boulevard staging area in Lafayette (the formal northern trailhead), the trail winds through residential areas and open space, passing:
- Lafayette Community Park — water, restrooms, and the most popular mid-route rest stop
- Moraga Commons Park — the practical southern exit for most users; cross-link to the Moraga Commons entry for amenities and the summer concert series
- Valle Vista Staging Area — the trail’s formal southern terminus, just past Moraga at the EBMUD watershed boundary
Most riders and walkers end their trips at Moraga Commons because of the parking, restrooms, and easy car pickup. The trail itself continues another short stretch to the EBMUD Valle Vista staging area, where it ends officially. Both are valid finish points depending on what you’re after.
One persistent closure to know about: the final half-mile from Valle Vista to Westchester Street on the Moraga end has been closed since the 2022–2023 winter storms (a mudslide at the Canyon Bridge crossing of Moraga Creek). The remaining 7 miles between Lafayette and Moraga are fully open and behave like a normal trail; the closed half-mile is a stub at the far Moraga end that most users never use anyway. Always check the EBparks trail page for the latest status before routing through Valle Vista.
The old railroad route means gentle grades throughout — strollers and road bikes handle it easily.
Trail Users
The paved surface makes this trail accessible to everyone:
- Walkers and joggers
- Cyclists (road and hybrid bikes work best)
- Families with strollers
- Inline skaters
- Dog walkers (leashed)
Why Locals Love It
It’s not wilderness — it’s better for certain purposes. The pavement means you can use it year-round, wet or dry. The gentle grade means everyone from kids to grandparents can enjoy it. And it connects two towns, making it actually useful for transportation, not just recreation.
Seasonal Tips
- Mid-March through April: Peak wildflower season in the East Bay. The hillsides along the trail are emerald green and starting to bloom with California poppies, lupine, and buttercups. The stretch near Valle Vista offers particularly good views of the surrounding hillside color. Worth bringing a camera — mid-morning light is best for photos when the poppies fully open.
- Summer: Start early — shade is limited and the paved surface can get hot. Before 9am is ideal.
- Fall/Winter: The trail stays usable year-round thanks to the pavement, even right after rain.
Mid-June 2026 — Father’s Day Week, Solstice Approaching, Post-Graduation
The green-to-gold pivot is essentially complete: the southern stretch (Valle Vista, the EBMUD watershed boundary) is fully into its classic California summer palette, and even the north-facing slopes near the Lafayette Community Center have shed their last pockets of late green. Today, Sunday June 14, the trail reads as fully summer. A few timely notes for the week of June 14–20:
- Sunday June 14 — the post-graduation recovery walk: AUHSD graduation week wrapped last night with the Miramonte/Campolindo grad Saturday; today the trail rhythm flips. Expect a noticeable late-morning bump in out-of-town-grandparent walking traffic (the post-graduation lap before the airport drive), then a quiet midafternoon, then the usual Sunday-evening jogger-and-stroller wave from ~6 p.m. as the light cools off. The Olympic Boulevard staging area is the cleaner trailhead today — the Moraga Commons end will be slightly busier as departing families do the symmetric lap from the south.
- Best window: 7–9 a.m. on weekdays, before 9 a.m. on weekends. Sunsets are past 8:33 p.m. and pushing toward 8:36 p.m. by the summer solstice next Sunday, June 21 — the longest evening rides of the year are this week and next. Evening rides from ~6:30 p.m. through about 8 p.m. give you the cooled pavement plus the long-light return ride that defines mid-June trail riding here.
- Father’s Day, Sunday June 21: A trail-then-Moraga-Commons lap with the family is a perennial Father’s-Day-morning move. Park at Olympic, ride or walk south to Moraga Commons, grab coffee, ride back. The trail tends to be busy 9–11 a.m. on Father’s Day with multi-generational groups — plan around it or lean into it.
- Concert-night pairing, Week 2: Moraga Commons Week 2 is Thursday, June 18 — The Purple Ones (Prince tribute). The classic move — trail ride south, finish at the Commons, picnic blanket for the 6:30 p.m. set — still applies. Plan to be off the trail and at the lawn by 5:30 p.m. for a comfortable bandshell-side spot; the Purple Ones routinely outdraw the opener.
- Trail surface: Dry and fast. The rain-free stretch has held; roadie-friendly conditions all the way down to the Moraga end.
- Heads-up: PG&E vegetation management work has historically been active along the Oliveira Lane stretch this time of year; trail width can be occasionally restricted during brush removal. Verify current status on the EBparks trail page before a long ride if you’re routing through that stretch.
- Valle Vista stub still closed: see the Route section above — the final half-mile to Westchester Street remains closed (storm damage from 2022–2023). The 7-mile Lafayette-to-Moraga run is unaffected.
Local Lore
The trail’s gentle, steady grade isn’t a coincidence — you’re walking on railroad history. This was once the Sacramento Northern Railway, an electric interurban line that connected Oakland to Sacramento via the East Bay hills. Passenger service ran from 1913 until 1957, with stops in Lafayette and Moraga connecting these then-rural communities to the greater Bay Area.
At its peak, the Sacramento Northern was part of an ambitious electric railway network that let you travel from San Francisco to Chico without a car. Locals rode it to work, to shop in Oakland, to visit family in the Central Valley. The gentle curves you walk today were engineered for electric railcars making that climb from sea level to the 900-foot summit near Moraga.
After passenger service ended, freight continued until 1977. The East Bay Regional Park District acquired the right-of-way in the 1970s and converted it to the trail we know today. Look carefully in spots and you might notice the old railroad bridges — some of the infrastructure remains, hidden in plain sight.
The next time you’re coasting downhill toward Moraga Commons, remember: a century ago, passengers in electric railcars made the same descent, watching the same hills roll by (a bit faster, perhaps).
Good to Know
- Free — no parking fees at trailheads
- Open sunrise to sunset
- Water fountains at various points
- Shade is limited — bring sun protection on hot days
- Connects to Briones to Mt. Diablo Trail for longer adventures
Explore More in Lamorinda
- Lafayette Guide — Full overview of the town this sits in
- All Things to Do — More Lamorinda outings, parks, and venues
- Real Estate in Lamorinda — Buying or selling in Lafayette, Moraga, or Orinda