Dillon Point - June '25 

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On the last Wednesday in June, six of us met in Davis and then drove an hour to the Benicia State Recreation Area, in the Bay Area, to walk in the hills at Dillon Point, on the Carquinez Straits.

The area was new to all of us, but many of today's hikers had seen the marsh from across the water, about a year ago and wanted to come back to explore the area. 

First we parked at the end of the road, but saw no trail into the hills, as the terrain was too steep. The trailhead was 1/4 mile away at a parking area near the marsh & a botanic garden.  

We meandered through the hills to Dillon Point and then west along the water towards the Glen Cove Community Park.  Other than a lot of fennel plants, it is kind of a drab place, with high voltage lines running overhead at times, and a good sized high-voltage switchyard close to where we parked. 

As we walked in the hills, there were strong winds coming up the Straits from San Pablo Bay, which kept us cool.   

On the way back towards the marsh area, still in the hills, there was a shady rock outcropping where we had lunch and took an extended break. 

note - on a pc or laptop you can zoom into any part of a photo, but alas, not on a smartphone. 

	at the Dillon Pt. parking area		Mt. Diablo to the east		fennel & fences
		dehydrated Artichoke thistle		Carquinez Straits
	first look at the marsh, see note		nearing Dillon Point		Marcia & Jean in the fennel
		back towards the marsh		break time

note - this is the Southampton Bay Wetland Natural Preserve.

Back at the parking area we had a look at the Forrest Deaner Botanic Garden. 

			mountain mahogany
				button willow

Next we found the coastal trail on the eastern side & walked back towards the Point, where we found a Neolithic style rock, a photogenic spot.

	a few of us, see note 1		teasel (not a thistle)		Cynthia, see note 2
		fennel again		Neolithic rock
					Benicia marsh & and dry hills
		fern pine at the parking area

note 1 - the hikers are surprised when a sea lion's substantial head suddenly emerges. 

note 2 - behind Cynthia to the left is Benicia and towards the center is Martinez. 

Plant names are from Picture This, or signs in the Botanical Garden.     

Postscript - We only walked 3 miles but we took our time & it was pleasant exploring some of the trails here, while enjoying great air & scenery. 

Another pleasant aspect of the park was its access from the town via trails along the marsh & closer to the freeway. As a result there were a LOT of local bikers/joggers/walkers, of all ages, on the main access road, and, they purposely blocked the road, by not moving over, forcing cars to slow down. It made good sense to me.

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