Lime Ridge Open Space
 

In Lime Ridge, California, are you looking for a great open space trail? AllTrails has 7 fantastic hiking trails, walking paths, view paths, and more, all with hand-guaranteed trail maps and driving directions, as well as detailed feedback and photos from hikers, campers, and nature enthusiasts like you. Are you ready for some exercise? Lime Ridge Open Space has six moderate trails ranging in length from 1.5 to 6.8 miles and elevation from 144 to 1.007 feet above sea level. Begin looking into them, and you'll be on the trail in no time!

 

DOG RULES

Yes, although leash laws vary by section, and rangers recommend that dogs be kept on a leash at all times.

 

Dogs must be under positive voice and sight command or leashed at all times in the field surrounding North Lime Hill, north of Ygnacio. Because cattle graze in this area, dogs chasing cattle can be a serious problem. Recently, there has been some negative dog vs. coyote encounters when dogs stray too close to dens.

 

Dogs are not permitted in the center section of Lime Ridge south of Ygnacio at any time. This is the neighborhood surrounding Lime Ridge Wildlife Preserve. Dogs are once again permitted south of the Preserve, but only on a leash.

 

AMENITIES

• 1226 Acres

• 25 Miles of trails

• Biking

• Trailheads with parking in Walnut Creek and Concord

 

The Health Benefits of Hiking

Hiking is more than just a recreational activity. It's also good for you!

 

Numerous studies and research have consistently shown that regular exercise not only improves our overall health and fitness, but also increases the length and quality of our lives. Regular physical activity lowers the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and lowers the risk of colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It also aids in weight control, promotes healthy bones, muscles, and joints, alleviates arthritis pain, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, and is linked to fewer hospitalizations and physician visits.

 

Walking is one of the lowest impact sports around. This means that while you derive all the cardiovascular benefits of other aerobic activities, you do so with a minimum of stress, strain, and pounding to your body.

 

Here are a few ways that hiking can reduce the risk of various health issues:

 

Cardiovascular Disease

According to an American Heart Association study, 631,636 people died from heart disease in 2006. Another study estimates that heart disease will cost the country $316.4 billion in treatment, medication, and lost productivity.* The results of 43 separate studies by The Centers for Disease Control showed that exercising significantly reduces the chances of having coronary heart disease, whereas those who do not exercise are twice as likely to have it.

 

Hypertension

High blood pressure affects nearly one-third of all adults in the United States. Because symptoms are often undetectable, hypertension is known as the "silent killer," and it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other serious problems.

 

Hiking lowers blood pressure by 4-10 points, and regaining a normal body weight can lower it by 5-20 points.

 

Diabetes

The number of diabetics in the United States has nearly doubled since 1983. According to Richard Eastman of the Diabetes Institute, this rise is due to factors such as rising obesity rates and a lack of physical activity. Walking can reduce the amount of insulin required by a person with Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes. Through diet, exercise, and weight loss, a person with Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes can actually reverse the course of the disease.

 

Obesity

Hiking, like all forms of exercise, is one of the best ways to lose weight and maintain cholesterol levels. Every mile you walk burns 100 calories on average. Another way to think about it is in terms of how fast you walk. If you walk at a pace of 2.5 miles per hour, you will burn approximately 200 to 250 calories per hour. (That's a 24-minute mile—roughly the speed at which you'd walk from one place to another.) If you walk at 4.5 miles per hour, you will burn approximately 500 calories per hour. (That's just over a 13-minute mile, which is a common pace for inexperienced runners.)

 

People who lose weight through hiking or walking maintain the loss and continue to lose while those who lose through dieting tend to gain weight again quickly.