THE EAST BAY Regional Park District is one of many agencies participating in a new Web site that enables you to plan trips to parks and trails by using public transit instead of private auto.

The idea is to make the parks more accessible for people who don't own vehicles, while helping automobile owners reduce their "carbon footprint," save on gasoline and generally lessen the auto's impact on our environment.

The site, www.transitandtrails.org, matches up transit schedules for almost all local public transit with all the Bay Area's campgrounds, key trailheads and featured trips.

To use it, you just enter your starting point — your home address, for example — and choose a destination. You get a detailed trip itinerary with a map, transit times, fares and walking directions to and from the transit stops. And it's all free.

The site was developed by the Bay Area Open Space Council, a consortium of more than 55 member organizations, including the park district. It combines data from the Metropolitan Transit Commission's 511 Trip Planner Web site and Google Maps.

So by all means, visit the site and play with it a bit. You may find that it's easy and convenient to get to nearby regional parks and other beautiful Bay Area open spaces using buses, BART and ferries.

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    It's

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    roundup time again down at Sunol Regional Wilderness in southern Alameda County, where the staff will stage its annual Cowboy Culture Extravaganza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

    Live music, cowboy poetry, hayrides, roping and pioneer crafts will all be part of the celebration. Try your hand at cranking up a batch of ice cream or pressing apples for cider.

    Kids can brand leather and make a stick pony or a whirligig. Sample horehound candy and Dutch oven cooking. Western-style food will be available for sale, or you can bring your own picnic lunch.

    Sunol's an appropriate venue for the event, with its long history of Indian habitation, homesteading and ranching.

    Sunol Regional Wilderness is located at the end of Geary Road off Calaveras Road, five miles south of Interstate 680 and the town of Sunol. There's a parking fee of $5 per vehicle, but entry to the Extravaganza is free. For more information, phone 1-888-327-2757 and select option 1.

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    The East Bay Regional Park District is featured in the October-December issue of Bay Nature magazine. Written by geographer and historian Richard Walker, the article explores the district's outlook for the next 25 years. Also in the issue are the winning images from Bay Nature's regional parks photo competition, which was co-sponsored by Sarber's Cameras. For more about Bay Nature, check out www.baynature.org.

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    Until the winter rains arrive in earnest, this is the most dangerous time of the wildfire season, because the vegetation has had all summer to dry out. When it's hot, dry and windy, some regional parklands may be closed for public safety.

    To find out the status of the park you want to visit, you can phone the park and trail closure hot line at 888-327-2757. Select option 4, then option 2. Or you can check www.ebparks.org/closure.

    Ned MacKay writes a regular column about East Bay Regional Park District sites and activities. E-mail him at nedmackay@comcast.net.