Top of the World Scenic Lookout and Lake Del Valle near Livermore in California

Spectacular panoramic view from the vista point known as Top of the World Scenic Lookout on the crest of Patterson Pass Road which is a backroad on the rolling hills in the southeastern outskirt of Livermore in California. This vista point is about 10 miles east of Livermore. 

What we see here include San Joaquin Valley in the distance, the huge wind turbine farm on Altamont Pass, and some cattle as tiny black dots grazing on the green grass field. Looking down on the rolling hills, the huge wind turbine farm and San Joaquin Valley is gorgeous. Such stunning view makes you feel that you are on Top of the World! 

We came here on May 8, 2023. It took us only about 35 minutes to drive from east side of San Francisco Bay Area to reach Top of the World Scenic Lookout. However, Patterson Pass Raod, as a backroad, is very narrow and winding on the rolling hills and is somewhat challenging to drive safely.

On the left side of this fantastic view are modern giant wind turbines which are 430 feet tall each, on the right side are older generation of smaller wind turbines. Closer views  of these giant wind turbines on Altamont Pass as viewed from Interstate Highway 580 (I-580) are shown on my websites here and here.  

Comparing the tiny black dots of cattle to the size of wind turbines on the left side of the view shows the giant size of modern wind turbines.

The San Joaquin Valley in distance has many large farms, cattle ranches and cities and towns such as Stockton, Tracy, Modesto, Lathrop, Manteca, Ripon, Salida, etc. and is part of the huge California Central Valley. Better views of these distance farms and cities on clear days without smog can be seen here, here, here, here and here. The rolling hills of Altamont Pass and Patterson Pass, including Top of World Scenic Lookout, are all part of Diablo Range which is a mountain range separating San Francisco Bay Area from San Joaquin Valley.

The narrow and winding Patterson Pass Road going down hill from its crest at Top of the World Scenic Lookout. More views can be seen here and here.

Some people come here to enjoy the fantastic sunset view or sunrise view as shown here and here. Some people come to enjoy special views at night as shown here. You can see all of the San Joaquin Valley lights. It is amazing day or night!

The roadside pull-out small parking area at Top of the World Scenic Lookout. Another view of such roadside pull-out parking can be seen here.

When we were driving on the backroads among these rolling hills, we also saw the nice views of Mt. Diablo and Tri-Valley of  Livermore Valley, San Ramon Valley and Amador Valley.

In addition to driving to the crest of these backroads in these rolling hills, we also drove down to the bottom to visit the beautiful Lake Del Valle which is a storage reservoir about 10 miles south of Livermore. The reservoir was created in 1968 when the Del Valle Dam was constructed on Arroyo Valle. Lake Del Valle is a California State Water Project reservoir located in the beautiful oak-covered hills of Livermore. It stretches five miles in length and offers 16 miles of shoreline. Del Valle Dam and its lake provide water storage for the South Bay Aqueduct, flood control for Alameda Creek, fish and wildlife enhancement, and multiple types of recreation. The lake serves in part as off-stream storage for the South Bay Aqueduct.

The dam of Lake Del Valle can be seen in this aerial view.

A view of Lake Del Valle in Del Valle Regional Park. Several more views of the beautiful Lake Del Valle can  be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

People fishing from a boat. We came here early in the season and we saw only a few people.

But in summer and Fall seasons, many people come to this lake and Del Valle Regional Park to enjoy many kinds of activities such as hiking, biking, picnic, fishing, boating, kayaking, stand-up paddle boating, camping, horse riding,  swimming, relaxing, etc. as shown on many photos on this Google Map website.

This reservoir serves as a crucial water source for the San Francisco Bay Area. The hydrology of Del Valle is largely influenced by the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which melts in the spring and provides surface flow to the reservoir. The reservoir is also fed by Arroyo Valle Creek and Arroyo Mocho. Del Valle is used for agricultural purposes, including vineyards and cattle ranching, as well as for recreational activities. It is Part of the California State Water Management Project. 

We saw many vineyards and wineries while driving through Livermore Valley.

The entrance gate of Concannon Vineyard

A vineyard near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

We drove through very nice residential area in Livermore.

Roadside beautiful patches of yellow mustard flowers in the spring season

Beautiful roadside flowers. It  is a very enjoyable day trip.

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