20 March 2020
By Antoine english, projects, resources

Hikes in the East Bay and the Bay Area

Because wee need to socially distance, perhaps most interesting right now are the nice places to hike nearby (East Bay/regional parks; stay away from state parks as they tend to be crowded and closed subsequently.)

Hikes in the East Bay

They’re all less than 30 min drive from Berkeley. Some can be reached by walking or cycling.
  • Cesar Chavez park (Berkeley Marina, 30min hike), stunning at sunset, great walks
  • Fire Trail (Berkeley), entrance a little before Botanical garden (3h hike)
  • Tilden Park (Berkeley hills): wild cat canyon hike, inspiration point (1h20 hike)
  • Lake Anza (Berkeley hills): 30 min hike; It is gorgeous, and a place of quiet; excellent if you want to bring a book
  • Huckleberry preserve (Berkeley/Oakland skyline boulevard, 1h hike)
  • Mountain View cemetery (Oakland, 1h): great views of the bay, solemn setting but not spooky.
  • Pinole Point (Richmond, 1h30 hike), wonderful at sunset
  • Redwood regional park (1–2 hours) many trails, very varied landscapes
  • Pinehurst East Ridge (start from Pinehurst Staging area – map)
  • Briones Crest trail loop (Orinda, 4 hours, or Lafayette Ridge staging area is open. It’s a very long hike, and portions can be steep. Plan at least 3h!)
  • Mt Diablo (Walnut Creek): stunning view of the highest peak in the Bay
  • Angel island (daylong hike, you need to take the ferry from Tiburon) might be closed

East Bay hikes

Hikes in the greater Bay Area

You’ll need to drive a littlemore, but these are splendid hikes:

  • Mt Tamalpais (Marin county, 1h30): beautiful hikes to the top.
  • Cataract Falls (one of the best hikes, map, on the dipsea trail, seems closed too)
  • Dipsea trail (from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach, 4h. beware: it seems closed, because it is too popular)
  • Pt. Reyes & Pt. Reyes Lighthouse (seems closed)
  • Russian River (usually you can rent canoes from late May to October, to go down the 10 mile stretch from Forestville to Gerneville. Maybe they’ll open. I LOVE this one. In the meantime, you may be able to enjoy wading in the river in a few locations; the drive is also quite nice)
  • Bodega Bay Trailhead (1h from Berkeley, gorgeous sights of the ocean. A fav!)
  • Mount St Helena (North of Napa, map, it seems closed for the time being:-/)
  • Half Moon Bay (South bay, 45min from Berkeley – nice beaches, and the boardwalk is very beautiful. Start from Miramar and head South)

and here’s a few more: Best beginner hikes in the Bay Area!

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Additional suggestions:

  • Walking around lake Chabot.
  • Tilden Park at full moon. Get the code for EBMUD lock for $5!
  • Pt Reyes has 7 distinct ecosystems — totally great!
  • Don’t miss Indian Rock in Berkeley, and the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland
  • Castle Rock in the southbay is a great place for hike
  • if you happen to be on Highway 92 near Half-Moon Bay, don’t forget to stop at Sam’s Chowder
  • Lake Almaden has nice, easy walks great for kids

You can also discover a lot of crazy place in Berkeley by just walking around in the streets:

https://www.berkeleyside.com/tag/quirky-berkeley

https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/things-quirky-berkeley

Your favorite places, inspired by Berkeley Rep’s Place/Settings

Part 2: Your favorite places, inspired by Berkeley Rep’s Place/Settings