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Urban Trails East Bay. Alexandra Kenin
Читать онлайн.Название Urban Trails East Bay
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isbn 9781680512571
Автор произведения Alexandra Kenin
Жанр Книги о Путешествиях
Издательство Ingram
This hike is pretty in the winter or spring after a rainstorm, when the grass on the hills is green (though the trails can be muddy). In spring, with good timing, you can expect to see a number of wildflower species. In summer, expect the weather to be hot. Make sure to bring enough water.
GET MOVING
From the end of the long paved driveway in the Alvarado Staging Area (situated at the end of Park Avenue in Richmond), pick up the Wildcat Creek Trail. Pass the Belgum Trail on your left after 0.3 mile and the Mezue Trail after another 1.6 miles. You can take the Mezue Trail if you want to shorten the hike by 1.2 miles. (You’d then follow these directions from the San Pablo Ridge Trail.) To do the full featured route, continue past the Mezue Trail 0.3 mile farther to the Rifle Range Road Trail. Here, take a quick detour to your right to see a WPA-era stone arch bridge across Wildcat Creek. Return to the Wildcat Canyon Trail, and in another 200 feet, take a left on the Havey Canyon Trail.
Rolling hills on Wildcat Canyon’s San Pablo Ridge Trail
You’ll be on the Havey Canyon Trail for 1.5 miles, during which time you’ll climb 540 feet. For the first mile of this singletrack trail, you’ll cross through woods lined with laurel trees, blackberry, and poison oak. You’ll walk along Wildcat Creek and cross it after 0.7 mile. After another 0.3 mile, emerge from the woods and enter a grassy area. I’ve seen a number of cows—and coyotes—on this stretch. For this reason, while this area is off leash for dogs, I advise you to keep your dog close here. After the last 0.5 mile on this stretch, you reach paved Nimitz Way, where you’ll turn left. Nimitz Way is named for Chester William Nimitz Sr., an admiral in the US Navy who served as the commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet during World War II.
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
The Belgum Trail is named for the founder of the Grande Vista Sanitarium that stood here from 1914 to 1977. Dr. Hendrik Belgum established this sanitarium to house drug and alcohol addicts as well as people with mental health issues. You’ll know you’re entering the sanitarium’s former grounds when you suddenly see palm trees along the Belgum Trail. Dr. Belgum perished in a brush fire behind the center in 1948. After his passing, his brother, Bernard Belgum, and sisters, Ida Ruth Belgum and Christine Heiman, tended to the estate—though they had no medical training.
When Bernard Belgum died in 1963, there were no heirs to inherit Grande Vista. The grounds were abandoned and the rest of the buildings burned down in 1977. In 1978, the East Bay Regional Park District acquired the land.
On this 0.7-mile section of the route, you’ll climb an additional 100 feet. (Dogs must be on leash here.) About 0.4 mile into Nimitz Way, a former Nike missile site is above you on the hill to your right. You also start to see Mount Diablo to the southeast and the Golden Gate Bridge to the southwest across the bay.
When you reach the San Pablo Ridge Trail, head left. After 0.1 mile, bear right to stay on the San Pablo Ridge Trail at the junction with the Mezue Trail. For me, this 1.4-mile stretch of trail with views is the highlight of this hike. Though you’ve already done most of the climbing on this route, you still have to contend with a few rolling hills and then a big descent that drops you onto the Belgum Trail at a junction with the Clark-Boas and Oil Well Trails.
Take the Belgum Trail 0.9 mile—all the way back down to the Wildcat Creek Trail. After about 0.4 mile on this trail, take a quick detour to stop at a bench to get great views of San Francisco. When you reach the Wildcat Creek Trail, turn right and continue the final 0.3 mile back to the start.
Hikers on Tilden Nature Area’s Peak Trail can catch views of Mount Diablo.
BERKELEY
Berkeley packs a lot of action into 18 square miles. To the west is the San Francisco Bay, to the east are the hills, and in between, there is UC Berkeley. The hikes in this chapter explore the best that this city has to offer.
Tilden Regional Park’s Seaview and Big Springs Loop is a pleasant, moderate loop with San Francisco views and a small stone labyrinth. And Tilden Nature Area’s Wildcat Peak, a true highlight, offers my favorite panoramic view featured in this book. Next, there are two hikes around Berkeley’s campus. First, there’s the short but steep Charter Hill and the Big C hike, which takes you to a huge letter C (for “Cal”) and gives you great views of Berkeley and San Francisco. Then, there’s the challenging Claremont Canyon and Berkeley Fire Trails route, which takes you from Berkeley’s campus up to soaring views of San Francisco—and back. Down by the bay, there is a walk along the Berkeley waterfront that explores parks and a marina transformed from their former lives as the city dump.
The chapter also features three stairway walks that highlight some of the hundreds of paths and stairways scattered throughout this city. Berkeley Paths Rock: Part I and Part II visit city parks with medium-sized and even giant boulders, a vestige of volcanic eruptions more than ten million years ago. And the Claremont Stairway Walk crosses into Oakland, passing by the Claremont Club & Spa (a.k.a. the Claremont Hotel) and urban oasis John Garber Park, which has its own 0.75-mile self-guided nature walk.
| 6 | Tilden Regional Park |
| DISTANCE: | 3.6 miles |
| ELEVATION GAIN: | 740 feet |
| HIGH POINT: | 1630 feet |
| DIFFICULTY: | Moderate |
| FITNESS: | Walkers, hikers, runners |
| FAMILY-FRIENDLY: | Yes |
| DOG-FRIENDLY: | Yes, off-leash walking is permitted; dogs prohibited in Lake Anza |
| AMENITIES: | Picnic benches and a porta-potty at Quarry picnic area where hike starts and ends; a few other benches along the trail |
| CONTACT: | East Bay Regional Park District |
| GPS: | 37°54'1.4868" N 122°15'0.2952" W |
| MAP TO: | Quarry picnic area, Wildcat Canyon Road, Berkeley, CA |
GETTING THERE
Public Transit: There isn’t a straightforward public transit option for this hike. AC Transit bus 65 takes you to Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Stevenson Avenue, 1.8 miles from the hike start. AC Transit bus 67 takes you to Central Park Drive and Lake Anza (weekends only), 1.2 miles from the hike start. These roads are not very walker-friendly.
Parking: Free parking is available near the Quarry picnic area on Wildcat Canyon Road.
Tilden Regional Park (once part of Wildcat Canyon) joined the East Bay Regional Park District in 1936 and was named for Charles Lee Tilden (1857–1950), an attorney and businessman. In the 1930s, Tilden championed the creation of a system of regional parks, and he became the first president of the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors.
Today, 2079-acre Tilden Regional Park has almost 40 miles of trails, some of which allow not just hikers but also bikers, dogs, and horses. (Dogs are not allowed, however, in neighboring Tilden Nature Area.) Beyond its trails, the park features a number of other attractions including a steam train, a botanic garden, an antique merry-go-round, an entertainment space called the Brazilian Room, and an eighteen-hole