East Bay wilderness - San Francisco Bay Area park areas

Sunset, April, 2001 by Lisa Taggart

Nine parks offer Wildflowers, hiking trails, and solitude

* Along McCorkle Trail in the Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness, south of Fremont, the buckeyes are just beginning to open their five-Leafed fists. The energizing scent of spring provides the boost I need to crest the steep hill, and I'm glad for the effort.

Before me is a landscape of color, something Seurat might have painted: Sloping down the ridge are pink shooting stars, red maids, yellow wild pansies, and farther below, near the banks of Alameda Creek, lupines. Beyond, green ridges are stacked across the horizon, glowing with new grass. And there isn't another person in sight.

The many riches of the East Bay's massive park system are tucked along trails like this. Within the 130,000-plus acres of preserves in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, there are redwood-shaded trails, standout summits, quiet campsites, bayside bike routes, bird sanctuaries, and plenty of solitude.

"At no place in the East Bay are you more than 40 minutes from a campsite," says Pat O'Brien, general manager of the East Bay Regional Park District, "even with bad traffic."

More than 2.8 million people visit the East Bay's regional parks each year. An additional 750,000 visit Mt. Diablo State Park, and 300,000 stroll Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

"This is everybody's backyard wilderness," says Ned MacKay, public information officer for the park district. Add Mt. Diablo State Park's nearly 20,000 acres and 23,500-acre Don Edwards refuge to the district's 91,000 acres, and you've got a lot of room to play in the East Bay.

A story of success

Next month (on May 5), Mt. Diablo State Park will celebrate its 80th anniversary. The park was planned in 1921, but it wasn't until 10 years later that there was enough money to bring it to fruition.

The East Bay Regional Park District began a few years later, in 1934, with 2,000 acres of watershed land in Alameda County. "It was one of those public movements that happened in the most unlikely of times," says O'Brien. "In the middle of the Depression, citizens voted for a higher tax rate. They were concerned about loss of open space and parks in the hills, concepts we're talking about today. They were quite visionary." Today the district is the largest in the United States, managing 59 regional parks and 1,000 miles of trails.

A system as big as the East Bay's doesn't come about without a lot of local support. Residents appreciate the parks for the refuge they offer from urban overload. The parks also provide wildlife habitat, research opportunities, and outdoor classrooms. In 1999, more than 2 million people participated in the park district's classes, which focus on everything from wilderness photography to llama trekking.

As population in the East Bay grows, O'Brien says there will be increasing competition for the remaining parcels of open land. But he qualifies that with a positive note: "The park system is one reason the quality of life in the East Bay is so good."

Back at Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness, a pointillist carpet at my feet, I can see exactly what he means.

A park for every mood

"The East Bay has a park for every mood," says O'Brien--and that's not an exaggeration. Here is a sampling.

Many of the East Bay Regional Parks charge a $4 parking fee. Mt. Diablo, which is under state management, charges $2, and the Don Edwards refuge is free. Several of these parks have visitor centers where you can see natural history exhibits and pick up maps.

* Anthony Chabot and Redwood Regional Parks. Divided by Redwood Road, neighboring parks Anthony Chabot (4,972 acres) and Redwood (1,836 acres) run along the ridge above Oakland and San Leandro. Great mountain biking trails pass by redwoods, opening up to views of the city. You can boat and fish on 315-acre Lake Chabot year-round.

WHERE: Both parks are off Redwood Rd., Oakland. BEST TRAIL: West Ridge Trail to East Ridge Trail, 8-mile loop, challenging. OTHER ACTIVITIES: Biking, boating, fishing, camping, horseback riding. CONTACT: East Bay Regional Parks; (510) 562-7275.

* Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. Four million tons of coal were produced at this site near Antioch before the last mine closed nearly 100 years ago. Then, from the 1920s to the '40s, a major sand-mining business thrived here. Now the park's approximately 5,000 acres provide great wildflower hikes.

WHERE: 5175 Somersville Rd., 2 miles south of Antioch. BEST TRAIL: Chaparral Loop, 1 mile, easy. OTHER ACTIVITIES: Tours of Hazel-Atlas Mine (Sat-Sun; $3, reservations advised; 925/676-0192).

* Briones Regional Park. In the northwestern East Bay, rolling hills and live oak-lined trails above Lafayette offer horseback riders and dog-walkers views of Mt. Diablo, the Delta, and Mt. Tamalpais. Five access points provide entry to the park's 5,756 acres.

WHERE: Access off Reliez Valley Rd., south of Martinez, and off Bear Creek Rd., north of Orinda and Lafayette.

TRAILS: Old Briones Rd. Trail, 2 1/2 miles one way, moderate. Diablo View to Spengler to Blue Oak trails, 3 1/4 miles one way, challenging. OTHER ACTIVITIES: Biking, horseback riding.