BicycleTrails in East Bay

Anthony Chabot Park is 5,067 acres where visitors can explore miles of trails through grasslands, chaparral, and shady eucalyptus groves or along the shores of Lake Chabot. The East Bay Skyline National Trail, which traverses 31 miles of East Bay hills from Richmond to Castro Valley, runs the length of the park. Chabot is connected to Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area by a six mile section of the Chabot to Garin Regional Trail.The paved, 3.52 mile West Shore and East Shore trails provide access to the south and east shores of the lake (no equestrians on the East or West Shore Trail). The Lake Chabot bicycle loop covers 12.42 miles via the Live Oak Trail, and 14.41 miles via the Honker Bay Trail. Various trails in Lake Chabot Regional Park provide access to the Skyline National Trail north of the lake in Anthony Chabot Regional Park. All fire roads in the park are open to mountain bikes unless otherwise posted. Please note that narrow single track trails are closed to bicycles. Riders should be aware of hazardous trail conditions in winter months.

The park has 33 land acres and 68 water acres (one mile long Aquatic Park Lake) which is home to the Berkeley Paddling and Rowing Club. It is a location for model boat racing, picnicking, bird watching (no fishing), rowing, motor boating, water skiing, with hiking and biking along the trails around the lake. Limited parking is available on the east side of the park. Restrooms are available.

The preserve gets its name from the 1700 foot Brushy Peak.  It hosts a great variety of wildlife including amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. The area is also home to many wildflowers, shrubs, woodland habitats, spring-fed ponds and coast live oak.  The area lies at the center of a network of ancient trade routes that linked Bay Area Ohlones, Bay Miwoks, and Northern Valley Yokuts, who were drawn to the area for economic, and social events. There are about ten miles of dirt trails for hiking, bicycling and horses.  Bring water with you since there is none on site.

Contra Loma Regional Park has 780 acres that includes an 80 acre reservoir that has shoreline trails as well as other trails that can be used hikers, horses and bicycles and six picnic sites.

The park is home to 978 acres of marshland and rolling grassland covered hills. It is popular for walking, bicycling and bird watching.  Bicyclists can ride on the 3.5-mile paved Bayview Trail that connects with 12 more miles of trail along the south levee of the Alameda Creek Trail.

This is a 2.5 mile beach with sand dunes. The beach hosts Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary at the east end of the park which harbors aquatic birds and other salt marsh creatures. Crab Cove at the north end of the park is a marine reserve where all plant and animal life is protected.

The park is 5,000 acres where visitors can explore miles of bicyling in a valley surrounded by oak trees and hosting a lake five miles long.

Don Castro Regional Park is 101 acres with a fishing lake, swim lagoon and paved and unpaved trails for pedestrians and bicycles. The trails around the lake and lagoon are for hiking only.

The Wildlife refuge hosts over 280 species of shorebirds and waterfowl as well as other wildlife.  It covers 30,000 acres and a variety of habitats including open bay, salt pond, salt marsh, mudflat, upland and vernal pool.  There many miles of wide, flat dirt trails throughout the refuge that are open to bicycles and pedestrians.

This park is relatively undeveloped but appealing because it offers access to a newly opened Bay Trail segment with stunning views of Alameda and San Francisco. Stroll or bicycle the paved trail along the shoreline from the park to the Hornet. Amenities include picnic benches, restrooms, and easy parking.

The park is 4,763 acres with 20 miles of multi-use dirt trails that comprise these parklands. Trails are easy to moderate with up to an 800 foot elevation change. There is a large dirt parking lot.  There are restrooms near the Garin Barn and drinking fountains in the picnic area.

Lake Chabot Reservoir is a 315 acre lake that was built in 1874 as a primary source of water for the East Bay. Services include boat rentals, the Marina Cafe, picnicking, grassy play area, horseshoe pits, hiking, bicycling, jogging, and running trails, and seasonal lake boat tours.  There is a part paved, part dirt 12 mile trail around Lake Chabot for bicycles.  There are also fire roads open to mountain bikes unless otherwise posted. In winter, dirt trails are muddy so be careful.  Lake Chabot trails connect to even more trails in Anthony Chabot Regional Park.

Lakeside Park spans 155 acres and there is a 3.4 mile paved loop around Lake Merritt that is shared with bicyclists, pedestrians and joggers.  On your trip around the lake, there is plenty of bird watching nearby the five bird islands that serve as the oldest Wildlife Refuge in Northern America.

Las Trampas Wilderness Regional Preserve ahs more than 5,700 acres of wilderness and an expanded trail system that for hikers, bicycles and horseback riders. This park is home to the Las Trampas and Bollinger faults and their related geological formations including remnants of ancient shoreline, fossil-bearing rock layers, and a volcanic tuff. The Bollinger staging area has a chemical toilet and picnic site. There is no water within the park.

This protected land has over 2700 acres of oak woodlands, grassland savannah and chaparral and is one of the largest city owned open spaces in the Bay Area. The land is home to Lime Ridge (chaparral).  Mountain biking (on paved trails or dirt trails over 8 feet wide) are available in the open space.  Street parking is available. There are no restrooms or drinking water.

This is 741 acre park with 50 acre Arrowhead Marsh that is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. There are paved trails that are shared by pedestrians and bicycles. There are picnic areas, restrooms and drinking fountains.

This preserve has trails that go straight up from sea level to the 2500 foot Mission Peak or to other nearby peaks.  There are a total of 29 miles of trails and 3000 acres with views of the North, South and West Bay. The trails have very little shade so bring water with you.  Most of the trails are very wide and you share them with bicycles, horses, hikers, runners and dogs. There are many cattle grazing near the paths. This park is very popular so if the parking lot is full, you can park on Vineyard Ave. There are restrooms at the entrance to the trail.

This mountain state park is a total of 19,000 acres of oak woodland, grassland and chaparral with knobcone, digger and Coulter pine as well as wildflowers. It has a 3,849 foot summit. There is an extensive trail system for hiking, bicycles adn horseback riding with wildlife and sandstone rock formations and small caves and fossils.

Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park is a 5,271-acre park in the East Bay Regional Park District overlooking Pleasanton and the Livermore Valley.

This park contains four bodies of water: Horseshoe Lake, Rainbow Lake, Willow Slough and Lago Los Osos. There are many paved trails open to pedestrians and bicycles that surround the water as well as Alameda Creek trail that moves alongside the park.

The park's 1,829 acres is home to a forest of coast redwood, other evergreens, chaparral, and grasslands. Wildlife includes rare species such as the golden eagle and Alameda striped racer snake. You are likely to see deer, raccoons and rabbits.  Redwood Creek runs through the park and is home to the world-famous rainbow trout that spawn in the creek and migrate from a downstream reservoir.

This 266 acre park hosts an 80 acre lake and an arroyo with a chain of smaller lakes and ponds. Numerous waterbirds may be sighted throughout the year in the smaller lakes and ponds. There are paved and upaved trails for hiking, equestrian and bicycling trails as well as hiking only trails around the park and water areas.

This short parkway strip extends along the waterfront just off Marina Village Parkway in Alameda, opposite the mouth of the Lake Merritt Channel. The park is located on the Estuary and may be accessed from the Marina Village Plaza or the Pacific Marina. It has appealing views of the marina, estuary, opposite shore, and downtown Oakland, expansive lawns and pedestrian and bike paths along the water which are part of the Bay Trail. There are restrooms and a drinking fountain.

The land around Temescal Lake has a perimeter of under 10 miles. There is one parking lot, multiple drinking fountains and picnic tables, restrooms and a fishing dock. There are multi use paved trails on the eastern shore of the lake and unpaved hiker only trails along the western shore of the lake.

Tilden is a 2,079 acres park with many miles of trails that are shared by equestrians, hikers and bicyles with some hiker only trails. There are multiple drinking fountains and restrooms throughout the park. For a map of the north side of the park, please click here

The park extends 2,430 acres along the Wildcat Creek watershed and the surrounding hills and ridges. There is a total of 22 miles of trails consisting 13 miles of fire roads, 6 miles of single track trails and 3 miles of paved trails. There is a large variety of brush and trees as wildflowers and wild animals and many bird species. Mountain bikes are only permitted on some of the paved roads and fire roads.