Outdoors

Hiking in the Bay Area

We are really lucky to have the East Bay Regional Parks right in our collective backyard. This network of parks in the hills above the East Bay provide a variety of landscapes, from rolling hills with wide-open views of the Bay at Wildcat Canyon to dense redwood forest at Redwood Park. The network of parks has many hiking and mountain biking trails.

Wildcat Canyon (hills above Richmond) - Trails along the ridgeline above Richmond, with amazing views of the Bay and cute cows.

Redwood Park (Oakland Hills) - lovely big redwood forest nestled just behind the East Bay hills. Close-by for a wooded experience.

Lake Merritt (Oakland) - Tidal lagoon/lake in the middle of Oakland circumnavigated by a foot/bikepath. Great spot for picnics. There is also a cute bonsai garden and lots of water birds.

Mount Tamalpais "Mt. Tam" (Marin County) - amazing hiking trail system from grassy hills with views of the Pacific and San Francisco to dark, forested 'cathedral' canyon trails.  Arguably best all-day hike: Matt Davis trail to Stinson beach with Cathedral trail back up.

Muir Woods (Marin County) - very easy walk in the National Monument (fee) with some trails branching off into the hills along the way.  Stop at Muir Beach after for some wave-time and tidepooling near the north end.  Follow with a hot drink and British pub-fare at the Pelican Inn. Note that you have to make parking reservations ahead of time to park in Muir Woods, but there are many other parking options, including at any of the campsites in the area (fee, check a map to find options), at Stinson Beach (hike up), or in Mill Valley (hike up). It can be hard to park at Muir Woods on the weekend. 

Mt. Diablo (Contra Costa County) - Mt. Diablo has a network of hiking and mountain biking trails. There are great wildflowers here in the spring and on a clear day, you can see all the way to the Sierras from the peak. 

Further Hikes 

Bodega Bay - easy, stunning trails along the coastal cliffs. Some trails connect to the UC Reserve Bodega Marine Lab. Look for deer, birds, seals, and whales during your hike. The small town of Bodega Bay is known for delicious fresh seafood! 

Big Basin Redwoods State Park - provides a unique look at recovering redwood forests after a fire a few years ago. Lots of banana slugs, running creeks, and beautiful views if it you make it to the summit. Would recommend doing a hike in the park and driving back to Berkeley via US 1 (start at Santa Cruz). 

Surfing

There are lots of good surf spots for beginners through advanced surfers in the area. Most spots have places to rent a board and wetsuit. 

Road and Mountain Biking

The Bay Area is known for some good biking, but be ready for big climbs and a few unfriendly cars/trail users. Please be nice to hikers - they are a very vocal group on the whole and mountain biking trails can be threatened by angry hikers.

Berkeley has its own cycling club - Cal Cycling. They cater to both road and mountain biking and participate in races put on by other schools in the Western Collegiate Cycling Conference (spring is road race season and fall is MTB). Because of the time constraints of graduate school, expect most members of the club to be undergrads. But they are also some very fun people. You can look on their site for recommended road, mountain, and gravel routes.

Also check out Berkeley Bike Club. For a small fee, you can be a member and have access to their slack and a bunch of organized rides. They have a WTF (women/trans/femme) weekly morning ride that is especially great.

UC Berkeley also has BicyCal, a volunteer-run student group on campus in the student center. You can learn how to maintain and fix your bike, and they don't charge for labor (just parts!).

Trails (maybe) within riding distance from campus:

Tilden is a great and nearby spot for fairly easy singletrack and fireroads. If you're riding to Tilden from Berkeley, it's going to be quite a climb.

Joaquin Miller Park (JMP) is very popular for mountain bikers (and hikers - be polite!). The three popular trails are Big Trees (fun, not super technical), Cinderella (very fun, one big rockgarden and some switchbacks, but otherwise not too scary), and Chaparral (super fun and quite technical - big drops and ruts and rocks). There is also a pumptrack across the road from the Sequoia Bayview Trailhead.

****To park your car at JMP is to accept that you might end up with a broken window. Folks have been advised to just roll their windows down and leave nothing inside the car. Parking along Joaquin Miller Road (instead of Skyline) can be better, but isn't an assurance against broken windows.

Trails worth a drive:

Crockett Hills - some of the only legal singletrack in the area built by and for mountain bikers. It's a small park, but very fun! A 2-ish mile climb gets you to Sugar City DH: a flowy singletrack through open grassland with jumps and berms. Then another climb gets you to Tree Frog, another flowy singletrack through the trees. The only unfortunate thing about Crockett is the steep 300ft climb back out from the bottom of Sugar City.

Pacifica - the only trouble here is finding parking on a weekend. Trails are TOUGH! Not for a relaxed day of riding. Jumps, gaps, massive rockgardens, etc.

Mount Tam - Often claimed as the "birthplace" of mountain biking! Park near the Marin Museum of Bicycling, but make sure to arrive early (9am) to get a spot.

Skyline in Napa - more of a drive, but these trails are super fun. Technical and rocky plus flowy and fast.


Tide Pooling


Camping & Overnight Trips 

All UC students have access to the UC Natural Reserve System. There are 41 reserves all across California. The field stations are intended for outdoor education and field research, but they can be reserved by students (by room or the whole station depending on the need and availability) for writing workshops or time away from campus. You can reserve them for pretty cheap rates at the link above. The ESPM first year grad retreat is usually held at the UC Reserve in Point Reyes which has rooms with bunk beds, space for tents and hammocks, and a campfire ring. 


California has 87 state parks, many of which you can camp or backpack in. You can reserve camp sites for state parks here. 

Henry W. Coe State Park (Santa Clara County) - At 87,000 acres, this is the largest state park in Northern California and is adjacent to the Orestimba wilderness. It is home to lofty ridges, steep canyons, rugged terrain, a variety of micro-habitats, and a wide array of wildlife. Don't miss out on the amazing wildflowers in the spring! 

Point Reyes National Seashore (Marin County) - Gorgeous coastline with opportunities for hiking and camping, kayaking, and road biking. Check out the Tule elk, historic lighthouse, Tomales Bay oysters, and bioluminescence in the summer. 

Mount Diablo State Park (Contra Costa County) - Pretty close to Berkeley, this mountain is very popular with bikers and hikers looking to explore chaparral and grassland ecosystems. There is a lookout tower you can explore at the top. There are very popular camping spots on the mountain accessible easily by bike or car with stunning views of the bay. 

Sierra Nevada Range - The Sierra Nevada mountain range has a number of parks, wilderness areas, and national forests and is a great place for camping, hiking, and backpacking. 

Big Sur- Rugged coastline and redwoods. If you want to camp here, you'll want to reserve permits in advance.

Hearst San Simeon State Park - While this coastal park is small and far from Berkeley, it is a great halfway point to stop at if you are driving from LA to Berkeley up US 1. The camp sites were relatively cheap and very close to beach access. There is a close (less than a mile away) small town that has cute pizza places and small restaurants. Would highly recommend if you want to camp on the central coast but not pay SBO camping prices.  

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There are 9 National Parks in California. They all have entrance fees (~$30 a visit for most parks in 2024), but can be bypassed if you buy the NP year pass (https://store.usgs.gov/2024-annual-pass ~$80 in 2024). You can camp in or near all of them. They are organized by how close they are to campus. 

Pinnacles National Park (2 to 3 hours) 

Yosemite National Park (3.5 to 4 hours) - Try visiting in October/November. The fall colors are stunning, the climbers are still on El Cap, and the park is less busy than usual. Check snow report before going. If you can get a room for >$120, you should book with Yosemite View Lodge. It is right next to the El Portal Entrance. 

Lassen Volcanic National Park (4 to 4.5 hours) 

Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon National Park (4 to 5 hours) - These parks are basically connected, and you should efinitely visit them in the same trip. If you are looking for a camp site surrounded by huge trees, try Sunset Campground near Grant Grove Visitors Center. As advertised, the sunsets are stunning. For an easy hike, try Crescent Meadow Loop and look for bears and deer! 

Redwoods National Park (5 to 6 hours)

Channel Islands National Park (6 to 7 hours + ferry) 

Death Valley National Park (7 to 8 hours) 

Joshua Tree National Park (8 to 9 hours) - If you are looking for a beautiful campsite with great stars (but no water or hookups), go to Indian Cove. 


... to be continued