Tilden Regional Park: Redwood and Golf Course Trails (Blog Hike #282)

Trails: Redwood and Golf Course Trails

Hike Location: Tilden Regional Park

Geographic Location: east of Berkeley, CA (37.88341, -122.24476)

Length: 1.3 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: July 2009, June 2016

Overview: A loop hike on wide fire trails.

Park Information: http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=722488
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From the University of California at Berkeley campus, take Centennial Drive up the hill to its intersection with Grizzly Peak Blvd. at the top.  Note that you can ride the university’s Hill Line bus to within 0.2 miles of this intersection.  Continue straight, now on Golf Course Road, another 80 yards and park in the gravel parking area on the right. 

The hike: Opened in 1936, Tilden Regional Park is one of three original parks in the East Bay Regional Park District.  The park is named for Major Charles Lee Tilden, the park district’s first president.  You have to admire the district’s foresight: what would have been isolated land back then now directly borders the University of California at Berkeley and several neighborhoods.  Thus, what could have been a housing development instead gives valuable green space and wonderful parkland.

The park contains many attractions, some standard and some unique.  Picnic areas line many of the park roads, and a fine golf course lures golfers from far and near.  A nature center provides a good introduction to the area’s flora and fauna, while small Lake Anza provides swimming and other aquatic activities.  The park also features an interesting miniature steam train which is open daily for rides.

In spite of all these attractions, much of the park remains undeveloped, accessible only by a large network of trails.  The shorter loop described here is definitely not the most scenic in the park, but for a short lunchtime hike it does the trick.  Even better, the trailhead for this hike is located just east of the Berkeley campus, so these trails are readily accessible by the university community.

Trailhead: Redwood Trail

            Begin just uphill from the parking area on a two-track dirt road blocked by a wooden vehicle gate.  Wooden posts mark trail intersections in Tilden, and the one here states that you are starting the Redwood Trail.  In only 0.05 miles, the narrower Grizzly Peak Trail exits to the right.  The Grizzly Peak Trail is used in the next two hikes, but for now angle left to stay on the Redwood Trail.

Soon the trail enters the first of several small redwood groves that give this trail its name.  These trees are not as big as some of the redwoods in northern California’s national parks, but they are still impressive pine tree specimens.  The trees also provide nice shade, a welcome break from the sunny grasslands that comprise much of the park.  In the summer, hiking in Tilden in general and the Redwood Trail in particular can be a hot, draining experience.  Even if the sea-cooled temperature in Berkeley is in the 60’s, temperatures on this side of the mountain can soar into the 90’s with no breeze; dress and bring water accordingly.

Hiking the Redwood Trail

            Views of the park’s golf course below you and the meadow-covered hillside in the distance to your left emerge as the Redwood Trail undulates along the hillside.  Some poison oak grows beside the trail, but the two-track trail, which doubles as a fire road, is plenty wide enough for you to avoid it easily.  For more on fire roads, see my blog entry for the Strawberry Canyon Fire Trails.

At 0.7 miles and just after a moderate descent, the Redwood Trail ends at a Y-intersection with the Golf Course Trail.  To continue this hike, take a sharp left on the Golf Course Trail, another two-track dirt fire road.  The golf course is downhill to your right, but the distance is long enough and shrubs thick enough that you should not be threatened by any golf balls.

Hiking the Golf Course Trail

            Since this section of the Golf Course Trail follows a power line right-of-way, the scenery is far from the best at first.  Fortunately, 1 mile into the hike, the trail curves noticeably left, leaves the power line behind, and begins a moderate climb through another nice redwood grove.  At 1.2 miles, the trail ends at Golf Course Road.  A left turn on the lightly traveled paved road and a fairly steep 0.1 mile uphill hike will return you to the parking area and complete the hike.