Tilden Regional Park: Redwood, Tower, and Grizzly Peak Trails (Blog Hike #285)

Trails: Redwood, Tower, and Grizzly Peak Trails

Hike Location: Tilden Regional Park

Geographic Location: east of Berkeley, CA (37.88322, -122.24536)

Length: 2.4 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: July 2009, June 2016

Overview: A pleasant loop hike with good inland views.

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

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=722489
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: For my general comments on Tilden Regional Park, see my first hike at this park.  Of the several short loops possible when starting from this trailhead, this one is my favorite because it requires almost no backtracking and absolutely no road walking.  Further, only about one-third of the distance is on fire trails.  No other short hike from this trailhead can make all three of those statements.

Trailhead: Redwood Trail

            The first 0.7 miles of this hike follow the Redwood Trail, which was described in the previous hike.  Where the Redwood Trail ends at the Golf Course Trail, instead of taking a sharp left as in the previous hike, take a soft right.  This intersection is the lowest point on this hike.

Hiking through redwoods on Redwood Trail

            The Golf Course Trail continues east by climbing two short but fairly steep areas, a warm-up for what is to come.  At 0.9 miles, you arrive at the Laurel picnic area, which lies just off the trail to your left.  At the other side of the picnic area, look for the Tower Trail, which heads uphill to the right.  The Golf Course Trail ends very shortly at the picnic area access road, so to continue the hike, you will need to turn right and head up the Tower Trail.

The Tower Trail heads straight up the hillside, climbing steeply for a few yards and then leveling out briefly only to repeat this pattern.  Fortunately, the eastward facing hill, dense forest, and narrow trail mean that this climb will be well-shaded in the afternoon.  Just before arriving at a clearing marking the Gillespie Youth Camp, the trail turns sharply right at a signed intersection and continues climbing.  In total, the Tower Trail climbs roughly 350 feet in only 0.4 miles.

1.3 miles into the hike, the Tower Trail intersects the Grizzly Peak Trail, which goes left and right.  If you were to continue straight ahead on the Tower Trail, a little more climbing would bring you to a secondary parking area and trailhead along Grizzly Peak Blvd.  To return to our trailhead, leave the challenging Tower Trail and turn right on the Grizzly Peak Trail.

Hiking the Grizzly Peak Trail

            The final 1.1 miles of this hike are an easy downhill glide along the single-track Grizzly Peak Trail on an easy to moderate grade.  Early on, fantastic views of the hilly meadows in the eastern half of the park unfold to your right, but these views out the more you descend.  An occasional car can be heard buzzing along Grizzly Peak Blvd., which can be as little as 100 yards uphill and to the left.  In spite of the cars, the Grizzly Peak Trail makes for very pleasant hiking, especially in the evening when the trees and hillside to the left shelter the trail from sunlight for most of its length.

As you get near the original trailhead, the Redwood Trail comes back into view downhill and to the right.  Ignore steep side trails that lead down to the wider Redwood Trail; the Grizzly Peak Trail will get you there in much gentler fashion.  At 2.35 miles, you close the loop as the Grizzly Peak Trail finally intersects the Redwood Trail.  Retracing your steps a brief 0.05 miles along the Redwood Trail will return you to your car and complete the hike.