Tilden Regional Park: Grizzly Peak/Vollmer Peak/Wildcat Gorge Loop (Blog Hike #286)

Trails: Grizzly Peak, Vollmer Peak, Seaview, Meadows Canyon, Wildcat Gorge, and Selby Trails

Hike Location: Tilden Regional Park

Geographic Location: east of Berkeley, CA (37.88323, -122.24457)

Length: 10 miles

Difficulty: 9/10 (Difficult)

Dates Hiked: July 2009, June 2016

Overview: A long hike that gives a grand tour of the park’s southern regions.

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

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=722490
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.  This hike takes you to every major point of interest in the southern two-thirds of the park.  Even better, most of these trails are remote enough that you will encounter only a small amount of traffic, at least on weekdays.

This hike also involves some difficulty.  In addition to the length, elevations vary from 550 feet at the mouth of Wildcat Gorge to 1905 feet atop Vollmer Peak.  One of the advantages of completing this hike as described here is that starting from the trailhead closest to Berkeley cuts the climb into two pieces, one at the beginning and the other at the end.  Other possible starting points will be highlighted throughout this description.

Start of Grizzly Peak Trail

            The first 1.1 miles of this hike follow the Grizzly Peak Trail described in the previous hike, albeit in the opposite direction.  What was a gradual to moderate descent on that hike is a gradual to moderate climb on this one.  During either hike you might hear some high-pitched train whistles on this trail, something to keep in mind for later.  Where the Grizzly Peaks Trail intersects the Tower Trail, continue straight to remain on the Grizzly Peaks Trail and continue heading toward the first major point of interest, Vollmer Peak.

The trail narrows as it descends gradually past the summit of Grizzly Peak, which rises to the right.  After passing under an ugly power line, a brief steep descent leads to the end of the Grizzly Peak Trail at the gravel Gillespie Youth Camp access road.  To continue toward Vollmer Peak, turn right and hike the gravel road 0.2 miles to its intersection with paved South Park Drive.  Cross the road carefully (it is open to vehicles), angle to the left, and pick up the Vollmer Peak Trail as it enters the shrubby forest as a narrow dirt path.

After a brief stretch of climbing with the road just to the left, the trail reaches a Y-intersection.  Take a sharp right to remain on the Vollmer Peak Trail and begin the climb to its namesake peak.  In the next 0.2 miles the trail climbs 100 feet mostly through sunny grassland with an industrial area off to the right.

Nearing the top of the Vollmer Peak Trail

            At the top of this climb where another trail comes in from the left, angle right to join a wide gravel path and, 2 miles into the hike, arrive at a blacktop parking area.  If you take a minute to sit and rest on the logs on the right side of the parking area, you can see some miniature train tracks across the road.  These are used by the steam trains whose whistles you may have heard on your way up.  If you sit here long enough, you will see the small, cute train roll over these tracks as I did.  Also, if you just wanted to visit Vollmer Peak or you wanted to do this hike in such a way as to hike all of the downhill first (but why would you want that?), then this parking lot would be the place to start.

Surprisingly, the Vollmer Peak Trail does not take you to the summit of Vollmer Peak but ends in this parking lot.  To continue to the summit, walk across the parking lot and then turn sharply left on a paved trail at a vehicle gate.  This is the southern end of the Seaview Trail, and the first 0.75 miles to the summit of Vollmer Peak is a paved access road that is normally closed to vehicles.

Climbing the Seaview Trail

            The paved road climbs the southern face of Vollmer Peak via a pair of switchbacks only to level out about 75 feet below the summit.  A bench to the right of the trail gives a fantastic view to the east, perhaps the best such view on this hike.  The two lakes below you are San Pablo and Briones Reservoirs.  The town of Orinda lies in the foreground to the right.  The large mountain off to the right is 3849 foot Mount Diablo.  Take a few minutes to enjoy this great view of folding green (in the wet season) or golden (in the dry season) hills.

View east from Vollmer Peak

            After a brief descent, the Seaview Trail exits the paved road to the right on a two-track dirt trail.  This hike will eventually continue on the Seaview Trail, but to visit the summit, stay on the paved road as it curves left.  One final very steep push will get you to the summit.  Unfortunately, a pair of metal towers and a few trees mar the view from the summit, but since this is the highest point in the Berkeley Hills, good views can still be had.  Grizzly Peak and the Bay beyond can be seen to the west, while the two reservoirs and more mountains can be seen to the east.

Retrace your steps back down the blacktop road and then make a sharp left to continue the Seaview Trail.  The next 0.6 miles are an easy downhill glide over a two-track dirt/gravel fire road.  Since the Seaview Trail stays near the crest of the park’s highest ridge for its entire distance, fantastic views alternate between the Bay to the left and the interior to the right.  Most of this distance passes through sunny meadows, but a few large stands of eucalyptus trees provide some shade.

3.6 miles into the hike, the Big Springs Trail exits to the left at a low spot on the ridge; this would be called a gap in more mountainous areas.  Continuing north on the Seaview Trail, a moderate climb leads you to a set of benches on the left.  From here, you get an excellent view of the northern Bay Area including the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

Descending on Seaview Trail

            Past the benches, the descent to Wildcat Gorge begins in earnest.  5 miles into the hike and 300 feet below the benches, the other end of the Big Springs Trail enters from the left.  A bench located in a cool stand of pines near this intersection provides a nice view to the north and lets you see some of the terrain ahead.  This is a great place to sit, take your shoes off, and have a trail snack near the midpoint of this hike.

The trail heads steeply down the spine of the ridge before using three switchbacks to leave the ridge.  The third switchback crosses paved Wildcat Canyon Road, but there is no parking area to leave a car shuttle.  At 5.4 miles, you reach a major intersection where the Seaview Trail ends.  The trail headed right at a soft angle climbs moderately for 0.2 miles to Inspiration Point, another nice view.  The Curran Trail heads sharply left and leads 0.6 miles to Wildcat Gorge just below Lake Anza; this trail could by used to shorten this hike to “only” 8 miles.  This trail description will head to Wildcat Gorge via the Meadows Canyon Trail, which exits the intersection straight ahead.

Looking down Meadows Canyon

            The first few hundred feet of the Meadows Canyon Trail are fairly steep and pass through a shady grove of trees, but soon the grade moderates, and the rest of the descent is very gradual.  True to its name, the trail soon enters a large canyon covered with meadows which, perhaps to your surprise, are more shrubby than grassy.  The dirt under foot here is a dull black compared to the light brown you have seen up to this point, evidence of this area’s recent volcanic origin.  Some bumpy dull black igneous rock outcrops on either side of the trail confirm this observation.

Descending the Meadows Canyon Trail

            7 miles into the hike, you reach the bottom of the Meadows Canyon Trail at a large blacktop parking area.  This is the lowest point of the hike, and the parking area is accessed by taking Central Park Dr. to Lone Oak Rd.  If you wanted to hike all of the uphill first, then this is the point at which you should start this hike.  A drinking fountain here provides one of only two potable water sources on this route.  Make sure to pack enough water and use the water sources on the trail wisely.

Leave the parking area by taking a sharp left to begin the Wildcat Gorge Trail, the only other trail leaving this parking area.  After a brief stint through the meadow, the trail angles sharply left to enter the gorge.  This is my favorite section of trail on this hike.  The hot, sunny, open meadow is only a few hundred feet uphill to the left, but the gorge is an entirely different world: cool, moist, and shaded by some large redwood trees.  The stream to the right adds to the charm as it gurgles over rocks.

Hiking through Wildcat Gorge

            The trail climbs through the gorge, sometimes very close to the creek and at others 40 feet above it.  A wooden fence protects the hiker from the higher, more exposed areas.  At 7.8 miles, the Curran Trail enters from the left as a concrete ford of the creek leads to a picnic area on the right.  700 feet later, the gorge tightens as you reach the base of Lake Anza Dam.  There are several steep, wild trails up the dam but no defined route, so you will have to make your way to the top of the dam the best you can.

At the top of the dam, your first view of Lake Anza appears.  This lake is popular for swimming (at the public beach off to your right) and for teaching dogs to fetch items from the water.  The Wildcat Gorge Trail continues at the left side of the dam as it heads up the east shore of Lake Anza.  At first the trail stays near the lake, which will require some scrambling over rock outcrops.  At the south end of the lake, the narrow trail angles left as it climbs steeply to intersect a much broader trail, where you should turn right.

The Wildcat Gorge Trail only follows the wider path for a short distance before angling right to head back to the stream bank.  Look for the wooden posts that mark this turn.  Still heading upstream, the trail stays streamside for another 0.3 miles before curving right to cross the stream on a steel and wooden bridge in the tight ravine.  Using a pair of switchbacks, the trail next climbs out of the ravine to an elevation about 20 feet below a picnic area road which is uphill to your left.  Some retaining walls along this stretch of trail indicate the existence of previous landslides, so watch your step along the steep ravine wall during the wet season.

Approaching Island Picnic Area

            8.5 miles into the hike, the Wildcat Gorge Trail ends at an intersection with the Selby Trail, which goes straight and left.  To head back to our trailhead, turn left to begin the final leg of this hike.  Very quickly the trail intersects the picnic area road with the Island Picnic Area straight ahead.  A drinking fountain in this picnic area is the other potable water source on this hike.

Island Picnic Area

            The Selby Trail crosses Wildcat Canyon Road and reenters the forest directly across from the picnic area road.  The next 0.3 miles are a steep climb, the last steep climb of the hike, as the trail gains 160 feet in this segment.  On the bright side, a gap in the trees provides a nice view of the parkland to the north.

At 8.9 miles, the trail passes directly through the intersection of Golf Course Road and Shasta Road; you will need to cross both roads to find the continuation of the Selby Trail.  The last 0.7 miles is a gradual to moderate climb with Golf Course Road often within sight downhill to the left.  The grade is not steep, but the climbing along this single-track dirt trail will seem more difficult than usual due to its position at the end of the long hike.  Passing over a final pair of arms extending from the ridge to the right will lead you through a grassy area.  The Selby Trail ends at its intersection with Golf Course Rd. just east of the parking area containing your car, thus ending the hike.