East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail — Part 4
(via West Ridge Trail)
5.0 miles     300 ft
7 Nov 2009
Summary

Part 4 of the 32-mile East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail, through Redwood Regional Park.

Location: Redwood Regional ParkEast Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail

Elevation Profile
Trip Planning

Trail Maps

» Official Trail Map: Good quality map showing all trails. Also see North sectionSouth sectionText.

Route

Route in brief: Skyline Gate Staging Area (entrance for Redwood Regional Park) to MacDonald Gate Staging Area (an entrance for Anthony Chabot Regional Park). There are two choices. The GPS tracks and elevation profile shown in this article are for choice (a) that goes mostly along West Ridge Trail.

  1. 5.0 mile route: West Ridge Trail (3.83 miles) → Golden Spike Trail (0.67 miles) → connector (0.11 miles) → Big Bear Staging Area → MacDonald Trail (0.4 miles) to MacDonald Gate Staging Area.
  2. 6.5 mile route: West Ridge Trail (0.59 miles) → French Trail (3.99 miles) → Orchard Trail (0.20 miles) → West Ridge Trail (0.57 miles) → Golden Spike Trail (0.67 miles) → connector (0.11 miles) → Big Bear Staging Area → MacDonald Trail (0.4 miles) to MacDonald Gate Staging Area.

Notes:

  1. French Trail is absolutely fantastic with several ups and downs through Redwoods.
  2. Golden Spike Trail is shaded.
  3. Details in pages 60-63 in East Bay Trails: Hiking Trails in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties (288 pages, 2005) by David Weintraub.
Photos
Trailhead

Start Location

Location: Intersection of Pine Hills Drive & Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94516 . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: March 2011)

Capacity: Over 20 cars can be parked here.

Latitude: 37.831730     Longitude: -122.185631

End Location

Location: (McDonald Staging Area) Along Redwood Road in Oakland, CA 94619 . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: November 2009)

Capacity: About a dozen cars may be parked here.

Latitude: 37.798227     Longitude: -122.150764

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