Gorgeous hike through redwoods with over two miles next to a creek.

Location: Redwood Regional Park

» Official Trail Map: Good quality map showing all trails. Also see North section — South section — Text.

Route in brief: Stream Trail (0.42 + 0.33 + 0.16 + 0.45 + 0.26 + 0.31 + 0.57 miles) → Bridle Trail (0.20 miles) → Orchard Trail (0.37 miles) → French Trail (1.02 + 0.40 + 0.54 + 0.62 + 0.12 + 0.13 + 0.48 + 0.08 + 0.60 miles) → West Ridge Trail (0.59 miles).

Notes:

1. GPS measurements showed that this route is only 7.0 miles whereas the segments listed above sum up to 7.7 miles. Stream Trail slowly loses elevation. Orchard Trail is a good climb. French Trail gains and loses elevation all along. French Trail goes through redwoods. The last portion of French Trail, close to the junction with West Ridge Trail, is along a creek.
2. In March 2011, signs were missing at some junctions along French Trail. You would have to follow this trail carefully with a good sense of direction. Plenty of maps were available at Skyline Gate Staging Area.

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