Redwood Regional Park
7867 Redwood Road
Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 562-7275
- Good for Kids: Yes
30 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
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55 Reviews for Redwood Regional Park
Hands down the best thing about moving to the EB from SF is our proximity to Redwood- off leash doogy paradise, running trails, creeks and good vibes gives Redwood 5 paws/stars. There are so many trails with great views in all directions. People live in the Bay Area because of places like Redwood.
Redwood trees? In Oakland? YES there are!!
This is my favorite park that does not take an hour or more to get to. It's quiet, beautiful, and offers nice trails to enjoy for a day hike. They have motorcycle parking for our baby girl, and restrooms are plentiful.
I instantly relax here, it isn't crowded and the few people you do see are genuinely happy to be there and friendly.
I have a few recommendations:
1.) Wear good shoes you don't mind getting a little muddy. I usually wear combat boots
2.) Bring water. There are a few fountains but having your own supply is helpful.
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This is truly my home away from home (outside of work). Actually, I rested so well in these spectacular woods that I get bit by a tick ... but, outside of that, I get nothing but positive experiences while I'm here. The beautiful thing is, for me at least, is that most of the time that I am there I don't really run into that many people. The natural experience is a beautiful one indeed. Orchid trail, west ridge trail ... there are a wealth of lovely hikes here.
LOVE IT!!! So does everyone that I take.
Word.
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Mountain Biking Review:
First of all, for biking I'd recommend starting at the Skyline Gate Staging area:
http://www.bahiker.com...
In my opinion, the ride is better when you start here AND it saves you from having to pay $5, like you do at the main entrance (Canyon Meadow Staging Area).
From the parking lot head left and you will get on the trail. Most of the trail from hear is downhill so that's very nice. Some really nice scenery while you're on this trail too.
Once you head down the big hill and pass the picnic areas you then have a pretty good ascent back up to the ridge.
Overall the ride is about 9.5 miles.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a fun ride with a decent workout, without having to travel too far outside the city.
Dirt road, not single-track.
This place reminds me how f'n lucky we are to live in the Yay.
Redwood Regional Park is only minutes from my home, yet it feels a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of city livin'.
The Redwoods are gorgeous (see my photos) and... I actually prefer this place to Muir Woods. It's a hell of a lot closer to me, and it's far less crowded.
Check bahiker.com for some good trail info about this spot.
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I took my friend here on a recent visit for a day hike. We loved it! We started at the Skyline Staging area and began our approximate 3 mile loop. We were going to go up to the peak but her asthma started so we cut our hike a little short.
I'll definitely go back to hike and get some trail running in! Be sure to carry your water if you are going at all this summer because the elevation changes will mandate you stay hydrated.
Parking was plentiful.
The reason I wanted to review this park is because of the wonderful llama hike that I took recently. The five mile hike with George's llama's was the most exhilirating experience that I have had since swimming with the Cabo Dolphins last October. They are the most wonderful pack animals and will let you hug and kiss their furry bodies as long as you are gentle. They packed our lunch then sat and grazed on the grass while we ate. George has been bringing his llamas to Oakland for 15 years and his trips are usually booked up.
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This place has some great ribs, and I love the thick-cut fries. Sometimes though, I'm in the mood for a juicy half-pound burger washed down with a pitcher of Anchor Stea.......wait......no....this isn't another review about stuffing my face. Its about unstuffing my ass.
Sometimes you gotta have a little calorie outflow, in addition to the inflow. And this is my favorite place to do it. Read the other reviews to learn all about the great hiking in here and the running trails - they ARE magnificent. But what I live for is cycling on the smooth and sexy roads adjacent to the park. I can be up here on my bike via Tunnel Road in 20 minutes or so, and then enjoy a beautiful, rolling loop around the park on Skyline, Pinehurst and Redwood Roads. Then I head back down via Butters Canyon and I have done an amazing, relatively car-free 1.5 hour loop.
I have ridden all over the bay area, and the road riding up here is the equal of any of it. One of the coolest things about riding up here is how nearly every car is respectful of the bikes. They carefully go around you with no gratuitous honking - I am always amazed at the absence of jerks in cars up here. I love to bring my SF and Marin friends over here for rides. Given Oakland's rep, most people have a hard time accepting where they are. But yes my friends, this IS Oakland, and it is among the best she has to offer.
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One of my first day hikes in the Bay Area. A true treasure. The diversity of landscape and seeming scale of this park...somehow towering and wandering and wild, while only minutes from the city. Food, culture, music, and people aside - this is the REAL reason to live in Oakland. So beautiful and right in our backyard...
Let's hope the Governor, in his infinite wisdom, doesn't shut it down. Good lord...
I'll see you there, darlings.
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How come no one ever told me there were redwoods in the Oakland Hills?
I just recently discovered trail running and was looking for a nearby park where I would be challenged, but not decapitated, if out by myself.
West Ridge Trail is a fire trail popular with mountain bikers and people with polite pooches that are allowed to be off leash. Challenging but doable hills at the beginning, nicely spaced out with decent recovery time in between. The really sweet part about the loop is returning on the Stream Trail which is pretty much flat, shaded, and nicely cushioned with redwood needles.
I ran this loop with two friends who hail from the Peninsula yesterday. When explaining Redwood Regional to them I focused on just how beautiful the park is and how ridiculous is it that there are freaking redwood trees practically in my own backyard??? When they tried to get me to narrow down how long it was I said it was about 6-ish miles. Sometimes, in order to get what I want I often become deceptive (i.e.: I lie). Of course one of them had those fancy Nike shoes and we found out that it was actually almost 8 miles if you stop running at Girls' Camp.
By the end of our run my friends agreed on a few things: Redwood Regional Park is amazingly beautiful and a sweet surprise in Oakland; I'm a liar; and I never get pick our trail run again.
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I saw the ladybug madness as the photo shows - except it was 10 fold! Easily 100,000 ladybugs in a 4 foot square.
We also saw a flock (gaggle?) of wild turkeys. It was a wonderful example of groupthink in animals. We came over the crest of a hill and all the turkeys popped their head up and made their gobble noise. Then they all moved to let us pass, and they all popped their heads up and gobbled again as we passed.
I love hiking in Redwood!
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So according to Don the dog expert you are not supposed to run with puppies on a leash. So I need a place for the two of us to get some unleashed exercise. Redwood Regional Park fits the bill. My lovable mutt can set her own pace and still kick my but and I get some of the prettiest scenery in the Bay Area.
I am always amazed at how lightly used this park is when you consider it sits smack dab in the middle of millions of people.
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Beautiful scenery, nice trails, a great place to walk your doggie, and just a hop skip and a jump from my house!
My girlfriend and her parents saw Jerry Brown when they took a walk up there. Apparently he's a neighbor in the hills too . . . I bet his is the place with the lights on every night that looks like an all night frat house party! Just kidding Jerry! ;-)
A local treasure. Many, many trails to choose from. A place to stroll with your kids, yourself, your sweetie, your beloved ipod. beautiful place to get 'yer inner hiker on. Share with bikes, stroller and horses, and as a former rider on them thar hills, please make sure your dog can deal with horses without completely flipping out before letting them off leash... love this place. can't imagine anyone ambulatory not digging this scene. i love to bring city folks over here to let them see how hard oaktown rocks.
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I can hardly believe that this place is so close to my home. It sits along the ridge-line of the hills that divide Oakland (to the west) and Canyon/Orinda/Moraga (to the east). The multitude of winding trails up and down the hills, into and out of the canyon are terrific. It's always so amazing being in the park ... you feel like you are hundreds of miles away from the city, but yet it's only minutes away. The vista westward and eastward are magnificent. My wife and I love to mountain bike, and the Ridge Trail offers anyone and everyone a good ride. It's also a dog-friendly park ... off leash areas are available.
Moving to Oakland gave me high hopes of buying a scraper bike, rolling on dubs and paying tolls when I wanted to get back to nature.
Boy do I feel silly for not driving east of the 880 sooner! In fact my Fast Trak bill is pretty much zero now! I don't need no stinking bridges to find trails, fresh air and redwoods!!
This place was introduced to me 3 weeks ago, since then I have been back several times and keep crossing off discovered trails on my tattered paper map.
I used to live in Marin and missed hiking Mt. Tam as a means of exercising myself and my dog Alice Cooper. Who needs it? We have Redwood Park!
1st you park your car off Skyline, then you let your dog free to run, then you climb your way through eucaliptis trees, then redwoods.... for realz this is OAKTOWN! I
feel silly for being so overwhelmed with emotion, but as much as I enjoy the city, I can't breath without a good hike in the woods once a week.
This park is FREE people! Free to run your dog, free to park your car, and free to roam the hills for miles and miles!
I love it!
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one of my favorite things to do is to go for a hike in redwood park.
i like to do this with other people, but mostly i like to come here alone. walk along trails. walk off trails. walk up hills. take my shoes off. hang out in the staging areas. sit in the old church. stare into space. take a seat on some mossy branches. talk to myself a little bit. pick a few flowers.
basically, i get to be seven years old again here. & you know, we all need to be able to revert sometimes.
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We hiked into Redwood Regional Park from Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve which is nearby:
http://www.yelp.com/us...
Soon we saw the parking lot John Da Vega Grove parking lot which is FREE, also saw 2 pit toilets (didn't use them).
We took the West Ridge Trail - also a bike route
French Trail
Tres Sendas
Redwood Peak trail to the Redwood Peak - 1619' -there's a survey marker w/ some big rocks filled w/ names ppl have marked out.
then we turned back
Saw fungus growing on trees, many redwood trees, tons of runners & dogs.
On the Redwood Peak trail there's a Keep Out Archery Range sign & on the way back I noticed an arrow way up (about 8 feet) on a tree..scary how one arrow probably can Kill Someone!
This might make me sound like a hiking snob but I think this place is full of people that are trying to be more outdoorsy. I don't want to take away from the fact that this place is really quite cool... a great oasis so close to surburbia and home of California-cliche redwoods... but if If you're a serious hiker (you at least own hiking boots), then you might be disappointed. You can rack up some mileage and you can do a butt kick hill if you want but I found the major trails (East Ridge and West Ridge) to be kind of annoying. They're like 20 foot wide and all-purpose (hiking, biking, dogs, etc) and it just didn't really feel like hiking. More like walking on a dirt road. And there are a ton of people on these ones which kills the whole nature buzz. I think the highlight of the park is Stream Trail... which shouldn't be missed. It's very Muir Woods-esque and you should spend most of your time there... maybe an out and back?
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Love to walk the dog down in the creekbed area, under the shade of the beautiful redwood trees during those hot summer days. Other trails are great too, the gradual inclines offer some good exercise with lots of flat areas too. You can walk a little or walk alot. Lots of people walk their dogs here, LOTS.
This place is the shiz. Great for hiking and mountain biking. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, this is the place to be. I've taken people out there for hiking and biking and I always hear, "This is Oakland?" Hell yeah mutha trucka. If you don't know, now you know.
Riding down the Westridge Trail on a mountain bike can get a little hairy, but it's a great place to practice and hone your skills. If you hit up the right trails, you run into redwoods and lush heavy vegetation. It's really nice and relaxing if you like the outdoors.
Oh man... I need to go back. It's just right there practically in my backyard.
The very reason we moved from San Francisco to Oakland. We were getting fat in San Francisco. Now, we have an amazing other world just outside our back door (well, a mile or two from our back door).
If you see a ranger, you can probably sweet talk him/her into giving you a trail map of the area (I did) and it's great for hiking, running, walking, walking your dog and mountain biking. The roads back here are great for cyclists and some mornings you see more walkers and bikers than cars. All this, and it's still in Oakland!!!
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This park is great! I've been jogging and recently hiking here for over 12 years.
Hiking the 'French' trail has been the best part of this park for me. I saw an owl fly over my head (only one time), and another time a red tailed hawk eating other birds. You are in the redwoods just below the west ridge trail from oarchard to the west ridge trail (near skyline gate). On the French near the West Ridge it's other trees like oaks. It's single track (no bikes unless they break the law) and I highly recommend walking the trail.
It's across the street from Jaquin Miller and next to Roberts Park (nice play ground and pool for the kids).
Note this is second growth. The old growth was chopped down around 1865. For the best old growth, I'd suggest the Montgomery Forest off 101 past Cloverdale. It's worth the drive and you'll never ever forget it. My new happy place. Close by you got Big Basin for old growth.
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This is one of my favorite places to take my dog to hike. The trails are beautiful, and have all sorts of difficulty levels. You can go on an easy steady hike by staying on the main trails (East or West Ridge)... Or you can bump up the challenge by taking one of the side trips. I can get there in about 20 minutes from my home in Alameda, and it's a great alternative to exercise my border collie to any fenced in dog park. We BOTH get a work out! I also love it because it's possible to do a quick 30-40 minute hike, or you can spend HOURS. In the summer the hikes near the Redwood Trees are nice and cool... and in the winter the higher elevations are great. Everyone here is always friendly. I have YET to have a bad experience... and it's OFF-LEASH friendly! BONUS!
This is why I love Oakland! Admit it, this city gets a bad 'rep. But spots like Redwood Regional are what make Oakland rulin'!
The air smells so freaking delicious, it's like you're dining on life! Just don't inhale too deeply, because you might get a gnat up your nose. Trust me on that.
Lots of good hiking if you're a lazy wimp like me who shies away from hills. Also lots of good hiking if you're one of those weirdo "fit" types who likes a vigorous work-out.
If you have a dog, totally take it for a walk here! If you don't have a dog, you'd better at least like them because there have always been a ton of pups when I've been here.
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As another reviewer pointed out, this is not the vast untrammeled wilderness of, say, Banff National Park, but it also happens to be about ten minutes from downtown Oakland. There are wide, gentle ridge trails (Baccharis Trail) with nice views and easy terrain; steep, windy trails into lovely Redwood groves (Starflower Trail); and a cool shaded trail along a stream (the, duh, Stream Trail). I prefer running to hiking here but both are really nice and, from what I can tell, it's popular with mountain bikers, too.
Never crowded, hilly, expansive and varied, FREE, and beautiful, it's a great place for an evening walk, long weekend run, or day hike. It's not "Into the Wild" but, then again, we don't live in Alaska.
I went on a hike here recently. I got on the freeway in SF, and about 30 minutes later I drove through the Redwood Gate entrance, and felt like I was far away from city life. As so many others have noted, its really hard to believe that you're still in Oakland when you're here.
The hike itself was great - we did a loop along the East Ridge Trail to the West Ridge Trail, stopping off at the Chabot Space and Science Center to have lunch and check out the Center a bit (it was mostly kids and their parents there, but nobody looked twice at the group of grubby hikers in their midst). On the trail there were trees galore (lots of shade, so you can keep cool even on a sunny hot day) and pretty views. The trail is shared by hikers, bikers, people with dogs, and even people on horseback. Still, even for a Saturday it wasn't too crowded.
So why only four stars? There was one missing element: water. A perfect hike for me includes a waterfall, lake, or ocean view, so I'm saving my 5 star reviews for those (we didn't pass by the stream that some other reviewers mentioned). But it's still a great park and well worth checking out.
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Beautiful! I have photographed 2 weddings here and both turned out stunning! So nice to have a natural setting so close to home. I can't wait to enjoy it for a picnic
This is a great park because you can easily scale your hike to your fitness level (or amount of time available). Park of the trail is bike-friendly. I see dogs there, too, (which can be good and bad for me).
Wish they had a few more benches. I like to plan a long hike and stop for lunch. There are only a handful of benched on the trails I usually do.
I learned about this trail in a book called "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco". This (AWESOME) book shows a great loop. My trick: plan it so you're along the stream (shaded) at the head of the day. This is my very favorite hike ever, so if you're looking for a moderate-length hike, absolutely do this one. Enjoy!!
I love this park! Beautiful Yelper Emma K. introduced us to this park on our first Sunday in Oakland and it was the most wonderful gift anyone could give a dog owner living in Fruitvale.
It smells wonderful, the vegetation is lush and varied, and I haven't seen my Girls so happy and frolicsome since our last trip to Fort Funston. In the evenings after work, there are just enough dogs there for the Girls to enjoy a good sniff if they so choose, but so much space that you could easily opt not to interact with anyone if its been that kind of day.
Thank you Emma K. and thank you forefathers for setting aside this wonderland for the happy, healthy recreation of dogs and their grateful owners.
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LOVE it.
i turned to my fellow yelpers for advice when looking for a nice picnic spot. this led me to roberts recreational area. the picnic was fab but we were advised that friendly dogs are only allowed off-leash in undeveloped areas (read : trails and places that have no children).
however, the ranger also told us that this is not enforced in the redwood bowl area.
we returned a few days later and went directly to redwood bowl. it is such a beautiful spot. d loves it there.
a few other very friendly dogs & owners, too. such small numbers for such a large space. let's hope it stays like this.
a new favorite!
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Incredible. You can see better sunsets from trails in here then on Grizzly Peak and not have to worry about the kids making out. Lots of dogs, but still good for biking. Also, the roads around here are insane on road bikes, not many cars, and you feel like your anywhere but Oakland and Moraga, or Canyon. Not that theres too much wrong with any of them. Truly a hidden gem in the bay.
Seriously? Are you sure we're still in Oakland????
I can't believe I've lived so close to this for two years and that this is the first time I went. This park was profiled in Sunset Magazine and had been on my list for quite some time. There are multiple staging areas-the one that the hike I picked started happened to be free. Reduced by one star for the number of visitors who felt the need to ignore the many, many signs requiring dogs to be leash-bound. Be warned-on the gorgeous Saturday that Amy V and I visited, we saw a significant amount of foot traffic, whether it be running or cycling. Once you enter the park, it's clear from the natural beauty why that's the case.
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We're not in Oaktown anymore, Toto. (I'm not talking about the pooch from the Wiz-- that's what I call my husband. Not really but I could since his name begins with To-)
Um, yes, we are and redwood groves such as these are just another reason why Oakland is so fabulous! Perfect for hiking and breathing in the freshest of air. Some days they charge to park there and sometimes they don't. Not sure why. But it's worth paying for the upkeep of such a beautiful park. Walk, bike, run, bring your dog, stroll with your parrot on your shoulder (I saw that last time), sit and have a picnic (no bbq's as far as I know), but above all, keep this park alive!
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This is an absolute gem located in Oakland's backyard. It has fantastic trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding.
You can opt for long trails or short loops. One of my favs when I just want a nice 2.5 mile hike with some climb is starting at skyline gate hang right at the West Ridge trail and drop down the Tres Sendas trail which takes you to the confluence of three streams amid tons of Redwoods. You can keep it short by turning left at the Stream trail and head to girl's camp (to eat lunch or relax in the field) or go right and continue the adventure eventually taking one of the many trails back to Skyline.
This park was the site of logging back in the 1880s so all the old-growth redwoods are gone, but the 2nd generation redwoods are beautiful in their own right in this serene park. Watch out for sunny Saturdays when the ridge trails get jammed with dog walkers and bikers.
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You'd never guess that you were anywhere near a metropolitan area, the horse stables on the way in just transport you into another world. It feels like the Santa Cruz mountains, I love this park!
This is a very pleasant park for easy-to-moderate hiking. The East Ridge Trail to Stream Trail is about a 7 mile loop, pretty flat with mild grades, perfect for dog-walking and casual strolls. Opportunities to veer off the main path and descend into the valley then climb back up again abound so those looking for some cardio benefits can definitely make it happen. Parking at the Skyline gate staging area was a cinch and the free trail guides at the entrance have been recently updated with topography -- in essence, you'd have no problem planning a hardcore hilly cardio workout should you so desire...
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Even if RRP wasn't so close to my house, I'd still be in love. The part of the park where the French, Redwood Peak and Star Flower trails converge is pure magic. You'd swear you were in Big Basin or up North in the Redwoods. This part of the park seems to be relatively untraveled, too, so you can eat your tin foil sandwich in silence while watching the tall trees sway back and forth.
And the thing about RRP that makes it even BETTER than Big Basin? Yep, the fact that my hiking pup can come along to enjoy it with me. There's nothing better than seeing his happy face sprint up and down the trails (or how quickly he poops out once we get home). Thank you, East Bay Regional Park District!
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another reason to love California.
I read the article in sunset and went... I wasn't disappointed.
there are several loops of varying grade and it's a lovely and beautiful place to take out of town guests.
It's dog friendly (on leash) which is a huge plus.
I love Redwood Park! It's the one park I make sure I go to at least three times a year.
The diversity of this park is great. I've walked four different trails here and each one is so different, it don't know how it's possible to have such uniqueness in a single parcel of land. The dog friendliness of certain parts is a bonus and there never is a shortage of lovable happy pups to go "awwww!" at.
One trail winds along the ridgeline, not steep at all and full of gentle, undulating waves. One is a gorgeous path that if chosen properly, will take you streamside and through a dappled canopy, across a fallen tree bridge and up some beautiful hillsides with roots creating the steps. one trail will plop you in the midst of a redwood grove, past a mill to emerge in eucalyptus. I 'm not going to name any of the trails, I hope you discover them on your own!
I must also mention- don't forget the drive to Redwood Park is equally gorgeous, with it's snake-like curves hugging the road. If you can't enjoy that you're missing out on one of the best perks of living in the East Bay.
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