Indian Rock Park

You get a sweeping view of the bay , downtown San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, eastern span of the Bay Bridge from top of the boulders. I'm in love with this place.

When I moved to Berkeley from Daly City 20 years ago, I was working full time and going to school at nights , never explored the town. I wished I did but that's okay , here I am now.

This is one of those few places where I feel like I'm home , in the right place and not out of place. When I sit on the boulders somehow makes me feel so calm, relaxed and my usually high anxious tense nerves chill out.  

Anyways, this is where the Ohlone tribal people used to hang out and chill out too.  ( didn't see any grinding holes).

Finally got to cross Indian Rock Park off my Bay Area bucket list! As many others have stated, social distancing here isn't the greatest. I only stayed for around 30 minutes to explore, but many people come here on weekends.

I also have only bouldered a few times in my life, so I didn't come here to do that. It was more just to see the view - breathtaking, by the way! It would have been nice to stay longer, but there were just too many people.

Climbing to the top was also a work out. Could have been just my pandemic stamina that made it seem like more of a workout than it really was. But if you find yourself in the Berkeley area, recently moved out there, or are a local who has never been, definitely check it out. I'd likely use the are to work out if I lived closer.

Also note that this is in a residential area! Please be mindful of those who live nearby.

Talk about a unique place, Indian Rock Park is exactly that!!!

This 'park' is one huge rock!!  I had no idea coming here that I would be climbing up a rock!!  

Wear some good shoes when coming here.  And respect the climb, because it takes a little getting used to at first.  But once you got it and climb all the way to the top, there's some places to sit down and enjoy all the great views!!

I guess you can call this a hike, but it's super short so I'm not sure about that.  You can use the stairs which makes it easier, or you can go your own way for more of a challenge.

Located in the Berkeley Hills, I came late on a Sunday so parking was easy.  Definitely different!!

BEAUTIFUL VIEWS. Indian Rock is a super easy climb because it's simply like a long and narrow staircase, but it is a little treacherous, precarious, and scary in the darkness of night (use your phone as a flashlight).

The social distancing at Indian Rock Park is not good. Many people encroached upon my space when I deliberately selected a spot away from everyone. It gets crazy busy around sunset so that's the most active time. I recommend coming here and spending some time to breathe in the air, look at the views, and relax from all the craziness of this world (in a socially-distanced, responsible way of course)!

This group of rocks towers above a residential neighborhood here at the foot of the Berkeley hills, offering nice West Bay views when it isn't too foggy out.

Intrepid types can try climbing up the rocks, while less bold types can step carefully up stairs that have been etched into the rocks. While not something that the physically challenged should attempt, climbing or walking to the top should be an accomplishable, light-to-moderate challenge.

An interesting piece of local flair that rewards folks with panoramic views in return for their effort. Thanks Yelpers for another nice find!

What a nice surprise in this Berkeley neighborhood. I hope the neighbors that surrond the rock see it as a pleasure to have this structure here as opposed to being bothered by the foot traffic. A few neighbors could walk out of their front door, take a few steps and touch the structure.

It's neighborhood parking, but I found one right away and it was directly across the street. SCORE!

So there is a path of stairs that will take you atop the ROCK. But did you know that behind the rock there is a cave-like area where rock climbers actually bring their equipment - harnesses and foam pads (in case of FAIL)  and actually attempt to scale it. I actually watched one guy give it a try, but he didn't seem to make it very far. But as with anything worth it, you must have patience. Unfortunately there was to much heat for me to stick around and see if he would make it.

On the lowere level, there is a park bench shaded by trees and from that bench, you can see San Francisco. Well, it was an extremely foggy day so at best I saw a shrouded area that I think is San Francisco.

This is a cool place to impress out of towners.

Here's What I Think...I will come back at Sunset and possible even Sunrise.

Such a beautiful look out point! Plenty of parking because it is located in a residential neighborhood. You do have to climb up the rocks quite a bit so I would recommend wearing closed toed shoes, although I accidentally wore Birkenstock's and was able to climb up the rock with no issues.

Next time I come here I will bring some food and have a little picnic while watching the sunset over the bay. It's the perfect spot!

This place was fun and cool!
I came down one afternoon to for a walk during the shut-down. There were 2 other groups on the rock when we arrived so there was plenty of space to social distance. The view was beautiful and clear - we could see SF and the golden gate bridge. As we were leaving, about 3-4 groups came (this was around 6pm).

nice place to see the view of the city and catching the sunset. lots of people climb the rocks and try to become the witnesses that sunset is the time for resetting our life...

Checking off the listing on the #localadventurechallenge, I saw Indian Rock. After reading Yelpers reviews, this park peaked my interest and I decided to check it out before picking up some food nearby. After navigating the confusing turnabout, I finally turned onto Indian Rock Road.  This rock park is in the middle of a neighborhood and parking was easy.

The rock outcrop has some carved steps offering an easy several minutes climb to the top, unless you want to challenge yourself and climb the face of the rock as some people were doing. At the top, you some great views towards the Bay and the surrounding areas.

I was curious how this park came to be, which a sign at the park describes. The rock is an ancient volcanic remnant and after the Mason-McDuffie Company developed the subdivision in the area, donated this rock formation and others to the City of Berkeley.  

It might not be a traditional hike at Indian Park, but it is a nice way to chill out from the top while admiring the view.