Reflecting on the last fifteen weeks, I can name a lot of wonderful things about Berkeley and the Bay Area: the people, the weather, the pizza (or is it this pizza?), It’s-Its, MSRI, the best grocery store in the world − the list goes on.  But another thing I enjoyed − and which Berkeley often does not get credit for − was the running. There are trails, there are hills, there are peaceful trots along the Bay, and all of it is accessible from your doorstep whether you want to run five or twenty-five miles. And if you have access to a car, then you’re a short drive from trails in Oakland, the Marin Headlands, Point Reyes, and Mount Diablo.

Below I’ve recorded some of my favorite running routes in the greater Berkeley area.  When possible, I’ve linked to a map of the route.

Berkeley local

Running from downtown Berkeley, you have two good options: head for the hills, or cruise to the coast.  If you go straight up for as long as you can, you can gain 1,600 feet in just four miles.  I was fortunate to be working at MSRI (which is perched near the top of Grizzly Peak), so I also ran a lot from its campus after taking the H Line to work.  You could just as easily do these runs from the parking lot on Golf Course Drive just northeast of Grizzly Peak Boulevard.

  • Laurel Canyon Loop, 8.5 miles, 1,460′ gain.  This is an MSRI run that gains the northern ridgeline of Tilden Park then descends Laurel Canyon via excellent, invigorating single track.  Save a little something for the 800′ of climbing you’ll do in the final three miles.
  • Arroyo Trail to Grizzly Peak Loop, 7.4 miles, 1,300′ gain.  Another MSRI run with a vicious single track climb up Arroyo trail to gain the top of Grizzly Peak − 740′ in one mile!  A slightly shorter version of this run descends Vollmer Peak Trail from Grizzly Peak, thus saving you some climbing on your way back to Tower Trail.
  • Chávez Loop, 9.7 miles, flat.  From downtown Berkeley, wend your way to the water and take the pedestrian bridge over I-80.  From here there are pleasant trails into Chávez Park, past the marina, and down the Berkeley Pier.  Running the pier is really special as it extends half a mile into the Bay and gives you the feeling that you just might make it all the way to San Francisco.
  • The Fire Trail, 5.2 miles, 1,100′ gain.  Talk to anyone about running in Berkeley and they mention The Fire Trail.  This can be a little confusing as there are many fire trails in Berkeley.  What’s meant is the fire trail which abuts Centennial Drive a bit east of the rugby field and swimming pool.  The trail is a wide, well-maintained dirt road which is relatively gradual excluding one brutally steep 200′ gain.  The route I’ve sketched in the link takes you from downtown Berkeley, through Campus, up Centennial, and then up Strawberry Canyon via said fire trail; it ends at MSRI and the Space Sciences Lab, from which you can access all of the Tilden Park trails.
  • Grizzly Laurel Loop, 13.1 miles, 2,500′ gain.  This one is my compendium of trail knowledge after three months of Berkeley running.  From downtown, hit the steep fire trails at the end of Dwight Way and climb for your life up Panoramic Hill and then all the way to Grizzly Peak.  Follow the ridgeline to the Laurel Canyon descent then jump onto the roads and take Spruce back into town.
  • The Big One, 22.1 miles, 3,000′ gain.  From downtown, take Spruce into Tilden Park, run through Wildcat Canyon to the north end of the park, gain the ridgeline, and run all the way back down to Grizzly Peak.  Finish on the technical Panoramic Hill descent.  This one hits the entire greenspace on the east side of Berkeley and has numerous gorgeous views of the Bay to the west and Mount Diablo to the east.

Less local

If you’ve tired of the immediate Berkeley area, head to Redwood Regional Park and the adjacent Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland.  I never found a good way to access these parks without a car, and only explored them twice.  The trails are better groomed than those in Tilden, and switchbacks make the climbs more gradual.  The forest here is gorgeous − massive redwoods and oaks, lush undergrowth − but of course more trees means fewer views.  I highly recommend French, Chown, and Palos Colorados Trails, but I haven’t put together any specific routes.  You can access the trails via car or bike from Skyline Gate Staging Area or Joaquin Miller Court.

Regional

If you have access to a car, take advantage of it.  There are three obvious points of interest close to Berkeley:  Mount Diablo and Muir Woods are each about forty minutes away, and Point Reyes takes a little over an hour to get to.

  • Mount Diablo Suffer Fest, 24.2 miles, 5,350′ gain.  I don’t so much recommend this route as I recommend you learn from my errors on this route.  Be very careful with the trail signs, which are bizarrely formatted as “[DESTINATION] via [actual trail name you’re looking for]”.  Most of the trails have minimal shade, and Diablo is far enough from the ocean to get hot, even in mid-March.  That said, if you’re looking for vertical this is the biggest climb in the Bay Area.  On a clear day you can see the Sierras from the top.
  • Muir Tamalpais Loop, 18.2 miles, 4,300′ gain.  Climb Bootjack, Matt Davis, and Hoo Koo E Koo Trails out of Muir Woods’s magnificent redwood grove.  After gaining about 2,300′ you’ll be on top of Mount Tamalpais’s East Peak with a panoramic view of the entire Bay Area.  Descend through forest and meadow to the Coastal Trail which is rife with wildflowers in the spring.  Return via the famous Dipsea Trail.  Note:  the logistical crux of this route is securing a parking spot at Muir Woods.  Consider arriving right when they open, even if it’s just a weekday with halfway decent weather.
  • Sculptured Beach Loop, 22 miles, 4,000′ gain.  This was the first big trail run I did in the Bay Area, David and I slogging through trails that had turned into streams during heavy February rains.  But even rain-drenched and fog-encased, the Point Reyes coastline makes a strong impression and this is a nice set of trails.

Sins of omission

There’s a wonderful trail system through the Marin Headlands that I only briefly experienced during the Tam Tramp.  If you’re in northern San Francisco, you can run over the Golden Gate Bridge − a worthwhile experience on its own − and then immediately access the trails.

And if you’re willing to drive further, well… California is quite the state.