Nimitz Way Trail to Wildcat Creek Trail Loop is a 8.4 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near El Cerrito, California that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.
A loop option from Inspiration Point that offers stunning views of the entire park. This is also the Bay Area Ridge Trail. From Inspiration Point head north on the Nimitz Way Trail. Dogs are not allowed on the part of Wildcat Creek Trail that passes through Tilden, so you will not be able to complete this loop with a dog.
Park at Inspiration Point
Nice wide trails. I went counter clockwise. Worked out well as I started with the sunrise. The first part is wide open with hardly any shade, had shade most of the way back and part shade for climb back to inspiration point. Worked out well with record heat forecast
Nice wide paths all around. After the first miles, the trail gets less crowded and you have the opportunity to see more wildlife. I saw a coyote(don’t worry, they run away from humans), cows and two families of California Quail. Most of the trail is wide open to direct sunlight so bring sunscreen.
Beautiful views! I think going counter clockwise would give a bit more of a booty booster workout with the hills but overall a mellow trail!
I started and ended this trail at Inspiration Point (Nimitz to Laurel Canyon to Wildcat Peak Trail). It was easy enough and lead to a great view of the Bay. The path is paved for about a mile in before heading onto a wide unpaved path which led to a narrower hiking path. The trails itself weren’t terribly interesting but the view made it so worth it.
The Nimitz trail is paved, which is nice for biking, but not really my idea of hiking. Once you reach Conlon, there are some nice views of the San Pablo Reservoir. Conlon is basically a cow pasture and has no shade. I wouldn't hike it on a hot summer day and be prepared to encounter cows. You can bike this trail, but once you reach Jewel Lake, you'll have to stay on Loop Road to connect to Meadows Canyon Trail. This trail is listed as hard, but it's not. It should be listed as moderate for the distance.
Not a hard hike, but a solid road run when using Nimitz as an out and back. The pavement can get pretty hot, but cools off once you hit the back end and it opens up to the sea. If you prefer to run in gravel, you can usually run alongside of the paved trail. The only thing that is unfortunate about running this trail are the cattle guard grates. It is a great trail to enjoy the scenery while exercising, but I would not consider Nimitz as s a "destination" hike.
We hiked along Nimitz Way from Inspiration Point, Tilden. This was an out and back hike/walk along a paved walkway took us along the ridges from Tilden Regional Park into Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. The weather was cool, cloudy and sometimes windy. This trail was perfect for this condition. The hike was 8.3 miles and we had a great time.
We hiked along the Nimitz Way from Inspiration Point, Tilden Park today. The hike was an out and back walk along a paved walkway took us along the ridges from Tilden Regional Park into Wildcat Canyon Regional Park for a total of 8 miles out and back. The weather was windy and rainy with an interesting ambience.
If you want astounding 4 bridge views this is the place. Sometimes crowded in the beginning but if you go out to where pavement ends you can see a canyon with coyotes laying in wait for calves of the grazing cattle or even dogs if you are not cautious and allow them to be enticed into the chase. Try it and like it.