UC Berkeley to De La Veaga Trail is a 7.7 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Berkeley, California that offers scenic views and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round.
I enjoyed the Berkeley Panorama bit a lot. Challenging in that the few hills are steep and have lots of loose rocks. The view was wonderful (I went on a clear day). Lots of people walking with their dogs, too. The De Lavega trail, however, left a lot to be desired. I didn’t realize until we got there that we’d have to go up a bit along the road and then cross to reach the start of the trail. It wasn’t terrible nor that far, but there isn’t much of a shoulder so it could be dangerous. The De Lavega trail is exposed so it got hot, fast. Didn’t see the goats, just some cows, and we had to dodge lots of cow poop along the trail. Pretty unexciting trail. It didn’t feel worth it to continue on to this trail. Next time I’ll stick to just the Berkeley trail.
I really enjoy the climb up Panoramic Hill. Previously I've hiked up it from the Claremont side, but this was my first time from UC Berkeley. I liked going up all the steps on this trail. It's a great workout! But I think once you get to Grizzly Park Blvd, you're better served going back down or hiking up to Vollmer Peak in Tilden. I didn't feel comfortable walking along the road as it was a little foggy that morning and there isn't much of a shoulder. And the De La Veaga trail isn't very nice. I feel like if you're going to hike that far on De La Veaga, you might as well go all the way to Orinda and take the Bart back to Berkeley.
Dog friendly trail. It was dun seeing goats. Ups and downs. Sun and shade. As a beginner- yes it was tough, but totally doable!