Best Trails near Oakland, California

Beautiful scenery with some nice mild incline.s to make it decent enough exercise for the day. We went on a Wednesday around 6:30 and there were only a few hikers and a couple of mountain bikers. Great views and easy parking. Highly recommend and would go again.

Great trail. Lots of off-leash dogs. My dog is well-socialized, so she liked it a lot. One warning: the hairpin turn from the Baccharis trail to the Dunn trail is not marked and easy to miss. Got a bit lost needlessly.

Good trek with a lot of redwoods. It does get a little steep on the back half of the hike.

The trail is easier to find if you park at Merritt College in their parking lot or along the road. Trailhead access is past the first large parking lot as you enter the second parking area, to your right. The access that is a little harder to find is off of Stoneridge and Campus Drive. Just to the north of the intersection is a gate the looks like private property. There is a walk through gate for trail access here. Nice trail, dogs can be off leash only once you get past the residents at the beginning of the trail head if you enter from Campus and Stoneridge. Shaded trail in some parts, sunny in others. This is not a loop trail and there are other trails that it will access to take you in/out different locations so pay attention where you are and where you want to come out. There is wildlife in the area so remember your trail safety at dawn/dusk. There is no water for dogs so please take care of your furry friends and remember they are wearing a fur coat

Definitely gets the heart pumping depending on which way you go. A ton of friendly people only one negative nelly who was not a fan of my dog. Some pretty parts but not enough to make me return. To be fair, I’m a sucker for redwoods! I wish there were more.

I love it. Will def do again. Lots of friendly pups and wonderful views. Beware of some steep hills!

Nice for hiking with dogs.

Excellent Trail...Plenty of Shade...Free Parking...Friendly People...would totally go again.

it was a beautiful hike.. it did get very steep and rocky at points the route we went, but overall glad i did it.

FYI no bathroom. Nice trail though.

sooo dusty but great views of the bay. not really in the redwoods at all lots of sun

stream trail is the best, all in redwoods and always chillly

Whether you start from either French Trail or Stream Trail, there's good elevation coming in and out of it. You’ll find several picnic tables along the way and enough bathroom facilities. There's also lots of side trails to explore.

My AllTrails app suddenly stopped recording at one point so I wasn't able to full record my hike but that's ok (pardon the gap on my recording).

If you decide to hike on a weekend and choose Skyline Gate Staging Area as your starting point, try to get there before 8am to have a better chance at finding parking (vs street parking).

The shooting range has closed

What is great about this trail is that you can make it as long or short as you like. There ate lots of trails that off shoot this trail so if you want an extension or if you want to cut it short you can. The French trail is one of my favorites because first of all it’s beautiful, it’s up-and-down to get a nice workout and no bikes!
it really is a good idea to get there early as it does get crowded and it tends to get warm as you’re making your way uphill back to the parking lot. Definitely put this one on you list!

Very nice elevation loop. You will feel the burn. Start as early as possible.

Came here for a hike, but probably wouldn’t come back for a regular hike. Noticed mountain bikers and trail runners, and it seems like a great trail for that. The hike itself was just so so- not the most scenic or interesting in this area.

Within few minutes you forget that you are very near to some of the busiest cities. A close-up experience with nature, this moderately rated hike will help you appreciate the much needed quiet time you are missing after living in the city. Good for kids who can manage some elevation.

Really nice trail- took our newly adopted dog out on this loop for her first hike and will definitely be back

Great opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of floors and fauna.

Got to Skyline parking lot before 8am on a Sunday and it was already full so had to park along the street. Hike down Stream Trail and to the other parking lot was pretty easy, shaded and downhill, passing by campsites and redwoods. Headed back via French trail, which requires some uphill initially and then a few portions of up and downhill, nothing too strenuous. Overall a good hike, just get there early.

River trail is flat and a pleasant walk. French trail portion is strenuous but fun. Lots of foilage and shade

Good share on the trail in the first and last mile in the Nature Area, but know that dogs are NOT allowed on this portion of the trail. Once you are out of the nature area, the trails are much busier and exposed, so bring plenty of water! There was also a LOT of poison oak along the way and overgrown plants blocking portions of the trail, so dress appropriately.

Once you get up the views are glorious! On a clear day you can see all the way to SF! The second half is through cow pasture.

If you’re a beginner trail runner like me, I’d just do the Sequoia Bayview trail as an out-and-back. Beautiful trees, found it quite tranquil in the morning. Going west on the Cinderella trail is SUPER steep downhill and quite rocky. Fun to hike, but slightly terrifying if you’re a new trail runner.

Nice trail with shade trees interspersed. Benches begin to appear after about one mile. FYI: You must drive onto private property to find the parking lot and trail head. Popular spot for dog walkers but all we met were friendly with their charges under control.

Great for stroller walks. I miss living by Lake Merritt- such a lovely place to walk and run.

Nice 1.5-2 hour loop. First leg of Golden Spike parallels Redwood Rd so there is some road noise at first but not bad. Also very few people on this stretch. Once on Tate trail, it traverses away from the road so much more quiet. Bigger crowds emerged once the trail met up with West Ridge. Would do again.

People do not keep their dogs on a leash even though the rules are to do so!!!

Other than being unsure of people’s dogs level of friendliness while walking, the experience is nice. I love the views of the redwoods and the creek. Oh and the lady bug habitat.

Lots of bathrooms along the trails.

A great hiking experience, minus the dogs not on a leash.

Great trail for a walk in the woods. Many people bring dogs and some are off-leash so be prepared. There are a lot of birds and in the spring the flowers are beautiful & the water flows in the creek creating a serene oasis.