Take Hwy 13 towards Hayward, exit Redwood Blvd. and drive about 5 miles West and you will reach my school. Wonderful kids, but not the best neighborhood. Warring gangs, run down apartments and a lot of sirens.
Take Hwy 13 towards Hayward, exit Redwood Blvd and drive about 8 miles East and you will reach Redwood Park. Beautiful trails for hiking, mountain biking and trail running. There are also picnic benches and a lovely little stream.
Being on October break, today we headed East, rather than West, and enjoyed a 4.5 mile trail run…well hike. My lengthy hill run yesterday left me more in the mood for a hike today. Redwood Park is an excellent spot for trail running and hiking. While there were larger bike paths (at least partially paved), there were also more narrow trails branching off in a variety of directions. There were some steep sections, but I’ve learned that incline is something that isn’t easily separated from Oakland running.
Redwood Park: Beginning of our chosen trail
While we were on the wrong side of the hill to enjoy any big views of the bay, it is a wonderfully secluded park. The trails we followed were almost completely shaded with beautiful Redwoods and other trees. I’m curious about how busy this park gets on the weekends, though I imagine the numerous smaller trails must not get too crowded. Though the fire road/bike path might see some more action on a Sunday morning.
Redwood Park
As we reached the trail head we saw a quick little lizard with a ridiculously long tail darting about. Being a boy, Dale had the undeniable urge to pick the little guy up and was rewarded with a big bite to the finger. Don’t touch the lizards.
Redwood Park
Rating: Beautiful
