Don
Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Alameda County
In brief:
5.9 mile loop skirting salt ponds south of the Dumbarton Bridge.
Getting there:
From CA 84 in Alameda County, exit Paseo Padre Parkway/Thornton Avenue (this is
exit 36, the first exit after the toll plaza, traveling east). Drive south on
Thornton about 0.8 mile, then turn right into the refuge. Continue about 0.5 mile,
and turn left into the parking lot at the end of the road.
Trailhead details:
No parking or entrance fees. Lots of parking in a paved lot. There are designated
handicapped parking spots, and wheelchairs should be able to travel short distances
in the refuge. The park is open from 7 a.m. to dusk. Drinking water, maps, and
restrooms available at the Visitor Center. Pay phone at edge of parking lot. This
park is accessible by public transit. Visit the Transit
Info website for details.
Gas, food, and lodging:
There are no services in the immediate area: gas, stores, and restaurants in Newark.
No camping.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
Thie 5.9 mile loop hike, like all hikes here, is very easy. Trail elevation
ranges from sea level to about 135 feet. Total elevation change for this hike
is about 170 feet.
Rules:
Trails are open to hikers and cyclists. Dogs are permitted on leash only, only
on Tidelands Trail.
The Official Story:
Department of Fish and Game's Don
Edwards page
Refuge
brochure (pdf)
Park office 510-792-0222.
Cargill
Salt's website
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Refuge
map (pdf)
• South Bay Trails, by Jean Rusmore, Betsy Crowder, and Frances
Spangle (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and a suggested hike.
• East Bay Trails, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a good map and a featured hike.
Don
Edwards Wildlife Refuge in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide
to the featured hike.
View
photos from this hike.
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay 
National
Wildlife Refuge, with over 23,000 acres, proclaims itself the largest urban wildlife
refuge in the country. Most of the refuge stretches along the marshy shoreline
north and south of the Dumbarton Bridge, but Bair Island, in San Mateo County,
is also part of the system. The refuge's headquarters are located at the edge
of industrial Newark, and some of its wetlands are salt ponds managed by Cargill
Salt. From the Visitor Center two trails depart: one a short and easy self-guided
loop, and the other a 5 mile flat circuit around the salt ponds. The two can easily
be strung together for a 6+ mile tour, perfect for a daily run or easy walk.
Start at the edge of the parking lot and begin
walking up the paved trail toward the Visitor Center. After a few steps a
gravel path veers off to the right, marked by a restrooms sign. Turn right.
The path soon ends at a paved road and signed junction. 
Cross
the road and go straight, following a sign for the Learning Center. After
about 350 feet you'll reach a signed junction just before an interpretive display.
Turn right, toward Tidelands Trail and Pavilion. The gravel path descends
a bit, then turns sharply left (a path to the Learning Center breaks off to the
right). A tangle of blackberry vines sprawls on the right and fennel is common
all around. The trail transitions to an elevated boardwalk above a sea of pickleweed.
When the boardwalk passes over Newark Slough, look in the water for snowy and
great egrets. A little red building on the right serves as a picnic shelter. At
0.25 mile, the boardwalk ends at a signed T junction. Turn right.
Newark Slough Loop Trail begins a long circuit
around a series of salt ponds. Depending on the season and the stage of salt development,
the water may range from green to mauve.
When I visited in late June these ponds echoed the colors of a sunset; violet
in the deepest water and burnt orange at the shoreline, with a thick crust of
salt encircling them like a rimmed margarita glass. Avocets, stilts, terns, and
swallows were all common on my early summer hike, and according to the refuge's
bird checklist, a variety of other birds can be spotted, from the endangered clapper
rail to white pelicans to kites, hawks, ospreys, and eagles. Trailside vegetation
is sparse, and consists mostly of salt-loving ground cover like pickleweed and
alkali heath, which boasts tiny purple flowers in summer. The initial miles of
Newark Slough Trail run between the slough and salt ponds, with nice views north
to Coyote Hills, and west to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Unfortunately traffic noise from Highway 84 is noisy and constant, although as
the trail bends south you'll enter a quieter area of the refuge. The trail remains
perfectly flat. 
When
I visited the southernmost shoreline was the saltiest, and even the trail surface
was coated in places with a thick layer of crystals that crunched underfoot. Walking
east you'll have good views of Mission Peak and Walpert Ridge, home to Garin/Dry
Creek Pioneer Park. Near some Cargill Salt buildings the trail passes around
a gate and takes a sharp turn left. On the right a depressingly barren field buffers
noise from Thornton Avenue. At 4.32 miles Newark Slough Loop Trail heads left,
while a dirt road veers right. You'll pass around another gate and return to a
more peaceful area, once more traveling between Newark Slough and the salt ponds.
At 5.04 miles you'll reach a signed junction near a picnic table. Turn right
onto Tidelands Trail.
A bridge passes over Newark Slough, then return
to solid ground. Ignore a few shortcut trails and follow Tidelands Trail to the
left 
as
it climbs easily through grassland dotted with buckwheat, California poppy, horehound,
and mustard. At 5.17 miles you'll reach an interpretive display and a junction.
Stay to the right on Tidelands Trail.
The trail ascends slightly, passes a closed
trail on the left, then curves left and drops through an area with nonnative vegetation
including century plant. Squirrels are common in this part of the refuge. At 5.37
miles a spur trail heads right from a signed junction. Stay to the left on
Tidelands Trail. As the broad trail ascends, you might notice toyon mixed
through the grassland, along with coyote brush and a few acacia trees. At 5.44
miles Harrier Trail slips off to the right. Continue straight on Tidelands
Trail. Persisting uphill at an easy grade, the trail features interpretive
displays every so often. In summer look for butterflies feeding on buckwheat plants.
At 5.62 miles trails depart to the left and right, but continue straight
a few steps further, to the hilltop. Take a short flight of steps uphill on
the left, where at about 5.68 miles you'll reach a lookout and the refuge's
highest elevation. When you're ready go back down the stairs, then turn left.
Tidelands Trail descends, with sagebrush common
along the trail. At 5.74 miles stay to the right as another trail feeds
in from the left. The trail shifts from dirt to pavement just before the Visitor
Center. Follow the pavement back downhill to a junction at 5.90 miles. Turn
right and retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 5.93 miles
Last hiked: Friday, June 28, 2002
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
National
Wildlife Refuge, with over 23,000 acres, proclaims itself the largest urban wildlife
refuge in the country. Most of the refuge stretches along the marshy shoreline
north and south of the Dumbarton Bridge, but Bair Island, in San Mateo County,
is also part of the system. The refuge's headquarters are located at the edge
of industrial Newark, and some of its wetlands are salt ponds managed by Cargill
Salt. From the Visitor Center two trails depart: one a short and easy self-guided
loop, and the other a 5 mile flat circuit around the salt ponds. The two can easily
be strung together for a 6+ mile tour, perfect for a daily run or easy walk.
Cross
the road and go straight, following a sign for the Learning Center. After
about 350 feet you'll reach a signed junction just before an interpretive display.
Turn right, toward Tidelands Trail and Pavilion. The gravel path descends
a bit, then turns sharply left (a path to the Learning Center breaks off to the
right). A tangle of blackberry vines sprawls on the right and fennel is common
all around. The trail transitions to an elevated boardwalk above a sea of pickleweed.
When the boardwalk passes over Newark Slough, look in the water for snowy and
great egrets. A little red building on the right serves as a picnic shelter. At
0.25 mile, the boardwalk ends at a signed T junction. Turn right.
When I visited in late June these ponds echoed the colors of a sunset; violet
in the deepest water and burnt orange at the shoreline, with a thick crust of
salt encircling them like a rimmed margarita glass. Avocets, stilts, terns, and
swallows were all common on my early summer hike, and according to the refuge's
bird checklist, a variety of other birds can be spotted, from the endangered clapper
rail to white pelicans to kites, hawks, ospreys, and eagles. Trailside vegetation
is sparse, and consists mostly of salt-loving ground cover like pickleweed and
alkali heath, which boasts tiny purple flowers in summer. The initial miles of
Newark Slough Trail run between the slough and salt ponds, with nice views north
to Coyote Hills, and west to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Unfortunately traffic noise from Highway 84 is noisy and constant, although as
the trail bends south you'll enter a quieter area of the refuge. The trail remains
perfectly flat. 
When
I visited the southernmost shoreline was the saltiest, and even the trail surface
was coated in places with a thick layer of crystals that crunched underfoot. Walking
east you'll have good views of Mission Peak and Walpert Ridge, home to Garin/Dry
Creek Pioneer Park. Near some Cargill Salt buildings the trail passes around
a gate and takes a sharp turn left. On the right a depressingly barren field buffers
noise from Thornton Avenue. At 4.32 miles Newark Slough Loop Trail heads left,
while a dirt road veers right. You'll pass around another gate and return to a
more peaceful area, once more traveling between Newark Slough and the salt ponds.
At 5.04 miles you'll reach a signed junction near a picnic table. Turn right
onto Tidelands Trail.
as
it climbs easily through grassland dotted with buckwheat, California poppy, horehound,
and mustard. At 5.17 miles you'll reach an interpretive display and a junction.
Stay to the right on Tidelands Trail. 