Cesar
Chavez/North Waterfront Park,
City of Berkeley,
Alameda County
In brief:
1.7 mile loop walk along the bay.
Getting there:
From Interstate 80 in Berkeley (Alameda County), exit University (exit 11). Drive
west on University about 0.4 mile, then bear right onto Marina Boulevard. Drive
north on Marina Boulevard 0.3 mile, at which point the road turns sharply left
and becomes Spinnaker. Continue 0.3 mile on Spinnaker to the parking lot at the
end of the road.
Trailhead details:
No parking or entrance fees. Parking in a small lot, with additional space along
the length of Spinnaker. Map display at the trailhead. There are several designated
handicapped parking spots, wheelchair-accessible portable toilet near the parking
lot, and paved trails perfectly suited to wheelchairs. Drinking water in several
locations throughout the park.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas in nearby Berkeley; a few restaurants in the Marina area, with more choices
on nearby Berkeley streets. No camping.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 1.7 mile loop walk is very easy, traveling on flat paved trails.
Rules:
Park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dogs are permitted on leash throughout the
park, and off leash in a designated area.
The Official Story:
City
of Berkeley's Cesar Chavez Park page
City of Berkeley's Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront: 510-981-6700
Map Choices:
Map
from City of Berkeley
Map
from Bay Trail website (download pdf)
As the Bay Trail follows the Alameda 
County
shoreline, the trail travels from park to park, like charms spaced on a bracelet.
Berkeley's Cesar Chavez/North Waterfront Park is a small park situated right on
the waterfront just north of Berkeley Marina, and hosts a Bay Trail segment with
great views of the Berkeley Hills, Angel Island, and San Francisco. This former
landfill is also a great place to fly a kite, romp with a dog, or cool off on
a scorching hot summer day, on paved, almost perfectly flat trails that are well
suited to strollers and wheelchairs.
Trails snake through a grassy, manicured area on
the south side of the park, then depart to wander the shoreline in a more natural
setting (if any setting can be natural at a former landfill). A special off-leash
area is provided for dog owners, and the park, popular with folks on a lunch break,
seems busy all day long.
Begin from the parking lot on a paved path departing
east, running along Spinnaker. When the path forks, stay to the left and make
your way around a rounded low knoll, passing an assortment of planted vegetation
on the left, including cypress, pine, and ceanothus. Just past a picnic area,
pass the entrance to the off-leash area on the left, and follow the path as it
winds through grass, passing another picnic area on the right. As you near the
south edge of the park again, bear left, walk parallel to Spinnaker once more,
then at 0.5 mile, turn left, now heading north.
The path soon leaves the manicured lawn and enters
the park's "Nature Area." Trailside vegetation is mostly fennel, mustard,
dock, and coyote brush, and squirrels (denizens of riprap) are common through
here, perched on the big rocks that protect the shoreline. You might also see
grebes swimming in the bay and egrets here and there. Views east to Berkeley are
unobstructed, and as the trail bends left, shift to include Richmond. A series
of benches make good, but sometimes windy, lunch spots. When the trail sweeps
left again, the views west open up to include Angel Island and San Francisco.
Now traveling south, look for New Zealand spinach growing draped across rocks
on the right. In summer the air blowing off the bay seems positively heaven-sent,
clean, cool, and fresh. This section of shoreline is an excellent vantage point
to enjoy a sunset on a clear day. The trail returns to the lawn-like part of the
park, and winds past one last picnic area before ending back at the parking lot.
Total distance: 1.7 miles
Last visit: Thursday, July 24, 2003
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
County
shoreline, the trail travels from park to park, like charms spaced on a bracelet.
Berkeley's Cesar Chavez/North Waterfront Park is a small park situated right on
the waterfront just north of Berkeley Marina, and hosts a Bay Trail segment with
great views of the Berkeley Hills, Angel Island, and San Francisco. This former
landfill is also a great place to fly a kite, romp with a dog, or cool off on
a scorching hot summer day, on paved, almost perfectly flat trails that are well
suited to strollers and wheelchairs. 
on the left, including cypress, pine, and ceanothus. Just past a picnic area,
pass the entrance to the off-leash area on the left, and follow the path as it
winds through grass, passing another picnic area on the right. As you near the
south edge of the park again, bear left, walk parallel to Spinnaker once more,
then at 0.5 mile, turn left, now heading north.