Читать книгу Urban Trails East Bay - Alexandra Kenin - Страница 33
Оглавление| 5 | Wildcat Canyon Regional Park |
| DISTANCE: | 6.8 miles |
| ELEVATION GAIN: | 1060 feet |
| HIGH POINT: | 1060 feet |
| DIFFICULTY: | Moderate |
| FITNESS: | Hikers, runners |
| FAMILY-FRIENDLY: | Parents with small children could do an out-and-back on the Wildcat Canyon Trail for an easier hike |
| DOG-FRIENDLY: | Off leash and under voice control in open areas; on leash on Nimitz Way and developed areas |
| AMENITIES: | Porta-potties and picnic area at the Alvarado Staging Area; a few benches along the trail |
| CONTACT: | East Bay Regional Park District |
| GPS: | 37°57'7.2396" N 122°19'6.3912" W |
| MAP TO: | Alvarado Staging Area, Park Avenue, Richmond, CA |
GETTING THERE
Public Transit: AC Transit bus 72 stops at the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and McBryde Avenue, a 1.1-mile walk from the Alvarado Staging Area.
Parking: There are numerous free parking spots at the Alvarado Staging Area off Park Avenue in Richmond.
Covering 2789 acres, Wildcat Canyon is a popular destination for hikers, runners, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and wildlife. The park is home to a wide range of animals, including deer, squirrels, foxes, coyotes, and snakes. Until the 1920s, the canyon was a drinking water source for the East Bay, but in 1936 the East Bay Regional Park District acquired 1910 acres of this land as parkland, making this one of the district’s first three parks. (Upper Wildcat Canyon was later turned into Tilden Regional Park.)
Alvarado Park, the northwestern section of Wildcat Canyon where this hike starts, used to be a private park; it was taken over by the City of Richmond in 1923 and transferred to the East Bay Regional Park District and made part of Wildcat Canyon in 1985. It was once home to an open-air pavilion, a dance hall (later converted into a roller rink), and more somberly, the Grande Vista Sanitarium, a center for people struggling with addiction and other mental health issues. Wildcat Canyon contains Works Progress Administration–era stone masonry work, which has earned the park a spot in the National Register of Historic Places.
The featured route starts out slowly, but builds to be much more interesting as it goes along. From the Wildcat Creek Trail, a wide fire trail, you’ll take the singletrack Havey Canyon Trail to enjoy a tree-lined ascent. After a short stint on paved Nimitz Way, you arrive at the highlight of the hike, the San Pablo Ridge Trail, where you’ll take in views of Mount Diablo, Mount Tamalpais, San Francisco Bay, San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge. From here you head downhill, passing the former sanitarium site, and eventually returning to the start.
This hike is pretty in the winter or spring after a rainstorm, when the grass on the hills is green (though the trails can be muddy). In spring, with good timing, you can expect to see a number of wildflower species. In summer, expect the weather to be hot. Make sure to bring enough water.
GET MOVING
From the end of the long paved driveway in the Alvarado Staging Area (situated at the end of Park Avenue in Richmond), pick up the Wildcat Creek Trail. Pass the Belgum Trail on your left after 0.3 mile and the Mezue Trail after another 1.6 miles. You can take the Mezue Trail if you want to shorten the hike by 1.2 miles. (You’d then follow these directions from the San Pablo Ridge Trail.) To do the full featured route, continue past the Mezue Trail 0.3 mile farther to the Rifle Range Road Trail. Here, take a quick detour to your right to see a WPA-era stone arch bridge across Wildcat Creek. Return to the Wildcat Canyon Trail, and in another 200 feet, take a left on the Havey Canyon Trail.
Rolling hills on Wildcat Canyon’s San Pablo Ridge Trail
You’ll be on the Havey Canyon Trail for 1.5 miles, during which time you’ll climb 540 feet. For the first mile of this singletrack trail, you’ll cross through woods lined with laurel trees, blackberry, and poison oak. You’ll walk along Wildcat Creek and cross it after 0.7 mile. After another 0.3 mile, emerge from the woods and enter a grassy area. I’ve seen a number of cows—and coyotes—on this stretch. For this reason, while this area is off leash for dogs, I advise you to keep your dog close here. After the last 0.5 mile on this stretch, you reach paved Nimitz Way, where you’ll turn left. Nimitz Way is named for Chester William Nimitz Sr., an admiral in the US Navy who served as the commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet during World War II.
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
The Belgum Trail is named for the founder of the Grande Vista Sanitarium that stood here from 1914 to 1977. Dr. Hendrik Belgum established this sanitarium to house drug and alcohol addicts as well as people with mental health issues. You’ll know you’re entering the sanitarium’s former grounds when you suddenly see palm trees along the Belgum Trail. Dr. Belgum perished in a brush fire behind the center in 1948. After his passing, his brother, Bernard Belgum, and sisters, Ida Ruth Belgum and Christine Heiman, tended to the estate—though they had no medical training.
When Bernard Belgum died in 1963, there were no heirs to inherit Grande Vista. The grounds were abandoned and the rest of the buildings burned down in 1977. In 1978, the East Bay Regional Park District acquired the land.
On this 0.7-mile section of the route, you’ll climb an additional 100 feet. (Dogs must be on leash here.) About 0.4 mile into Nimitz Way, a former Nike missile site is above you on the hill to your right. You also start to see Mount Diablo to the southeast and the Golden Gate Bridge to the southwest across the bay.
When you reach the San Pablo Ridge Trail, head left. After 0.1 mile, bear right to stay on the San Pablo Ridge Trail at the junction with the Mezue Trail. For me, this 1.4-mile stretch of trail with views is the highlight of this hike. Though you’ve already done most of the climbing on this route, you still have to contend with a few rolling hills and then a big descent that drops you onto the Belgum Trail at a junction with the Clark-Boas and Oil Well Trails.
Take the Belgum Trail 0.9 mile—all the way back down to the Wildcat Creek Trail. After about 0.4 mile on this trail, take a quick detour to stop at a bench to get great views of San Francisco. When you reach the Wildcat Creek Trail, turn right and continue the final 0.3 mile back to the start.
Hikers on Tilden Nature Area’s Peak Trail can catch views of Mount Diablo.
