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◆ Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline ◆

SCENIC LOOP

Length: 1.8 miles

Time: 1 to 2 hours

Rating: Moderate

Regulations: EBRPD; hiking only.

Facilities: Picnic tables, toilet, water (just past the north end of the parking area), phone.

Directions: From Interstate 580 eastbound in Richmond, take the Canal Blvd./Garrard Blvd. exit, turn right and go 0.1 mile to Cutting Blvd. Turn right, go 0.3 mile to S. Garrard and turn left. Follow S. Garrard, which becomes Dornan Dr. on the south side of a tunnel, 0.7 mile to the first of two park entrances, right. The trailhead is at the south end of the north parking area, at the entrance from Dornan Dr.

From Interstate 580 westbound in Richmond, take the Canal Blvd./Garrard Blvd. exit, turn left and go 0.2 mile to Cutting Blvd., then follow the directions above.

One of the East Bay’s more urban regional parks, Miller/Knox demonstrates the value of setting aside land for recreation and preservation. Less than a mile from the parking area, and barely hidden from a heavily industrialized site, is one of the region’s most scenic spots, a 322-foot vantage point straddling San Francisco and San Pablo bays, with views extending in all directions. This loop, using the West Ridge, Crest, and Marine View trails and Old Country Road, also lets you enjoy a lovely assortment of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. This 306-acre regional shoreline was named for two EBRPD supporters in the state legislature, the late Senator George Miller, Jr. and former Assemblyman John T. Knox.

View south from the West Ridge Trail near West Ridge Point

Cross carefully to the east side of busy Dornan Dr. and find a dirt turnout just left of EBRPD’s Golden State Model Railroad Museum. From here a dirt path heads southeast to a boardwalk that zigzags across an open marshy area and then enters a stand of willow and coast live oak. After the boardwalk ends, the trail, now a single track lined with bush monkeyflower, toyon, and coyote brush, angles steeply uphill via two sets of wooden steps. Just past the first set of steps, you pass a path heading right and uphill, then continue climbing via switchbacks and a second set of steps.

At a T-junction marked by a trail post, you turn right on Old Country Road, a single track, and follow it south and then southwest toward West Ridge Point. As you make the turn, you have a beautiful view of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge and Mt. Tamalpais, which dominates the western skyline. The route continues climbing, now on a moderate grade, past overgrown thickets of blackberry and manroot. In spring, the grassy hillsides here are splattered yellow with California buttercup. A short steep pitch brings another scenic reward, as you get a sweeping view of San Francisco and San Pablo bays, Angel Island, and the hills of Marin County.

Passing a trail post and an unsigned path, left, you continue straight and begin descending to a clearing where California poppies bloom from late winter through fall on an eroded hillside. Tall Monterey pines stand guard on a ridgetop, and the slopes below are graced with toyon, willow, and bush monkeyflower. A cool breeze off the water is welcome here on a warm day. The trail crosses a ditch on two wood planks, continues through the clearing, and then negotiates a steep hillside that drops to your right. Passing a path going right and downhill, and another heading left and uphill, you continue straight to a T-junction, marked by a trail post, with the West Ridge Trail.

Here you turn left, enjoying a fine view of Brooks Island, Richmond Inner Harbor, and, in the distance, the huge cargo cranes at the Port of Oakland. The route, a rocky dirt path, climbs in the open on a moderate grade, and as you gain elevation, landmarks such as Emeryville, UC Berkeley, and the Berkeley Hills come into view. If you turn around, you are treated to a grand vista: San Francisco, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the Bay Bridge. As you climb higher you can look southwest into Raccoon Strait—the body of water between Angel Island and Tiburon—and beyond to the just-visible north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A steep climb brings you, at about the 0.8-mile point, to an exposed hilltop. This vantage point, one of the most impressive in the East Bay, gives you a 360-degree panorama of the Bay Area, making this a must-visit spot for people who enjoy learning the geography of the region in which they live. After descending briefly, you begin to climb again, soon reaching a paved summit with a rest bench and a trail junction. From this lofty perch you can see east to Wildcat Canyon and Tilden regional parks, and southeast toward Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, Round Top, and Redwood Regional Park. Here the West Ridge Trail ends, the Crest Trail goes straight, and an unnamed trail goes left over False Gun Vista Point.

Continuing straight and descending gently on the Crest Trail, a paved path, you approach East Vista Point, ahead, with a refinery left and downhill. Here you may see an American kestrel, a small falcon well-adapted to a variety of habitats, gliding on the wind or hovering aloft, searching for prey. At about the 1-mile point you reach East Vista Point, where a dirt path leads to a viewpoint, right. When you have finished enjoying the view, retrace your route to the previous junction.

From here, turn right, traverse False Gun Point, and soon reach a notch with a four-way junction. From here, the Crest Trail angles right and climbs steeply via steps to Nicholl Knob, and an unsigned trail veers sharply left. You angle slightly left on the Marine View Trail.

Soon, as you begin to cross a steep hillside where poppies cling to rock outcrops, you can see down to Dornan Dr., the parking area, and the trailhead. Once across a plank bridge, you turn left at a junction and descend moderately on a single track, eventually coming to a set of wooden steps. At the bottom of the steps you come to an unsigned fork in the route. Here you bear left and follow Old Country Road, a dirt path, across a wooden bridge, and soon close the loop at the trail coming up from the boardwalk. Now turn right and retrace your route to the parking area.