Upcoming Hikes

Recent Hikes

Winter Biome Hike
Sunday, January 11, 2026, 10 am to 12 pm
Meet at the Schmidt Lane Trailhead, 7501 Schmidt Lane, near the Recycling Center

​Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers and nature enthusiast and hike leader Robert Schaadt on a hike to explore the various plant and animal communities of the Hillside Natural Area. Stroll trails while we identify up to 30 native plants and their different habitats.

This hike is the second in a series held quarterly aimed at enjoying the Hillside’s biomes and their changes through the seasons.

Cancelled -- Holiday Hike
Saturday, December 20
3:15 - 5:15 PM
 
Regrettably, due to the likelihood of rain Saturday afternoon, we have cancelled this event.  Because the Shadi Display will close Dec. 26, this event will not be rescheduled this year.    

Enjoy late afternoon winter views in the Hillside Natural Area and the evening lighting of the Sundar Shadi Holiday Display on Moeser Lane.  Wade Huntley and Barbara Lass will lead this two-mile holiday-themed hike.  The hike ending at the Shadi Display will include light seasonal refreshments and docents providing display information.
 
Meet at Moeser Lane and Shevlin Drive. The route includes some climbing and descending. On the day of the hike, please check the Trail Trekkers website (ectrailtrekkers.org) for weather updates.
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Point San Pablo Exploration
Saturday, December 6, 2025, 9:30 am to 12 pm
​1950 Stenmark Drive, Richmond

ALERT for everyone planning to attend the Saturday, Dec. 6 Point San Pablo Exploration:
 
We’ve just learned that some navigation applications show 1950 Stenmark Drive as located in places other than at Point San Pablo where we will be meeting. After exiting from I-580 just before the RSR Bridge toll plaza, follow Stenmark Drive past Point Molate's “castle” with crenellate parapets to end of the road where you will go through a key-padded gate to enter the City of Richmond's former marine Terminal 4. Do not turn right and go over the steep hill to the Point San Pablo Harbor.
 
The gate will be open from 9 to 9:30 AM. After passing through it, park in the large off-road parking lot on left immediately after passing by the Good Hot sauna facilities.

Hike Description:
​Pt. San Pablo Exploration, Saturday, December 6, 9:30 am to 12 pm. Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers and Bruce Beyaert, chair of TRAC, Trails for Richmond Action Committee, in exploring Point San Pablo. Pt. San Pablo is a scenic regional landmark defining the San Pablo Straits separating San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. We will explore the shoreline and uplands of City of Richmond former marine Terminal 4 and walk the planned Bay Trail route to visit colorful Point San Pablo Harbor with its collection of sculptures created for Burning Man. This is an opportunity to learn about the rich history of Point San Pablo and its potential for recreational enjoyment. Optional lunch at the harbor’s Sailing Goat restaurant after the walk.

Difficulty: Level, but uneven surfaces, two-mile out-and-back walk with an optional 100-foot hill. Rain cancels. No dogs.
 
Meet: 1950 Stenmark Drive at the end of the road. It is crucial to arrive before 9:30 because the gate locks after that. Stenmark Drive is the exit from I-580 westbound just before the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. Don’t go to San Quentin!
 
Questions? Contact Dave Weinstein, 510-529-5432, [email protected]

First Annual El Cerrito Public Paths Festival, Saturday-Sunday, November 1-2
For More Information, Click Here.

Mostly Yard Art Hike #2
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meet at Arlington Market, 6462 Arlington Boulevard, Richmond (Please do not park in their lot)

The more you look the more you see! Second in a series featuring yard art and more. Our sometimes steep and strenuous walk will meander about three miles from the Arlington Market to a large cup faced with Tepco potsherds and back, with an optional excursion at the end to the Gyuto Foundation's short trail bordering Wildcat Canyon. You will also see the site of a short path Trekkers have proposed to build at Tassajara Park, and traverse some of El Cerrito's lesser-known paths.

Intrepid yard art aficionados Regina Gilligan, Laura Lent and Kim Luong will lead the hike. Wear sturdy shoes, bring water and a snack. We will take one public bathroom break about two hours into the hike.

1st Seasonal Biome Hike
Sunday, October 12, 2025, 10 a.m. to noon
Meet at the Schmidt Lane Trailhead, 7501 Schmidt Lane, near the Recycling Center

Join nature enthusiast Robert Schaadt for a hike to explore the various biomes of the Hillside Natural Area. Stroll trails while we identify up to 30 different native plants and trees and observe their different habitats. The Hillside has several representations of the different biomes in the Bay Area. This hike is the first in a series planned quarterly in 2025 and 2026 aimed at exploring the Hillside’s biomes and their changes through the seasons.

Image:  Hikers enjoy one of Robert Schaadt’s previous biome hikes.
Photo Dave Weinstein

Missile March
Saturday, August 23, 2025, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with one hour lunch break at site.
​Meet at Rifle Range Road trailhead to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park

In the 1950s and 1960s, two dozen Nike anti-aircraft missile sites crowned Bay Area hilltops. The facilities aimed to protect the Bay Area from attack by Soviet Union nuclear-armed bombers and missiles.

Join this hike to the remains of one such site in El Cerrito’s backyard, on San Pablo Ridge in Wildcat Canyon Regional Park.  At the site, hike leaders Wade Huntley (international security specialist) and Barbara Lass (archaeologist) will provide short presentations on the history, nuclear capability and archaeology of the Nike program and the site complex. 

​The hike from the trailhead includes a descent (about 300 feet) into Wildcat Canyon and then a climb (about. 700 feet) to the site on the ridge top. The round trip back to the trailhead covers a bit under five miles.  But no actual marching required!

SF08L-SF09L Launcher Area, San Pablo Ridge, circa late 1950s.
View looking to the west

Tiburon Ridge Hike / Old St. Hilary's Preserve
Saturday, August 16, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Meet at 3150 Paradise Drive, Tiburon

Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers and Trust for Public Land on the newly expanded Old St. Hilary’s Preserve in Tiburon on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 am to 12 pm. Hike leader Erica Williams worked to expand this open space first as a community advocate then as a project manager for TPL. We’ll trek up Tiburon Uplands Preserve to view the San Francisco skyline, the Golden Gate, Angel Island, the hills of El Cerrito and more. Steep. Meet across from the Romberg campus of San Francisco State, 3150 Paradise Drive, Tiburon. Parking is available along the road. Free.

For more information, visit Marin County Parks website: https://parks.marincounty.gov/parkspreserves/preserves/old-saint-hilarys

​Questions?  Dave Weinstein, 510-529-5432, [email protected]

Kensington Paths Tour
Saturday, July 26, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Meet at 299 Arlington Avenue, Kensington

Celebrate Kensington Paths on our Kensington Paths Tour. Visit a set of paths in Kensington that go between streets and were originally created to facilitate access to streetcars and later buses. Guide Rodney Paul will discuss the history of the paths and efforts to secure public ownership by the Kensington Pathkeepers group he's involved in.  We will see two paths that are blocked and hear about efforts to improve the others.
The roughly 1.5 mile-tour will go at a moderate pace, but much of the route is quite steep, so participants should have a level of fitness to ascend stairs and streets such as Coventry Avenue.  Walking sticks may be useful.
At 11:30 a.m. at the foot of the Ardmore Stairs, just below the Arlington, there will be a ceremony marking the county’s adoption of several of these public paths. Beverages and light refreshments will be served and a short program will include remarks from community leaders who played key roles leading to public acquisition of the paths. 
 Saturday July 26, 2025. 10 a.m. to roughly noon. Meet by Raxakoul Coffee & Cheese, 299 Arlington Ave. Free.
 Note: An earlier announcement said the tour would end at Colusa Circle. The tour will end at its starting point at Raxakoul Coffee.

Rodney Paul, center, toured the paths with county Supervisor John Gioia, Pathkeeper volunteer Lisa Caronna, and others, as all worked to preserve the paths. Photo by Mark Altenberg.

Hillside Biome Hike
Sunday, June 8, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Meet at Regency Court trailhead at the end of the cul-de-sac

​Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers on a Hillside Biome Walk on Sunday, June 8 from 10 am to noon. For a small (100-acre) spot, the Hillside Natural Area features a wide variety of ‘biomes’ – plant and animal communities - from riparian habitat to open fields to oak forest.

Hike leader Robert Schaadt will give a tour that will cover the plants and habitats found on the hillside, including oak forests, grasslands and more. Meet at the northern Regency Court entry to the Hillside, at the cul-de-sac.

Wildcat Workout Hike
Saturday, May 17, 12:00 - 4:30 pm. Meet at Rifle Range Road trailhead

Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers on Saturday, May 17 at noon until approximately 4:30 pm for a strenuous and often steep hike through Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. Dave Weinstein will discuss a bit of the canyon’s history – explaining why a highway runs through it – but mostly we will walk. Bring hiking poles, snacks and water, dress in layers and wear serious shoes. This will be a six to eight mile trek, determined by the will of the hikers. Meet at the Rifle Range Road entrance to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. Information: Dave Weinstein, 510-529-5432, [email protected]

El Cerrito Hillside Festival 2025
Saturday - Sunday, May 3 - 4, all day at various locations in the El Cerrito Hillside

Join us for many hikes led by experts on varied topics throughout the weekend. For a PDF file of the Hillside Festival Brochure, including a map of the Hillside Natural Area indicating the locations for the start of each event, click here (opens new page or tab).  

BioBlitz 2025
Saturday, April 26, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Meet at end of Regency Court

Join us for a BioBlitz to explore, discover, and learn about the wildlife and biodiversity in the Hillside Natural Area (HNA). With oak woodlands, small creeks, and open meadows, the HNA hosts a remarkable amount of biodiversity, but there is still so much we don’t know.

This BioBlitz event is part of the 2025 City Nature Challenge, a global friendly competition among cities to make the most observations of their local plants and wildlife April 25-28. It helps (1) El Cerrito’s planning to manage and conserve the HNA while making it more fire resilient, (2) the SF Bay Area’s stats and rank in the CNC global competition, and (3) scientists more broadly to understand biodiversity and the effects of climate change.
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No experience needed - ambassadors & wildlife experts will be on hand to help us explore. If you can, please install the iNaturalist app on your device and create an account. If you can’t, please join us regardless. Meet at the trailhead at the end of Regency Court (Map it: 1590 Regency Court, El Cerrito).

San Francisco Pier to Pier
Sunday, April 13, 2:00 - 5:00 pm. 

Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers on a San Francisco Pier to Pier Hike on Sunday, April 13, 2 to 5 pm. Meet at the rear, bay side of the Ferry Building at the northeastern end of the building (find Gott’s and then walk behind it to the bay side of the building).

Years ago, finger piers reaching into the sea formed the shorelines of many American cities. Most cities have lost their piers – but not San Francisco. Several have been restored and opened to the public – and more will see similar changes in the future. Learn about their history and future as we walk from the Ferry Building to Pier 39’s sea lions. Consider joining us at a café after the hike. Dress in layers!

​Leader:  Dave Weinstein, 510-529-5432, [email protected]

Harem Scarem Walk:
El Cerrito History Through the Eyes of a Local Author
Saturday, April 5, 2025, 1-3 PM

Learn about El Cerrito in the 1930s and 1940s on this guided walk which highlights the places referred to in Neva Calvert Carpenter’s 2006 memoir, Harem Scarem: The Life of a Little Girl Growing up in El Cerrito, California. Barbara Lass and Meredith McGuire will lead this 3 mile walking tour at an easy pace on level ground with one short optional climb. 

The starting point for the hike is the southwest corner of Pomona and Fairmount. 

This event is co-sponsored by El Cerrito Trail Trekkers and the El Cerrito Historical Society. The El Cerrito Historical Society Book Club will meet to discuss Harem Scarem on Saturday, March 29, at 2 PM at the Kensington Public Library. All are welcome.  For more information on this meeting, click here to visit the El Cerrito Historical Society website.  
 
You do not have to read the book to enjoy this walk.  Those interested in reading it can download a PDF version at this Google Drive location, also linked from the El Cerrito Historical Society website.  If you would like a paper copy, please contact Barbara Lass by email:  barbara.lass --at-- att.net. 

Friday Sunset Ramble
Friday, March 21, 2025, 5:00 pm

​Celebrate Spring and later sunsets on an evening hike through the Hillside Natural Area with El Cerrito Trail Trekkers’ Alina Constantinescu on Friday, March 21 from 5:00 to 7:30 pm.  Meet at the Memorial Grove entrance to the Hillside Natural Area on Schmidt Lane near the Recycling Center. The green hills are nothing short of spectacular this time of the year. The hike is about 3.7 miles and 800 feet elevation gain. It is expected to take 2.5 hours.  The trails are steep, but we'll walk at a moderate pace, with breaks as needed to enjoy the scenery and the conversation. Free.

Madera Open Space 10th Anniversary
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 6:00 pm

Attend a celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the preservation of Madera Open Space. The city acquired Madera Open Space, a central part of the Hillside Natural Area, on March 19, 2014, thanks to the effort of Trekkers, the El Cerrito High School Mountain Biking Team, Trust for Public Land, and dozens of volunteers and donors.

Let’s celebrate this accomplishment 10 years later to the day with a compact stroll of about 45 minutes through the many diverse areas that make this 7.5 acres so special: grassland dotted with native flowers, a riparian corridor along a year round creek, oak forest and more. The Madera Open Space connects the two sides of the Hillside Natural Area, providing opportunities for loop hikes. 

​Did you help save this land by working or donating to its purchase? Join us! Are you just learning about this preservation campaign for the first time? Please attend.

Meet at 6 p.m. by the sign honoring donors who helped purchases this valuable property. It is just below the stairs to the open space from Madera Circle, with the trailhead between 1552 and 1560 Madera Circle.

Footsteps to the Past: Hiking Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline
Sunday, February 23, 10 am - 12:00 pm

Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers for Footsteps to the Past: Hiking Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline. Walk the water’s edge and climb Potrero Ridge for magnificent bay views. The peaceful park you see today belies the struggle for its preservation and the slow process of reclaiming nature from industry. Peek into a storied past as we visit spots such as Ferry Point, terminus of the transcontinental railroad, and Nicholl Knob, where the Botts airship was once wrecked. Retired East Bay Regional Parks supervising naturalist Dave Zuckermann leads this easy-paced 2.5-mile hike with a few very, very steep sections. Free.
 
Meet at the park’s main entrance: the first parking lot to the right off Dornan Drive in Richmond: https://www.ebparks.org/parks/miller-knox#reach. 

Sausalito Stairways
Saturday, January 18, 3:00 - 5:00 pm

Join El Cerrito Trail Trekkers in Sausalito on Saturday, January 18th at 3:00 pm for a Sausalito Stairway hike as we explore some of Sausalito’s most charming public stairways and paths – and some of the more obscure. There will be many very steep stairs and the footing can get questionable, especially if it is wet. We will also discuss historical and architectural tidbits about this fascinating town.

Join the group after the hike for refreshments in a local watering hole. Led by David Weinstein.

​Meet at the corner of Bee and Bonita streets.

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