We now head to the northern part of the city and the first of several trails in the vicinity of  Tassajara Park. The Barrett to Tassajara trail is a stairway and paved path connecting Barrett Ave, across from its intersection with La Honda Ave., with Tassajara Ave., just across the street from the park. The trail drops about 50 feet in elevation, mostly by steps with good railings on both sides.

Another small path this week, but one that could be much more. Arlington Park Trail might be just another walkway in an El Cerrito park, if it weren’t for its unrealized potential. As part of a chain of trails connecting green spaces, Arlington Park trail and the paths of Camp Herms Boy Scout Camp could help connect the Hillside Natural Area to Wildcat Canyon. If only there weren’t a fence between them.

This week we return to the Hillside Natural Area and take in the second of the two major north-south trails, the Live Oak Trail. One picture I don’t need to post is the southern entrance to this trail, since it is featured on our banner logo at the top of the page. It’s the trail on the left, the one without the dog. Not that you won’t see dogs there. The Hillside Natural Area is a popular dog-walking spot and the Live Oak trail is probably one of the best used routes.

Our last two Trails of the Week have been either long, or steep, or both. Let’s take a break this week. We’ll still take a walk, but a short one. Maybe the shortest one: #25, Gayle_WayGayle Way. “Eight short paces” is how it is described on our path list. That’s about right, though your mileage may vary. And on our original list, Gayle Way, or as we called it then “17. Gayle Court to Noble Court Mini-Path,” was explicitly cited as our shortest path.  But that may no longer be true, at least for path segments wholly within the city of El Cerrito.  Behrens Way (#58) is a IMG_2225very similar connector of two cul-de-sacs, but only half of it is in El Cerrito. Still, to paraphrase Dr Seuss,  a path is a path, no matter how small. And this isn’t a contest, though anyone who wants to is welcome to take a measuring tape to them.

In trying to describe this week’s trail, any number of words might come to mind. From it’s beginning on Potrero, it appears to be just a concrete path that disappears between two houses. If you follow it you soon discover steps, but the steps soon become a stairway, or even several flights of stairs, until you reach the top of the first segment at Julian Drive. After you cross Julian and prepare to continue on to Madera Circle the word comes to you. The Julian Steps are steep. Overall, the path is only about 800 feet long, but it rises 170 ft over that length for a grade of 21%. And the first segment of stairs uphill from Julian rises 50 ft in the space of 150 ft, for a grade of 33%. And yet the path is well used. By children! Parents and children use the path everyday to reach Madera Elementary School. Now don’t you feel ashamed for complaining about a few stairs. I know I do.