RSVP REQUIRED
Please RSVP above or e-mail mitcnchikers-owner =>at>= yahoogroups.com
Distance: ~ 8.0 miles Mostly dirt trails with short stretches of paved road Elevation Gain: 1500' Moderate Est. Time: 4-5 hours Parking: Free Restrooms are available at the trailhead and at several points along the hike (see Tilden Park map).
Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash if they are within 200 ft of a trail.
Description:
The hike begins at Inspiration Point at the NE entrance to Tilden Park. We will head downhill on a trail paralleling Wildcat Canyon Road then cross the road to pick up Seaview trail. This is part of the East Bay Skyline National Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail. There are nice views of San Francisco and the bay as well as San Pablo Reservoir to the east. Next is the ascent of Vollmer Peak, site of the East Bay hills camera seen on KGO TV. At 1900 ft. elevation it is the highest point along the hike. Descending from the peak we follow the Vollmer Peak trail down to the facility of the Golden Gate Live Steamers (Continuous Dedication to Live Steaming & Model Engineering Since 1936). Here there are picnic tables, water and restrooms, This will be our lunch stop. After lunch will be a short tour of the model steam trains and their maintenance shop.
We'll rejoin the Vollmer Peak Trail and continue northwest down to its junction with South Park Drive, closed at this time to protect migrating newts. Proceed past the UC botanic Gardens and pick up the Wildcat Gorge Trail. This follows a creek with mini-waterfalls for about a mile. The Meadows Canyon Trail returns us to our starting point.
A map of Tilden park may be downloaded at http://www.ebparks.org/Assets/_Nav_Categories/Parks/Maps/Tilden+map.pdf
What to Bring:
Start your day with a hearty breakfast. As the trail runs along the ridge line there is quite a bit of sun exposure. Sunblock and a hat are recommended, along with plenty of water (at least 2 quarts per person). Dressing in layers with a windbreaker is a good idea. Bring snacks and a lunch.
Directions:
From the South Bay take I-680 north to Walnut Creek, then Hwy 24 west toward Oakland. Take exit 9, the Orinda exit. Turn right heading north on Camino Pablo. After 2 miles, turn left on Wildcat Canyon Rd. Follow Wildcat Canyon 2.5 miles to the Inspiration Point parking area on the right. If the lot is full, parking is available along the road.
From SF and Oakland take Hwy 24 East. Take exit 9, the Orinda exit, turning left on Camino Pablo. Follow directions above.
Google Earth coordinates: 37º 54' 17.20" N, 122º 14' 40.31" W
Driving time: about 1 hr and 10 minutes from the South Bay
Carpooling:
Carpooling is always a nice idea. If people want to get into a carpool, we've set up an unmoderated discussion group you can use to set up carpools. To join it, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mitcnchikers_carpooling and then send a message to mitcnchikers_carpooling@groups.yahoo.com, or post from the web interface at the above address. This requires you to get a free yahoo account; sorry about this, but in our experience, they've been harmless and respect your spam preferences. Unfortunately (cynics cackle here), the old email signup interface seems to have stopped working. In any case, in the message, be sure to include where you're coming from, contact information and how many of you there are.
Rain policy:
If there's any ambiguity about the weather on the day of the hike, you can check the forecast the morning of the hike. The NWS forecast for the Berkeley hills may be found at http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-122.24449&lat=37.90485#.VHuZTIdmCgs
If it's raining significantly, the hike is off. If the weather is ambiguous, we will send out an email to the mitcnchikers@yahoogroups.com list on the morning of the hike. You can easily join that email list by going to the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mitcnchikers/ web page and clicking on the "Join This Group!" button. After you're on the list, you'll receive emails about each upcoming hike ~1 week in advance. The volume on that list is very low (~2 emails/month), so spam won't be a problem.
Disclaimers:
Joining any hike is entirely voluntary and participants assume any and all risks associated with the activities. By registering or attending this event, participants agree to the conditions posted at:
http://northerncalifornia.alumclub.mit.edu/s/1314/images/gid25/editor_documents/event_documents/liability_waiver.pdf
