of heading right to Dornan Drive. About 250 feet after this, you’ll reach a junction with a number of trail options.
Take a wide right and head uphill—here you’re starting a counterclockwise loop around a hill around West Ridge Point. Circle West Ridge Point, taking in the first of many views of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, and Oakland. After enjoying the views, head back to the junction where you began climbing this hill. Now go straight and uphill on the West Ridge Trail.
After 0.35 mile, reach a trail junction at the False Gun—so named for housing a fake antiaircraft gun to deter attacks on nearby Shipyard No. 3, one of four shipyards in Richmond where 747 ships were built during World War II—the most built at a shipyard anywhere in the world before or since. You won’t see a gun here, but you will find a mound of dirt surrounded by a paved roundabout. Here, turn right and follow the paved road (Crest Trail), passing a plate boundary observatory station, one of 875 such stations across the United States. An antenna and receiver here work with satellites to track movement of the earth’s crust to within a few millimeters.
Stay on the Crest Trail for 0.25 mile then reach East Vista Point and a dirt singletrack trail on your right. You can follow this trail downhill for about 0.1 mile to reach a bench and a viewpoint looking out on San Francisco, the bay, and Point Potrero, former home of Shipyard No. 3. If the singletrack trail is overgrown and you don’t want to make the out-and-back journey, feel free to skip this and subtract 0.2 mile off the overall route mileage.
Turn around and head back to the False Gun, keeping it on your left and staying straight at an unlabeled trail marker (Crest Trail). Follow the trail as it bends left then right. After 0.3 mile, you reach a junction where you take a right uphill and climb a flight of stairs. Start a short but steep 0.25-mile incline toward your last big hill, Nicholl Knob, marked by a large radio tower.
When you reach the paved road at the base of the tower, head right and walk around a gate to reach the summit, where you’ll find benches with sensational views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, and San Francisco.
From here, look for a sign for the Crest Trail, which heads downhill for 0.15 mile before reaching a paved road. Head left at the road and then take an almost immediate right onto the Marine View Trail.
You’ll quickly reach a junction where you head left to stay on the Marine View Trail toward a water tower. When you reach the water tower after 0.1 mile, bear left again (don’t take the small trail closer to the tower).
After another 0.15 mile, take your first right (no trail marker) on a singletrack trail. After about 250 feet, reach a T-intersection where you turn right. Then after another 300 feet, turn left at a trail marker for the Dornan Grove Trail. This trail takes you 0.1 mile to the side of the Richmond Ramblers Motorcycle Club and back to Dornan Drive. Cross Dornan Drive to return to where you started.
GO FARTHER
If you have more miles in your legs, walk a loop around the lagoon on the west side of Dornan Drive or visit the old railroad terminus. Other options include a trip to the Golden State Model Railroad Museum or to Point Richmond’s charming downtown. If you go, don’t miss the tiny Port Richmond History Association building, which dates back to 1903.
| 4 | Point Pinole Regional Shoreline |
| DISTANCE: | 4.75 miles |
| ELEVATION GAIN: | 220 feet |
| HIGH POINT: | 100 feet |
| DIFFICULTY: | Easy |
| FITNESS: | Walkers, hikers, runners |
| FAMILY-FRIENDLY: | Yes |
| DOG-FRIENDLY: | Yes, but prohibited in marsh areas, on shuttle bus, and on pier; allowed on leash in developed areas and off leash in all other areas; fee when kiosk is attended |
| AMENITIES: | Restrooms, benches, picnic areas, shuttle bus (to fishing pier), campsite, playground, horseshoe pit, camping area, volleyball area (nets not provided) |
| CONTACT: | East Bay Regional Park District |
| GPS: | 37°59'30.4476" N 122°21'22.2048" W |
| MAP TO: | 5551 Giant Highway, Richmond, CA |
GETTING THERE
Public Transit: AC Transit bus 71 stops at Phanor Drive and McGlothen Way, a 0.4-mile walk from the Giant Highway Staging Area.
Parking: There is a large parking lot at 5551 Giant Highway. Parking fee collected when the kiosk is attended on weekends and major holidays between April and October. (Dog fees are also collected here; maximum three dogs per person.)
After passing through busy Pinole, Richmond, and San Pablo, you arrive at the serene 2315-acre Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. Here, trails lead through grassy meadows, dense eucalyptus groves, and along marshes lining the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, offering sparkling water views that stretch from Mount Tamalpais to Mount Diablo. The park’s 12 miles of trails include 6.3 miles of the San Francisco Bay Trail.
Point Pinole opened to the public in 1973 after the East Bay Regional Park District acquired this land from Bethlehem Steel. The steel company had purchased the land in the early 1960s from Atlas Powder Company, one of a number of companies that manufactured gunpowder and dynamite on this site for almost one hundred years.
The park’s eucalyptus forests were originally planted as a buffer against potential explosions. Today, they house wildlife, including deer, hawks, owls, Monarch butterflies, and more. More than one hundred different species of birds visit the park—so bring your binoculars if you’re a birder. They may also come in handy for getting a better look at boats and ships out in the bay.
This route, while almost 5 miles long, is rated easy due to the lack of elevation change. Enjoy the variation in scenery as you explore each section of the park.
GET MOVING
Enter the park from the Giant Highway Staging Area. Head right on the paved trail that leaves from the lot and walk 0.2 mile to Badger Bridge, where you cross the railroad tracks. Across the bridge, take a wide left to pick up the Bay View Trail (there is also a sign here for the San Francisco Bay Trail).
In less than 0.1 mile, reach a paved path. Take a quick jog left, and then follow the path as it bends right (north). The paved trail turns into a gravel one and you start to get views of Mount Tamalpais on your left.
After 0.2 mile, a trail joins yours from the right, but stay straight. Along this stretch, you’ll start seeing what will become familiar occurrences on this route—occasional eucalyptus trees and beaches below the trail to your left.
Continue another 0.5 mile on the Bay View Trail to reach a restroom on your right and beach access on your left shortly after that. After this, follow the Bay View Trail as it bears right (the trail in front of you is closed) and enters a eucalyptus grove. You quickly gain 45 feet of elevation over the next 0.1 mile.
Arrive soon at a trail junction where you’ll head left and then right on the Biazzi Trail. This trail is narrower and goes through more eucalyptus trees. (Ignore the path on the left that leads to an abandoned building.)
After 0.1
