"All good things are wild and free." --Henry David Thoreau

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Upcoming Hike for February 2014: Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland Hills

Redwood Regional Park
Credit: Our Oakland
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Join my husband and I, and friends John and Rebecca, and all of our little kids for a group hike at Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland hills

We will walk on a stroller-friendly trail, a mile in and a mile out, along Redwood Creek where towering redwoods, fragrant bay laurels, and beautiful madrones grow. 

  • Sunday February 16th
  • Arrive at 10:45. We'd like to start walking at 11. 
THE TRAIL
We start at Canyon Meadow, close to the park office, fire station, and a historical fishway interpretive site, a historical landmark. You'll find Canyon Meadow just through Redwood Gate, off of Redwood Road. 

We will walk the Stream Trail where the air is clean and moist. Stream Trail is only 0.9 miles long, and its asphalt surface easily accommodates strollers. We'll visit a meadow with a play structure (bars and slides) for the kids to explore. If we're lucky we might see deer, or a rabbit, or hear a Great Horned Owl. 

Note that there is a $5 parking fee, and if you bring your very friendly dog, that'll be another $2. 

Redwood Regional Park
There are 1,800 acres in this important watershed park, and it's just a short distance from the bustle of Oakland. Back in the mid-1800s, loggers cut down the biggest redwoods to supply the demand for building materials, for homes and ships, during Gold Rush times. Though the redwoods you'll see on our hike are second and third generation, they are nothing to sniff about, reaching over a hundred feet tall. 

Hill Babies--What's this hike about?
No hidden agendas, just some old-fashioned fun. Though we go at a four-year-old's pace, big kids are encouraged to come and go as fast as they like. Sometimes it's all about just getting out of the house and meeting up with some people who want to be outside with kids, and in Mother Nature's playground. 


Directions from San Francisco

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https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=san+francisco&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&sll=37.798214,-122.281939&sspn=0.18366,0.308647&geocode=FVJmQAIdKAe0-CkhAGkAbZqFgDH_rXbwZxNQSg%3BFUjjQAIdHiq4-A&mra=ls&t=m&z=12

Directions Going eastbound on I-580 in Oakland, take the 35th Avenue Exit. Turn left, going east on 35th Avenue, which becomes Redwood Road. Go about four and a half miles, crossing Skyline Boulevard, and look for park entrance signs. The main entrance, Redwood Gate, is on Redwood Road, about two miles east of Skyline Boulevard. 


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