East & West Ridge Loop
Oakland, California
Details
Distance
3.47 miles
Elevation Gain
833 ft
Route Type
Loop
Description
Added by Gaby Colletta
Hike around Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park's East & West Ridge Loop to see the largest remaining natural stand of coast Redwood found in the East Bay.
Tucked away in the hills of Oakland, you will find one of the homes of California's Coastal Redwoods. Created by a unique geographical circumstance, this forest breathes winds funneled through the Golden Gate across the bay, which created environment opportune for Redwood growth. These Redwoods are 3rd growth trees dating over 100 years old.
This a great place to take a stroll, picnic, hike or walk the dogs (yes, it's dog friendly!) Since the park is relatively small, I suggest you create your own loop route by picking from the many interconnected trails to weave in and out of the Redwoods. I recommend spending an afternoon.
Find free and easy parking at the Skyline Gate Staging Area. From here you can go forth and wander - see this trail map of the park.
Below is a suggested ~3.5 mile loop that begins at Skyline Gate Staging Area and comprises of several trails. This route will take you into the heart of the Redwood growth.
Begin at Skyline Gate Staging Area. Take East Ridge Trail on your left. At .2 miles you will reach Phillip Loop Trail. Turn right onto Phillip Loop Trail. At .85 miles Phillip Loop will intersect with Eucalyptus Trail. Turn right onto the Eucalyptus Trail and head down one switchback towards the creek.
At 1.1 miles you will meet Stream Trail, turn left. This will lead you into the heart of the Redwoods. At the bottom of the hill (1.27 miles) you will meet Starflower Trail. Turn right. Here is a nice spot nested in the trees with a bench perfect for a picnic. Continue on Starflower Trail past Tres Sendas. At the top of the hill (1.5 miles) it will intersect the French Trail. Take a right and follow the French Trail through the forest.
When you hit Tres Sendas (1.9 miles), take a left. Tres Sendas then meets West Ridge Trail (2.3 miles), which will take you back to the parking lot. There's are some nice hills on this route, which may leave you surprisingly winded. Bring good shoes and some water!
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Reviews
First time doing this hike. My boyfriend and I are definitely out of shape but we managed to finish! Woohoo. Up and down hills but with beautiful scenery. Definitely coming back.
5.0
This is my go-to hike when friends from out of town come to visit. It is an easy path to follow with terrain that is friendly to all levels of hikers. My favorite thing about this trail is that it is only about 15 minutes from Oakland, but as soon as you are about 5 minutes into the hike, you are surrounded by trees and forget that you are so close to a major city. When you need a break from the traffic and noise, but don't want to drive too far, this is the spot.
5.0
This was a great hike. Some challenging parts, and the scenery is beautiful. I followed the directions in this article but we never came across a Starflower trail so we went the wrong way for quite some time. I think the French trail actually comes first and then Starflower.
4.0
Awesome hike, definitely wear decent shoes and keep your eyes down for all the tree roots and rocks! My pup loved it. Great hike through the eucalyptus and redwoods!
5.0
Such a cool park so close to San Francisco! Best use of an extra afternoon due to cancelled flight ever!
5.0
A lovely day hike! There was a bit of confusion I had while reading the directions for this loop on my phone and in the trail markers, so my friend and I made a more meandering path of about 2 hr 40 min. The interlocking loops do give the feeling of a much bigger space than the park truly is — what a wonderful feeling. Lots of fellow day hikers with us on a Saturday afternoon.
4.0
Redwood Regional Park is a fantastic place to get away from it all, without actually having to drive too far. These are mostly second and third growth redwoods, meaning there aren't as big of giants as there are at Muir Woods or even farther north, but it's still a great local spot to enjoy nature. If you're into astronomy and space, Chabot Space & Science Center is right nearby. They offer free observing through their telescopes on Friday and Saturday nights - a great spot to go on a date.
4.0
Once you get down into the heart of the redwoods it is absolutely gorgeous. The suggested route listed took us about 2 hours and definitely had some sections that left us huffing and puffing! Well worth it all and we had a great time and got some beautiful photos! (Also of note, the last part of the directions doesn't tell you whether to turn left or right to get back to the parking lot - you'll want to go right!)
4.0
Dog friendly and off-leash for the majority of the trail, which is nice. Weekday morning is fairly empty so it was pretty peaceful. Took French Trail back to West Ridge and there were many steep uphill sections. Whew! I took a lot of pauses to catch my breath. Tip: there is a water fountain at the head of West Ridge Trail in the parking lot. Fill up if the day feels like it's going to be a warm one.
4.0
The park's trails are well-marked and the sections down in the redwood valleys are gorgeous. Who knew this tranquillity was so close to Oakland?
4.0
Leave No Trace
Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
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