Joaquin Miller Park

by

Ely

Located in Oakland, Joaquin Miller Park is a small, 500-acre hiking area and dog park known for its redwoods. It is named after a local poet Joaquin Miller. The upper trails provide solitude and immerse you in trees. It is immensely popular for trail runners, dogs, and bikes, with the busiest times of the day in the afternoon. There are picnic areas throughout the park, making it very user-friendly. It is accessible by public transit on weekdays and provides a jumping off spot at Skyline Drive to Redwood Regional Park.

Quick Notes

Distance: about three miles

Elevation Gain:

Difficulty: Easy

Type: Loop with lots of options

Transit Accessibility

Take AC Transit Line 39 to Joaquin Miller Road and Sanborn Drive. Go east into the park and find Pinewood Picnic Area on your right. (Line 39 runs weekdays from 6:30 am to 9:30 pm hourly, so check the link to plan your trip)

Driving Directions

From I-580, use exit 23/24 Coolidge Ave to the Dimond District. Turn East on Lincoln Avenue and it will continue into Joaquin Miller Road. From here, turn left on Sanborn Avenue and park up the street at Joaquin Miller Parking Info Center. Begin the hike by going back to the Pinewood Picnic Area.

The Hike

Starting at Pinewood, go southeast along the Sunset Trail. At the first fork, turn right to go across a small footbridge to the Palos Colorados Trail, and up the hill to the Sequoia Bayview Trailhead. (This is also at Skyline Drive).

The Sequoia Bayview trail is popular, with many bikes and dogs. If you like lots of people, go here. Otherwise, walk to the far end and take the Big Tree Trail, which will meander and split multiple times to crisscross all over the hill. This trail is good for solitude, and a rich diversity of tree views. It does this more noticeably than most trails.

At the next trailhead, it officially turns down the hill and reconnects. To extend the hike, take the Orchard Trail forward (northwest) and go through more trees to the Fern Ravine Trail. From there, turn a hard left and back to the Sequoia Bayview Trail to return to your starting point.

At the end of the day, this was a good hike – inclusive of dogs, kids and people that use public transit, and plenty of things to see.