Urban Trails East Bay. Alexandra Kenin
Regional Shoreline
GETTING THERE
Public Transit: AC Transit bus 72M takes you to the intersection of South Garrard Boulevard and West Cutting Boulevard, a 0.8-mile walk from the hike start.
Parking: The park has a few parking areas. I recommend parking in the lot across the street from the Richmond Ramblers Motorcycle Club (but not in the motorcycle club’s parking lot).
Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline has two distinct personalities. On the west side of Dornan Drive (the road that divides the park) is a flat bayside area with a lagoon, picnic areas, and a small circuit of trails. On the east side of this road, steep hills shoot up into the air, connected by a rich trail network. Many people spend their time in the flat bayside area. That’s precisely why this route ventures into the hills for a short but demanding hike that lets you walk through native grasslands and trees while taking in views from Oakland to the Bay Bridge to San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin and everywhere in between. (Note: If you’re not up for steep hills, you may want to stay in the bayside section.)
The two sides of the park look different for a reason. The hills on the featured route were an island until 1900 when the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad built a causeway (using rocks quarried from the surrounding hillsides) to bring freight and passengers into the area. People and goods were dropped at the southwestern corner of the park, where they would then pick up a ferry to San Francisco. The lagoon and nearby picnic areas were once a cove in the San Francisco Bay.
The East Bay Regional Park District acquired this land in 1972, and the area was officially established as a park in 1975. The 307-acre park was named for George Miller Jr., a former state senator, and John T. Knox, a former state assemblyman and Point Richmond resident.
Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline offers views of Mount Tamalpais, Red Rock Island, and the bay.
GET MOVING
Park in one of the lots along Dornan Drive. Carefully cross the road (there’s no crosswalk here) and pick up the Old Country Road trail between the Richmond Ramblers Motorcycle Club building and the Golden State Model Railroad Museum. Take a flat, elevated wooden walkway, then follow the trail uphill. At 0.1 mile, head right at a trail marker to stay on the Old Country Road trail.
As you continue to ascend, look right to get your first view of Mount Tamalpais, the bay, and the Richmond Bridge. After 0.15 mile, stay on the Old Country Road trail instead 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