Such a beautiful lake and park, with a grassy field ideal for picnicking, and a few ducks on the…read moreday I visited. There are several benches set up along the border of the lake for visitors to relax and admire the views. A rough trail on the far side of the lake made for a somewhat challenging hike, climbing over giant rocks and weaving through trees and debris. It wasn't too bad though. The sandy beach area of the park is fenced off and only open seasonally, with a small fee to enter ($5 for adults, $3 for kids and the disabled, free for babies). But the beach cafe can be accessed from outside the gates and offers various menu items like coffee, tea, hot cocoa, smoothies, lemonade, pretzels, hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and ice cream. Lake Anza is free to visit, and offers free parking in a sizable lot. Restrooms are seemingly well kept too. I enjoyed my time here this past weekend.

This is an idyllic place to hike and picnic in Tilden. There is a lake (pond?) that has a swimming…read morearea, but I personally don't think it is especially clean for that. But there are lots of turtles and birds to watch. For picnics, there are tables and a large grassy expanse for laying down a spread and also playing frisbee. For a hike, the loop around the lake (pond?) is perfect for kids and adults who are able to climb rocks and scramble comfortably along a few narrow strips of the trail. There is a bridge and an area where kids like to explore the creek. There are other paths off the lake, but those do tend to have more mountain bikes. This is an especially nice park when we have our late summer weather in September and October. Plenty of parking.

Well paved easy trails. Great for birding, boat watching. Well maintained bathroomsread more

A nice park near the Berkeley Marina!!…read more Lots of dirt trails, with the fence keeping you from venturing off. I've accessed this park at the corner of Frontage Road and University Avenue and also at Marina Blvd. There are plaques explaining the history of this area in the park. This park is bigger than I think it is, I also don't think I've been on all the trails yet. Definitely gotta check this place out more again!!

Cesar Chavez Park is one of my favorite parks to go to in the entire Bay Area during the summer…read more It sits on the water, so we can get very windy here. That's why I prefer to go in the summer when the days are warm. The wind cools you down nicely. The average temperature here at Cesar Chavez Park is probably about 10° cooler than the temperature in Berkeley proper during the summer, because here you get the onshore wind right off the ocean. Kites are extremely popular at this park. Bring your own, and sometimes there is a person selling them for exorbitant prices. To walk the circumference of the park takes about 45 minutes.

Such a calming and vast green space by the marina. Perfect for walks, kite-flying, or just sitting…read moredown and meditating with a loved one.

OK early morning stop. I wanted my parents and kids to see some water and we stopped by since we…read morewere in the area and this park is open early. It's too cold to go into the water but you can see a bit of San Francisco on a clear day. Its actually a perfect representation of the Bay Area for visitors. Cold, sky is gray, and rocks near the water is covered with slippery seaweed. At the very end of University Ave you can find plenty of parking and two of the odd/unique attractions. There is a giant sundial near the pier. Its 10 foot in diameter and a gift from Berkeley's sister city Sakai, Japan. There is a giant proto-asian culture style statue called "The Guardian" on the grass. The Guardian is an extrapolation of a six-inch clay and wood sculpture in a Buddhist temple in Penang. The city fiercely resisted Frederic Fierstein's plopping of the Guardian. Fierstein fiercely fought back. Fierstein gathered signatures and placed an initiative on the ballot in support of the Guardian. The worst thing about coming so early are there was a person smoking weed in their car and kept loudly cursing on the phone even with kids and old people visibly around.

What a tucked away away spot to come across with my wife. We came across this spot after having…read moredinner at Hana Japan. We were in absolute awe because it was very serene. We saw pol just relaxing in their cars, some ppl were fishing and others just taking it all in. Had a great conversation with a car neighbor who told us about some spots here in Berkeley and Oakland to go and check out. We are so excited about learning more of what the East Bay has to offer every time we decide to venture out.

The Lake Temescal loop is a beautiful easy-medium short walk that's a little over a mile…read more As you walk the only partially paved trail you'll see a ton of wildlife (ducks and fish) and quite a few dogs being walked as well as a waterfall water feature. The views are picturesque and it's quite serene for how busy it is. The second half of the trail (after you loop around near the fallen tree) isn't paved and in poor weather would be likely too muddy to be particularly safe, so I would probably walk elsewhere after a good rain or while it's drizzling. All in all, we had nevr been to this lake before and it was gorgeous so we fully intend to return!

The waterfall and the beach area were a nice surprise. Looking forward to going there again.read more

Beautiful day at Point Emery! I came here with my husband for a quick late lunch picnic to avoid…read morethe crowd. We were thankful to found a last parking spot when we arrived. Got to come down and sat on a bench for a quick picnic lunch. Love the view on a beautiful sunny day on a Saturday afternoon!

Close access to the beach and trail for running/biking!…read more You can still see the freeway, but overall it's a relaxing route to run/bike and to see the coastline.

Here's a video I made of this secret Beach: https://youtu.be/lbQslFsYw4Y…read more Lots of junk and little to see. This place is a very out-of-the-way junky strip of land right next to the toll plaza. You can only get here when going westbound. You take the exit 8A then take an immediate right and there you are. It's the same exit you take when you are going to the parking lot for the Bay Bridge bike trail. I did not have high hopes for this strip of land, and these hopes were realized. I came here to find three geocaches, which I found. However, I was not prepared for all the junk and Stuff dumped along the road. The junk is everywhere. It appears that some homeless people also might be living here. I did not feel particularly safe the entire time I was here. After the furthermost section of road, the road was partially flooded so I did not try to access that section. Who knows, maybe over there at turns into an island paradise?

Toll Plaza Beach AKA Radio Beach - Just to the north of the toll plaza . It's a little difficult to…read moreget here - the only access is by taking the very last exit to West Grand before you reach the toll plaza. Once on the exit, take the first right and you will go down a pot holed access road to the beach area. It's not the lind of beach where you would want to lay out on and tan or go swimming for that manner - this is still Oakland after all :) The beach is popular with wind and kite surfers and also you may see a motor home or two with some derelict types "camping" there.