Berkeley - Tilden Regional Park - Inspiration Point

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We hadn't been to the Tilden Regional Park despite being in the Bay Area for several years. This park has many scenic hikes and of course, being in Berkeley you have the added bonus of amazing views of the Bay, Downtown San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Something about hikes with views...Who can say no to that? 






I would describe this as a perfect Saturday hike. It was a clear January morning with the sun shining bright and temperatures in the 70s. It would be an injustice to not get some tan on such a gorgeous day. One of the perks of being in the Bay Area ☺

We started at the Inspiration Point trailhead. The trailhead parking lot is small but there is ample street parking. We found many hikers and bikers enjoying the gorgeous weather that day. It definitely warmed my heart thinking we picked a good spot but also a bit scary. We ensured that everyone had their masks on and had hand sanitizers on them. With all checks done we were ready to start a fun hike.

About the Hike:

We reached Tilden Regional Park around 12:30 pm. The fun afternoon started with S's birthday celebration. The kids feasted on cupcakes while the grown-ups got their fill of chai tea and samosas. 

After a quick lunch, we began our hike and may I say catching up and gossip 😀. The younger kids say, kindergartners - let's call them AO, the older kids - preteens and teens - SAMS, the mom group - MAPG and the dad's group - KAV all started catching up as it had been some week's since we met. 

Our pace was leisurely, clocking at approximately 30 minutes per mile. The first scenic stop was the view of a beautiful lake and the rolling hills. We paused for a few pictures. 


After some more walking, we saw the beautiful views of San Francisco Downtown and the Golden gate bridge. The bridge wasn't clearly visible due to the clouds and fog but it's always great to view it from a new location. We soaked in the views of the bridge and continued walking. The scenery changed as we entering a redwood forest - tall trees all around, calm and serene.






At about 3.5 miles the kids were done with the snacks and wanted to take a longer break. We found a tree atop a hill with beautiful views. On the menu were Tiktok inspired veggie wraps, fruit cake, and fruits. It was about a 30 mins break and it was getting closer to 4pm. We were now chasing the sun to get back to our cars before dark. 

Now refueled, the kids were ready to walk back. After about a mile and a half, it was almost sunset so we stopped by to enjoy it and take a few more pictures. We made it back to our cars in the twilight ☺

Finally, we were back to the parking lot. Took a little break to close out the celebrations with a round of pizza and cupcakes. Yes, cupcakes again. Too much sugar I agree but the kids worked hard and walked for almost 7 miles. 

So much fun!!

Additional Tips:

  1. Feel free to bring a stroller if you are hiking with younger kids as this is one of the few completely paved trails.
  2. Walking shoes work just as good since it is a paved trail.
  3. There are ample vista points to take pictures and enjoy the views.
  4. There is greenery all around with redwood trees to enjoy. It is truly beautiful and soothing to the eyes.
  5. There are benches at good scenic spots so take breaks. Also helps if the kids want to sit down.
  6. Although the trail is paved there are quite a few ups & downs to give you a good workout
  7. There are a few detours possibly going to better vista points. 
  8. Restrooms are at the trailhead and are open until 4:30 pm at this time of the year.
  9. Bring adequate water - even on a spring-like day each person ended up drinking about 2 liters of water so carry about 1 liter per 3 miles of the hike.
  10. We did take a break roughly about every mile for kids. This gave us opportunities to take pictures.



Food/ Snacks we took:

1. Savories - Samosas, Chai Tea, Pizza, Veggie Wraps

2. Snacks - Z-bars, Chips, Gummies, Fruit cake

3. Healthy Snacks - Cuties Oranges, Apples

4. Deserts - Cupcakes








All in all, it was an awesome hike and I would definitely go there again and try a new trail. Maybe just start my day a bit earlier so I can soak in more sun. This time our 7-mile hike took us about 5 hours. I call a good pace and place for hiking with young kids.

A wonderful day spent with awesome friends and family.

Until next time detailing a new adventure. Ciao!





















Picture credits: V, Food credits - MAPG

Shef: https://shef.com/order/shef/alpa-p


Metrics:

Hike Count: 2

Miles Hiked this year: 16

 

Location: Tilden Regional Park, 2501 Grizzly Peak Blvd, Orinda, CA 94563, USA

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