By Kathy Chouteau
I’ve explored Point Pinole Regional Shoreline on many occasions, but when my parents recently came to visit from the East Coast, it prompted me to check out the Bay View Trail more extensively.
It has easily become a favorite, not only because of the obvious—stunning views—but also because it allowed us to enjoy an age-old family pastime: Hiking in the great outdoors.
My parents are avid hikers and national park enthusiasts who had my sister and I hiking into the Grand Canyon—and staying overnight at the Havasupai Indian Reservation—at ages 4 and 8. Mom and dad have spotted Bighorn Sheep on rocky crags and a grizzly bear on a trail at Glacier National Park, traversed Denali, Mt. Rainier, Olympic, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain—where we threw snowballs in the summertime—and many more.
So one might think that a regional park might be child’s play for this dynamic duo.
But things are slowing down a bit now. Dad turned 80 years old when he was visiting California, so I set about keeping our family’s extremely experienced hikers happy but safe from the grizzlies. Point Pinole was just the place.
We took the path through the park—Point Pinole Trail—northbound, along which we spotted a Great Egret. After a short walk, we took a left onto the Giant Station Trail and then another left onto the Bay View Trail, easily spotted because it lives up to its name. The trail we took circles back south along the water, boasting breathtaking views of Mt. Tam in the distance, along with bay water and California’s version of “Big Sky Country.” However, the Bay View Trail can be taken northward toward Point Pinole’s Fishing Pier, or further south to where it connects to the Bay Trail—where you can view the Dotson Family Marsh.
It wasn’t the kind of taxing, 12-mile mountain hike my parents have taken in the past; it was a little do-diddy with big rewards, crowd-pleasing from seniors to a pre-teen to a pug dog alike. Families with toddlers were enjoying it as well. And in this time of pandemics, tumultuous politics, inflation and other real-world stresses, a walk in our local regional park along the shoreline is just what the doctor ordered.
Learn more about Point Pinole Regional Shoreline and plan your hike.
