“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,” French author Milan Kundera once said. Fortunately, the idylls of Eden lie very close to downtown Oakland, California. At two incredible parks in the East Bay, dogs (and dog lovers) may loll on green hillsides and romp untethered through grassland, woods, and water in the company of likeminded souls.
During our winter sojourn in the Bay Area last year, Truffles (my chocolate-colored Cockapoo) and I traversed the parks in the congenial company of our friends Sylvia and Sundae. Since we were novices to the area, Sylvia guided us through the parks — though Sundae and Truffles often trotted ahead to show the way.
The two parks — Point Isabel Park and Redwood Park — fall under the aegis of the East Bay Regional Park District. Both parks permit dogs to run freely off leash. Easily accessible from the city, these dog-friendly havens welcome over a million two- and four-legged visitors each year. It was easy to see why. Too often, urban dog parks amount to little more than long cages crowded with excitable animals expending pent-up energy. The open acreage felt truly idyllic to Truffles and me — and clearly to a million others.
Point Isabel Park
Point Isabel is a 23-acre canine paradise with paved trails meandering along a rocky shoreline and sweeping views of Mount Tamalpais, Golden Gate Bridge, and the San Francisco skyline. The park marks the northern terminus of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, a hard-won victory of environmental advocates. In the 1960s, East Bay activist Sylvia McLaughlin launched a nearly 50-year campaign to rescue the bay and shoreline from industrial pollution and greedy developers.
From Point Isabel’s rocky shore, a black lab bounded up to us, his wet fur glistening in the sunlight. He shook himself vigorously to expel a halo of saltwater. I swear, he grinned ear to ear. Some dogs loved splashing through the water, chasing sticks thrown by their humans. Others, like mine, sped across the open fields in joyful freedom. In sheer glee, Truffles rolled and scratched his back in the tall grasses, and then romped off with Sundae to greet and sniff new acquaintances.
At the path’s end, we stopped for coffee at the Park’s Sit & Stay Café. Next door, we watched a line of people with wet, dirty dogs await their turns at Mudpuppy’s Tub & Scrub, a dog washing and doggie retail store. Truffles and Sundae lie contently at our feet. My little guy seemed tired, but positively blissful.
Redwood Park
Towering Redwoods, some trees as tall as 150 feet, stand just over a ridge from downtown Oakland. Redwood Park invites people and their dogs to hike through the largest remaining stand of Coastal Redwoods in the Bay Area. On a warm February day, Sylvia and I began our journey at the Redwood Park Skyline Staging Area, which has a small parking lot at the trail head.
Redwood Park represents a third-growth forest. In the 1800s, extensive logging in this area supplied the timber to build San Francisco and other communities around the Bay. In the primal forest, Redwoods had grown over 350 feet tall — the tallest trees on Earth. Hopefully, state park status will assure the current trees the time and protection they need to fulfill their potential. The park’s 1,830 acres also protects other evergreens, chaparral, and grasslands. Wildlife within the park includes rare species, such as the golden eagle and Alameda striped racer snake, along with deer, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and countless birds.
Sylvia chose an easy, peaceful walk for us, a loop that led us through forest, fields, and near streams. Sundae, a veteran Redwood hiker, lead the way, bounding through the woods. Truffles was initially reluctant to leave the trail and my side. Finally catching the scent of wildlife and small critters in the underbrush, he overcame his city ways and followed his friend into the woods.
At an idyllic spot half-way through our walk, the four of us rested on a park bench. The breeze sang gently in the tall treetops and the sun sent warming rays through the branches.
In a few hours, we would return to the city and our hectic lives. But for now, I was happy to sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon, sure that I was back in Eden. Surely, every dog (and dog lover) deserves such a day — and such a park.
Lovely, Clay
I really feel I am there with the 2 of you
Hello from on the other side of the country, I would love to be your dog for a month. What great place I would see, and The friends I would make. Keep up the great work someday when I travel, I’m going to take all your places with me.
Thank you, Barbara. I hope you travel soon to see us.
Your walks with Truffles story reminds me of the times my beloved Scotty, Fala, emerged from my car upon arrival at my summer house He ran in multiple circles around the back lawn, choreographed several leaps into the air with such wonderful, pure joy. This was his real beloved “home” much preferred to walks around our West Village neighborhood despite its multiple smells. Fala would rest and nap at lazier times under a tall white pine near the cottage. He lies there now beneath that cold ground that he loved so much. Dogs are remarkable creatures. I will never forget the ones I had the luck to have as my companions. My two adorable indoor Persians find their satisfaction peering through the floor to ceiling windows and sliders of the cottage. Between naps, there they can meditate and observe pesky chip monks, skunks, and all kinds of bugs with moths as a favorite. Cats are less exuberant but they teach us all the same.
Yes, pets are wonderful companions. Truffles is a terrific traveling buddy — my cats, not so much. As you say, they teach me in different ways.