Tilden Regional Park

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Looking northeast from "Inspiration Point" in Tilden, March 2006

Tilden Regional Park (IPA: [tɨldæn]) (also known simply as "Tilden") is a regional park in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California.

Tilden Regional Park was named in honor of Charles Lee Tilden, a Bay Area attorney and businessman who purchased much of the land in order to preserve remaining wilderness areas for public enjoyment. Tilden also served on the first Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District.

The park is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District, created from the first land the district purchased in 1936. It is largely located within unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County. The whole of its length borders on the city of Berkeley, defining the eastern limit of the city. Although not particularly large (about 5 x 1 km, or 3 x 3/4 miles), it is a very important and accessible recreation area for Berkeley and the other municipalities of the East Bay. An AC Transit bus from the Berkeley BART station runs into the park on weekends. Its steep valleys and dense stands of timber offer a rare wilderness experience so close to the city. Its high ridges and peaks give wide views over the San Francisco Bay and inland across other preserved land to Mount Diablo.

View west from Tilden Park

The park contains numerous trails, providing facilities for hiking, horseback riding and bicycling. In addition to major areas of wilderness, the park includes attractions such as a model farm, an environmental educational building, a golf course, miniature steam trains and the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Another noteworthy attraction is the old-fashioned Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round. It is a true antique and one of the few left in the US.

Nimitz Way Entrance at Inspiration Point

One trail of note is Nimitz Way, a four mile long paved trail (named after Admiral Chester W. Nimitz) that begins at Inspiration Point on the eastern edge of the park and heads north along the ridge of the hills, crossing into Wildcat Canyon Regional Park about two miles in and ending at a peak above El Sobrante. Nimitz Way is very popular with hikers, runners and bicyclists because it is paved and not very steep. From Nimitz Way there are excellent views of the San Francisco Bay to the west, EBMUD’s San Pablo, Briones Reservoirs and Mt. Diablo to the east. Unknown to most of the folks who travel this trail, the two mile section that is in Wildcat Canyon Regional Park was a Nike missile base which was decommissioned in the 1970s. Today there are few signs of the missile silos and military housing that used to populate these hills.

Lake Anza

Much of Tilden Regional Park is situated in the upper stretches of Wildcat Canyon which is also the location of Lake Anza. Lake Anza is about 40 meters long, and the water is somewhat clear. The lake is a good place to go swimming as well as other activities. Jewel Lake, smaller than Anza, is accessible only by trail.

Inside Tilden Park

The eastern limit of the park is approximately at the crest of the San Pablo Ridge. The western boundary nearly follows the crest of the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay Skyline National Trail runs just inside the park.

Parts of the park land had been cleared for agricultural use. In many places, exotic trees such as Eucalyptus), have been planted. There are also some relatively recently planted stands of Giant Sequoia. However, current conservation efforts are aimed at restoring native vegetation so far as possible, and significant parts of the park are covered in native coastal scrub.

During the 1930s, a WPA camp was situated in Tilden Park.