Address:37°42'48.1"N 122°06'31.0"W Parking: Free parking lot off of Fairmont Drive in San Leandro, at the address above. Hours: 8am to 10pm Type: Hike (moderate) Regulations: Dogs allowed off-leash if under voice control Best time to visit: Anytime, but the main trail from the parking lot can get hot on sunny days.
Description: This is part of Anthony Chabot Regional Park, but there is no access down to the lake from here. However, there are gorgeous views of the lake from above and a 280-acre park to explore. Don't let the EBParks map fool you, because it only shows a short paved trail through the center. There are miles of unpaved, off-leash trails to explore to the right and left of the paved trail. From the parking lot, a steep, paved hill takes you up along the ridge with plenty of unpaved trails to your right and left. After reaching a plateau at the top of the paved trail, you can make a left and follow the trail through the cattle gate and out onto the hillside. From here you can see beautiful, panoramic views of the bay, a nice breeze, and there are even benches on the hillside where you can stop and enjoy the view. From the main paved trail, if you take any of the trails to your right, you will be able to enjoy some great views overlooking Lake Chabot on the hillside. Your hike will have about 225ft of elevation gain to reach the spots overlooking the bay and Lake Chabot. The trail continues up to about 250ft of elevation gain. In the summer most of the park is dry, and there are lots of fox tails off the main, paved trail. During the rest of the year, the hillside is a vibrant green and dotted with wildflowers.
There are signs for grazing cattle, and although we never used to see them here, we saw quite a few during our last trip in April. Luckily, since there are so many side trails, it's easy to avoid them.