Point San Pablo

Address: 1900 Point San Pablo Marina Road, Richmond, CA (Approx.) See detailed driving info, maps and photos of road below.
Parking: Free parking lot at the address above
Hours: 8AM to sundown. There is a sign stating that the gate closes at 9PM, but it may only be open this late during special events.
Type: Easy walk/ swim
Dog Rules: Dogs allowed on-leash
Best time to visit: A sunny afternoon

Description: This park features five large-scale pieces of art that have been moved from the Burning Man festival. There are also a few smaller pieces throughout the park. These pieces are incredibly detailed and definitely worth a visit. In addition to the small sculpture park, you can continue your walk on a trail along the water and even explore a small beach. This is a great spot to hang out in the afternoon or early evening because the restaurant, Black Star Pirate BBQ (open Friday-Sunday 11AM-7PM), is right next to the sculpture park. There is plenty of outdoor seating around the sculptures and the restaurant even has vegetarian and vegan options. Events with live music are held throughout the year in the sculpture park, and there are two outdoor bar areas. The sculptures are surrounded by lights and some even feature color changing LEDs, which can make an incredible show in the evenings.

Up the hill, you might see some yurts and a bunch of goats, chickens and an organic farm. There is a community of people living here, so please be respectful of residents.

This is a small sculpture park, so if you'd like to spend more than an hour here, I'd recommend coming in the afternoon when the restaurant is open, as well as exploring an additional trail near the water. From the parking lot, if you're facing the water, you can also follow the train tracks to the left for about half a mile until it ends at a fence. This trail has views of the water and when you come to a concrete patch, you'll find access to a small pebble beach. The water is gentle and and you can relax on a wood sculpted bench next to the water. Since this area is next to the water, it stays cool here and it's a great spot to escape the heat on a hot day.

Here are some details on each of the art sculptures:
1) “Bee or Not to Bee,” a giant honey bee standing at 12 feet tall and 21 feet long by artists Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson. This bee has flexible body hairs and incredible details.
2) "Niloticus" is a 40-ft long mosaic crocodile by Peter Hazel covered in hand made ceramic tiles with blown glass fins. The fins feature programmable LEDs, which are stunning at night.
3) "Purr Pods" by Paige Tashner, feature two cats Luna and Vega that create vibrating frequencies when petted and actually purr! They also feature color changing LEDs.
4) Kate Raudenbush’s artwork “Future’s Past,” was from the 2010 Burning Man event and was featured in the Smithsonian's 2018 Burning Man art exhibit.
5) "Burn Barrell" (much smaller compared to the other sculptures) is a metal barrel made by John Tyler topped with a man in a hat. This is a homage to Burning Man founder Larry Harvey and was made by Kate Raudenbush.
6) "La Victrola" a 35ft gramophone sculpture was installed at the end of May 2022. This sculpture debuted at Burning Man in 2017, then Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. It was created by a team at American Steel studios in Oakland.
7) The seventh sculpture, "Asterpod" (not pictured) a 9 foot tall by 9 foot ride round sculpture from Berkeley-based Michael Christian can be seen from the beach at the tip of the harbor.

Candace Locklear, of Oakland’s Montclair district, co-founded the nonprofit We Are From Dust to bring Burning Man art to the harbor’s sculpture park.

Click here for more info on the sculpture park's art, food and events

Detailed Driving Directions

From the East Bay, take the last exit before the Richmond Bridge (Stenmark Dr/Pt Malote), take Stenmark Drive approximately 2.6 miles, then turn right on Point San Pablo Marina Road (up hill). This road has a sign for Black Star Pirate BBQ as well as several "no parking beyond this point" signs (ignore them and follow that road up the hill). Drive slowly because this road snakes around the hillside with several blind spots and large speed bumps. After approximately .09 miles the road will dead-end at the parking lot and you will see the sculptures to your right.