Point Pinole Bay View Trail Walk
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, Atlas Road, Richmond, CA
Starting Point: We started our visit to Point Pinole from the Atlas Road Staging Area on Atlas Road, near the Pinole Point Business Park. See the Point Pinole brochure link below for other options for entering the park.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline brochure link (East Bay Parks):
https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/Point-Pinole-map_0.pdf
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline info link (East Bay Regional Park District):
https://www.ebparks.org/parks/point-pinole
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline map link (East Bay Parks):
https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/PointPinole-Map.png
Point Pinole Pier info link (Pier Fishing):
https://www.pierfishing.com/point-pinole-pier/
Distance:
See previous Hike Notes Point Pinole Pier Walk for a straightforward out-and-back 2-mile round trip walk. For this post, the gallery features photos for a walk starting from the Atlas Road Staging Area to the Giant Station Trail to connect to the Bay View Trail which we followed north to the pier. These trails were mostly dirt and gravel rather than smooth pavement. We made stops to check out interesting landmarks and to peek down the numerous other named trails that cut through this part of the park. We probably covered about 1.5 miles of trail to the pier before taking the 1-mile return from the pier along the paved Pinole Point Trail, for a 2.5 mile loop.
Considerations:
• There is a modest parking fee charged for Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, subject to change. See information links above for current fees, or check at kiosk entrances.
• Pick up a brochure/trail map at the parking area if you’re not familiar with the trails.
• There are toilet facilities at several places in the park.
• Dressing in layers, using sun protection, and having water are advised for any hike.
• Pay attention to health, safety and wildlife notices.
• Hikers, bikers, and horses are allowed on certain trails. Follow notices.
• This is a popular park for dog owners. The leash rules seem a bit unclear, and the sudden appearance of dogs off leash can be surprising for those who are anxious about dogs.
• Visitors can walk into the park over the footbridge from Atlas Road if the park parking lot is full.
The trail:
[Some of this content overlaps with the Point Pinole Pier Walk Hike Notes.]
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline covers over 2,400 acres in the East Bay. This park has many trail options to choose from. Walkers can choose more of a forest walk, with lots of eucalyptus groves, or can aim straight for the shoreline to see the bay from the bluffs above, or cut down to a trail closer to the water. We did a loop walk that led us along the Bay View Trail to the pier and then back along the main paved path.
The Atlas Road Staging Area parking and bathroom area includes picnic tables and grills, and various information signs, which are also dotted around other parts of the park. From the parking area, hikers can walk approximately 0.2 miles along Cook’s Point trail to where it connects with Giant Station Trail. We took the Giant Station Trail north and then west to connect to the Bay View Trail.
The Giant Station Trail starts as open space and then passes through eucalyptus trees, similar to other areas of this park. Part of the entertainment of this walk is reading the many trail signs with intriguing names. The Nitro Trail, Angel Buggy Trail, Packhouse Loop and Tramway Trail caught our attention, making us wonder how they related to Point Pinole’s history as a site for gunpowder and dynamite manufacturing.
There were areas which clearly had been structures for this manufacturing history which are now softened by time and covered in grass, but were fun to walk around in and imagine how they were used years ago.
Once at the Bay View Trail, we enjoyed the ever-present view of San Pablo Bay to our left as we walked north toward the pier. As noted in the earlier Point Pinole Pier Walk post, there is always something magical about the light that glows above San Pablo Bay. Our one caveat for visiting this park is that dog leash rules are fairly loose and not always followed, so for visitors who have any anxiety about dogs, you may be surprised by groups of dogs running free, especially on lesser-traveled side trails.
We spent some time around the pier, a popular walk destination, and then took the main paved Pinole Point Trail back toward our starting spot.
(Point Pinole Bay View Trail Walk Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Tranquility” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, Atlas Road, Richmond, CA
Starting Point: We started our visit to Point Pinole from the Atlas Road Staging Area on Atlas Road, near the Pinole Point Business Park. See the Point Pinole brochure link below for other options for entering the park.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline brochure link (East Bay Parks):
https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/Point-Pinole-map_0.pdf
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline info link (East Bay Regional Park District):
https://www.ebparks.org/parks/point-pinole
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline map link (East Bay Parks):
https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/PointPinole-Map.png
Point Pinole Pier info link (Pier Fishing):
https://www.pierfishing.com/point-pinole-pier/
Distance:
See previous Hike Notes Point Pinole Pier Walk for a straightforward out-and-back 2-mile round trip walk. For this post, the gallery features photos for a walk starting from the Atlas Road Staging Area to the Giant Station Trail to connect to the Bay View Trail which we followed north to the pier. These trails were mostly dirt and gravel rather than smooth pavement. We made stops to check out interesting landmarks and to peek down the numerous other named trails that cut through this part of the park. We probably covered about 1.5 miles of trail to the pier before taking the 1-mile return from the pier along the paved Pinole Point Trail, for a 2.5 mile loop.
Considerations:
• There is a modest parking fee charged for Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, subject to change. See information links above for current fees, or check at kiosk entrances.
• Pick up a brochure/trail map at the parking area if you’re not familiar with the trails.
• There are toilet facilities at several places in the park.
• Dressing in layers, using sun protection, and having water are advised for any hike.
• Pay attention to health, safety and wildlife notices.
• Hikers, bikers, and horses are allowed on certain trails. Follow notices.
• This is a popular park for dog owners. The leash rules seem a bit unclear, and the sudden appearance of dogs off leash can be surprising for those who are anxious about dogs.
• Visitors can walk into the park over the footbridge from Atlas Road if the park parking lot is full.
The trail:
[Some of this content overlaps with the Point Pinole Pier Walk Hike Notes.]
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline covers over 2,400 acres in the East Bay. This park has many trail options to choose from. Walkers can choose more of a forest walk, with lots of eucalyptus groves, or can aim straight for the shoreline to see the bay from the bluffs above, or cut down to a trail closer to the water. We did a loop walk that led us along the Bay View Trail to the pier and then back along the main paved path.
The Atlas Road Staging Area parking and bathroom area includes picnic tables and grills, and various information signs, which are also dotted around other parts of the park. From the parking area, hikers can walk approximately 0.2 miles along Cook’s Point trail to where it connects with Giant Station Trail. We took the Giant Station Trail north and then west to connect to the Bay View Trail.
The Giant Station Trail starts as open space and then passes through eucalyptus trees, similar to other areas of this park. Part of the entertainment of this walk is reading the many trail signs with intriguing names. The Nitro Trail, Angel Buggy Trail, Packhouse Loop and Tramway Trail caught our attention, making us wonder how they related to Point Pinole’s history as a site for gunpowder and dynamite manufacturing.
There were areas which clearly had been structures for this manufacturing history which are now softened by time and covered in grass, but were fun to walk around in and imagine how they were used years ago.
Once at the Bay View Trail, we enjoyed the ever-present view of San Pablo Bay to our left as we walked north toward the pier. As noted in the earlier Point Pinole Pier Walk post, there is always something magical about the light that glows above San Pablo Bay. Our one caveat for visiting this park is that dog leash rules are fairly loose and not always followed, so for visitors who have any anxiety about dogs, you may be surprised by groups of dogs running free, especially on lesser-traveled side trails.
We spent some time around the pier, a popular walk destination, and then took the main paved Pinole Point Trail back toward our starting spot.
(Point Pinole Bay View Trail Walk Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Tranquility” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
