Berkeley Fire Trails

It was fun to check into the Berkeley Fire Trails on Unilocal:
«Is there bike parking nearby?» You bet!
«Is it good for kids?» Absolutely!
«Is there a parking garage nearby?» Well, actually there is one now: the Stadium garage. Let’s hear it for public-​private partnerships. (It’s OK — you can clap very softly.)
«Do they accept credit cards?» I was waiting for that question, but it never came.
It’s no secret that the fire trails are wonderful for walking and running. The views are spectacular, and there’s exercise for everyone. Check ‘em out!
If the staff were a bit better at filling our water bottles as we walked, I’d give this place an extra star.

I had trouble finding this trail multiple times, so to find the trailhead, just drive up Centennial Drive and there’s a small gravel parking lot. Park here, and then you can start the trail.
The trail itself is a gradual ascent except for this one dirt incline. Great panoramic views, and it’s not overly crowded, so you can really escape from the city.

Berkeley has this gem which easily outpaces the Stanford dish.
Not much parking at trailhead proper. Better to park near Frats and walk up (street parking) or park in Strawberry Canyon Rec. Center lot (paid or permitted) and use trail on South side of Centennial.
No water either, so come prepared on a warm day. Views along top of trail are spectacular!
If you’re feeling ambitious, connect to trails in Tilden Regional Park for even more fun.

Great easy hike, I think about a mile of incline and a mile of flat. Not a loop. 4 stars since hard to find parking.

This trail is always a fun adventure, the only gripe I would have would be that the parking situation is small, but the hiking experience definitely outshines that.
If you’re feeling even more adventurous, maybe half a mile after you get past the steep straightaway, there is an unmarked trail short cut that goes up the side of the hill. It is very steep and the dirt is very loose, so take caution and wear shoes with good grip. It definitely added some zest to the hike, and once you reach the top, you’re back on the trail. Once there, it’s only a couple more minutes until you reach a gorgeous panoramic view of the bay. Overall, a quality hiking trail that serves up a good leg workout and fantastic views.

Great, I found it on Unilocal.
The main trailhead appears to be on Centennial Drive, a quarter mile from Memorial Stadium. There are no signs indicating that this is anything special. Frankly, it looks more like an improvised and illegal parking spot. It is legal, though, and it is open to the public except on game days. Just park here, go up the road a hundred feet, and start hiking. It’s the sort of place where, after only a minute, you forget that you’re on a world-​famous university campus in one of America’s major metropolitan areas.
If you stay on the fire trail, it’s not that hard. A few steep spots, but nothing major. Lots of joggers, many dogs, good for mountain bikes. But I also found the Woodbridge Grove, which has a few steep foot trails deep where the sun don’t shine. No, I don’t mean *that*, get your mind out of the gutter. I mean the trees are so thick that the land stays shady all day. A good place to hide, a good place to work those leg muscles.
The last time I was on the trail, I kept going up and up and up, and I think I ended up in the Claremont Preserve. I wonder if the fire road ends up at Grizzly Peak Blvd.
I look forward to more exploring in this area.

Good hills to run and hike with great views of the city. On a clear day you can see as far as South San Francisco. If you haven’t paid a visit it’s definitely worth the time. Check it out!

I loved LOVED this trail! It’s kinda hard to find! If you’re coming down centennial, pass the botanical garden and park in the gravel parking lot you’ll see shortly after the garden on your LEFT. The hike is wonderful! A lot of shade and some really gnarly hills. Bring water! The view at the top is breathtaking!

My friends and I wanted to visit a couple of hiking trails in the East Bay and we were told to check out the Fire Trails. Of course, I checked the Unilocal page and it looked very nice! First of all, it is not easy to find. we were looking for signs everywhere but ended up in a UC Berkeley parking lot and tried to hike around there, that did not work out.
We then decided to drive around and ended up parking on the side of the street and walked around, we eventually found the entrance! The hike was very quiet, you are surrounded by trees and you can see the golf course from above. There were a couple of different trails but this is more a running trail.
I wouldn’t come back here to hike but definitely to run… if i ran

When hiking, there are two requirements that must be met for me to have an enjoyable time.
1) Shade– I prefer not to burn in the sun. Thankfully, there were trees all around us.
2) Elevation– Gradual elevation change is fine, but no thanks to continuous hills
It was a bit difficult finding where the trailhead starts and figuring out where to park. When we started, it was really cold, but as you head up higher it starts to get warm. The fresh air was invigorating. The hike itself wasn’t difficult, but there is one killer incline. A lady who was jogging up put us to shame, while we were huffiing and puffing. There’s a bench at the top for you to sit at while enjoying the view of the bay. It’s supposed to be a 7 mile (roundtrip) hike, but we went through a shortcut and made it up and down rather quickly.

Love this trail!!!
First off, this trail is scenic with a lot of trees. There are a couple of steep paths but are avoidable. I would say it is about 4 miles there and 4 miles back according to Map My Run. It is dog friendly however I was a little afraid when my pup started playing/​chasing another dog, I thought he was going to fall off! Luckily majority of the cliff isn’t that steep. We were debating whether to go the Mission Peak in Fremont and chose the Fire trail instead. I definitely enjoyed this one better. It’s «easier» but longer and more enjoyable.
Would go on this trail many more times!

«So what’s the big deal about the Fire Trails anyway?»
I had scheduled a run with my friend, Armie Van Buren, on a Friday evening. Unlike the EDM dude, Armie actually prefers meaningful things such as John Legend and a leisurely run with foodkid.
«The road slopes up gradually, so you don’t really feel it. But before long, we’ll be really high up and we can look down upon the mortals of Berkeley like we’re gods.»
Armie was right. It didn’t feel like an uphill run, but my thighs were getting some legit incline workout. I looked down and saw that my shoes were brown with dirt. Darn these dirt roads, should’ve worn black trainers.
«Armie, I think I like running the city streets better. You get to look at more people, shops, and city things.»
«Yeah, I like city running too. I call it ‘explorunning’, because you run while you explore. (lawlz) But I like this too because being surrounded by nature is pretty cool.»
We proceeded to huff and puff through several discussions about «explorerun», fake positives, and idealists. The conversations were not only enlightening, but talking through our run probably improved our cardio. Running with a friend is the best.
After 45 minutes or so, we reached an elevation point where I learned why nature running can be cool. We were so high up that we were legitly looking down on Cal.
We could see the population of trees stretch far and wide, wrapping around the Campanile as if they were readying themselves for a warm embrace. Beyond the Campanile were the blue waters of the Bay, and one could make out the distant shape of the greatness of the Golden Gate Bridge.
«Damn Armie, I guess I do feel like an immortal.»
«Yeah breh, but I think we should start turning back to Manpuku, I’m getting hungry.» (Armie Van Buren suffers from chronic hunger)
«Ok. And I think I know why they call this the FIRE trails now.»
Armie raised his eyebrow inquisitively.
«Cause our thighs will burn mañana.»

Dog friendly and with fantastic views! The upper fire trail was popular but the crowd thins out towards the top. Being outside and hearing the faint, garbled closing announcements of the botanical gardens makes you feel like you’re in the Hunger games. We picnicked at a nice vista point and enjoyed the view before meandering back down through the Woodbridge Melcale grove. Would grove again.

It’s wonderful. note that there are two separated trails:“the lower fire trail” and the «upper fire trail». They are not connected (well maybe they are sort of, you could cross from the woods and the climb was gonna kill me so I gave up)
The lower trial is flat, very suitable for running, and it’s shorter. The upper trail offers a better view and it’s steep at the beginning.

This is a very easy shaded trail but you have to pay for it with… The Hill. It is indeed super steep, but it’s nothing anyone in reasonable shape can’t handle.
The view at the top is worth it. Trust me.
Bring water and a little glucose and you’ll be fine. After the hill, you can turn around or continue on to more hills for extra pain.
Just map your route back to civilization unless you want to get lost. Trust me on that, too.

Probably one of my favorite trails thus far!
I’ve conquered some strenuous trails, and skipped through some not so challenging ones. Berkeley Fire Trails is probably, by far, the most versatile trail I’ve been on since I’ve moved to San Francisco.
It started off nice and easy — l loved all the sounds of nature and water from the nearby spring. Then we hit the end of the beginners level. I take a break, I drink some water and I decide to continue on with the trail. I look up and I see this fairly steep incline for days. Oddly enough, it didn’t look intimidating and people seemed to be gliding upwards without struggle. OH. But was I wrong. It was probably the worst uphill hike I’ve ever done in my life — and I’ve done quite a bit of training on steep streets (a.k.a. running from one end of California St to the other). It was worse going back down, be prepared! I would rate the rest of the trail a 3 out of 10 for intensity.
Aside from the challenge, this trail puts you at the top of the hills — giving you the most breathtaking views of the bay area. I would suggest that this is a ‘must’ if you haven’t checked it out yet.
Oh, and one more tip — don’t go after a rainy day. The mud is ridiculous!

Absolutely love the Fire Trails. It is the marriage of two of my favorite things — hiking and heights. I ended up hiking the entire trail my first time because the further I went (and the higher up I went) the more and more beautiful the view got.
A few things to note is that:
1. There are plenty of trees so you’ll be in the shade for about 60−70% of the hike. That being said, if you are hiking during the day you’ll want to bring a pair of sunglasses because when you are in the sun it’s extremely bright and hard to see.
2. That little «connector» area that everyone fears is actually not that bad. If you go off the trail to the right side there’s an area with little steps which might make the walk up easier. Other than that just watch your breathing and take your time going up.
3. Bring a light jacket, especially if you are hiking after the sun has gone down. Anyone who lives in Berkeley is aware of how quickly the temperature drops.
4. Other things you might want to bring with you: cellphone, hat, camera, water and a hiking buddy (especially if you plan on going past the bench because the further you go the fewer and fewer people you’ll encounter).
I have yet to meet anyone who has hiked the Fire Trails and HASN’T loved it. Unlike other hikes I’ve done this one is not at all tiring… just very relaxing and great if you need to clear your mind or want to see Berkeley from a different point of view.
More photos can be found here:

Just like everyone else said… you can park a little before the trail. A very small parking area. There’s a sign right before the trail so it will lead you the right way. You walk up for a little bit on the trail, then go up a pretty steep hill. A bit further and you will find a nice little view. You can keep going all the way and down steps next to the left building down to the Lawrence Hall of Science. Then it’s a walk along the windy street down to your parking spot.
Could definitely make this a weekly routine for someone who likes to hike but not strenuously.

Running up the Berkeley Fire Trails is the highlight of my week. It’s particularly nice to make it out early on a weekend morning, before the sun warms things up, and to just enjoy the beautiful oak trees and occasional dog that walks by with its owner. I wouldn’t recommend driving there, especially since the run to the trailhead is so pleasant.
You’ll be rewarded with a terrific view of the East Bay and into SF once you reach the top, plus the joy of getting a good workout in a quiet, natural space.

awesome trail that will give you a great workout and an AMAZING view once you get to the top. Trust me… the hard work will be worth it once you lay your eyes on the beautiful bay area skyline! The 7 mile trail has some steady gradual inclines with a few steep inclines. Wear a hat especially if you plan to hike this in the heat and make sure you bring plenty of water! It didn’t take us more than 2.5 hrs round trip, with quite a few pit stops to enjoy the view! ;)
Great hike in the heart of the east bay. Who says you have to travel far for a great hike?