Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park, also known as Tilden Park or Tilden, [], is a regional park in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is between the

Berkeley Hills The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that encompasses San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" (from the original Spanish ''Sierra de la ...

and San Pablo Ridge. Its main entrance is near Kensington, Berkeley, and Richmond. The park is contiguous with

Wildcat Canyon Regional Park Wildcat Canyon Regional Park is a East Bay Regional Parks District park bordering the city of Richmond in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. It includes a portion of Wildcat Canyon as well as a portion of the adjoin ...

. The park is managed by the

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. It maintains and operates a system of regional parks which ...

, created from the first land the District purchased in 1936. Tilden Regional Park was named in honor of

Charles Lee Tilden Charles Lee Tilden (July 17, 1857 – November 12, 1950) was an attorney and businessman in the San Francisco Bay Area who served on the first Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District. One of the first three parks in the Dist ...

, a Bay Area attorney and businessman who served on the first Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District.

Location

Tilden Park is largely located within unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County, while parts of the park are within the cities of Oakland and Berkeley. 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 Mount Diablo is a mountain of the Diablo Range, in Contra Costa County of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. It is south of Clayton and northeast of Danville. It is an isolated upthrust peak of , visible from most ...

. 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

. Parts of the park land had previously been cleared for agricultural use. In many places, exotic trees such as

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

were planted. There are also some relatively recently planted stands of

giant sequoia ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...

. However, current conservation efforts are aimed at restoring native vegetation as much as possible, and significant parts of the park are covered in native coastal scrub. The East Bay Regional Parks District uses grazing as a means of vegetation reduction, with a herd of goats grazing each summer in Tilden.

AC Transit AC Transit (Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District) is an Oakland-based public transit agency serving the western portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. AC Transit also operates "Transbay" ro ...

bus line 67 from the Berkeley BART station runs into the park on weekends. The bus line stops at the Tilden Nature Area/Little Farm, Lone Oak Road, Lake Anza/Merry-Go-Round, and the Brazilian Room/Botanic Garden before returning to Berkeley. File:Tilden march.JPG, Looking northeast towards San Pablo Reservoir from "Inspiration Point" in Tilden, March 2006 Image:A view west from Tilden Regional Park.jpg, View west over San Francisco Bay from Tilden Park File:Tilden Regional Park 6.jpg, Panoramic view east from Selby Trail, near Wildcat Canyon Road File:Tilden park clouds (6923719682) (2).jpg, Clouds over Tilden Regional Park

History

Prior to being a public park, the lands that are now Tilden Park were ancestral lands of Ohlone Indians. Spanish explorers and Mexican ranchos drove the Ohlone off the land as ranching became the dominant activity in Wildcat Canyon. American ranchers of the late 1800s and early 1900s included the Curran family ranch and the Sweet Briar Dairy. The eucalyptus plantations within the park were planted around 1910 by Frank C. Havens' Eucalyptus, Mahogany, & Land Company. The first parkland was purchased by the

from the

East Bay Municipal Utility District East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), colloquially referred to as "East Bay Mud", is a public utility district which provides water and sewage treatment services for an area of approximately in the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay. ...

on June 4, 1936. The 2,162 acres purchased included land for Tilden Park (then called Upper Wildcat Canyon), Lake Temescal and

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve is located in the Oakland Hills of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The park is part of the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD), covers , and lies east of Oakland, partly i ...

(then known as "Roundtop.")McCreery, Laura. Living Landscape. Wilderness Press. Berkeley, California. . 2010. Accessed March 22, 2017. Upper Wildcat Canyon was officially named "Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park" on July 16, 1936.

New Deal Era

At the June 4, 1936 board meeting of

, the same meeting that authorized the land purchase, the Board appropriated $63,428 in local funds for park development. In doing so, they met their matching fund obligation in order to qualify for $1 million in federal relief funds for park development. From 1935 to 1941 a

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC) camp, "Camp Wildcat Canyon" was located in what is now the Tilden Nature Area. The CCC crews built much of the park's earlier infrastructure and features including roads, trails, bridges, picnic areas, and golf course.

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) crews built the

Lake Anza Lake Anza is a recreational swimming reservoir, located within the Tilden Regional Park, in the Berkeley Hills above Berkeley, California. History The lake was created by the construction of the C L Tilden Park Dam in 1938. It was named by the ...

dam and stone buildings including restrooms, the original

beach house, and the exterior of the Brazilian Room. The aesthetic of the park today is directly derived from the original work performed by the CCC and WPA. The Brazilian Room, restroom buildings, stone monuments, and stone road ditches all remain in the park today. The stone that was used to build all the structures in the park were quarried in-park near the Big Springs trailhead on South Park Drive.

Golden Gate International Exposition

During the 1939-40

Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) (1939 and 1940), held at San Francisco's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair celebrating, among other things, the city's two newly built bridges. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened in 1936 ...

, championship cricket games were held at the Meadows field in northern Tilden Park. Brazilian hardwood from the Brazilian Pavilion at the World's Fair were used extensively as the interior for Tilden Park's Brazilian Room. The

also purchased used trash cans and benches once the World's Fair had closed.

World War II

In 1942, at the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, of southern Tilden Park was leased to the United States government to construct the Grizzly Peak VHF Station. Beginning in 1944, the radio site served as headquarters for the San Francisco Control Group (411th Army Air Forces Control Group) that oversaw command and control for air defense radar sites across coastal Northern California. The site was also a VHF station for

Hamilton Air Force Base Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. While the site was named after nearby Grizzly Peak on the border of Tilden Park and Oakland, the actual antennas were located atop Vollmer Peak. In 1952, the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

opened Grizzly Peak AAA Site No. 3 at the site near Vollmer Peak as an anti-aircraft installation. Two locations had a 90mm four-gun battery. The anti-aircraft installation was decommissioned during the Cold War as a result of the opening of the

Nike missile The United States Army's Nike Ajax was the world's first operational guided surface-to-air missile (SAM), entering service in 1954. Nike Ajax was designed to attack conventional bomber aircraft flying at high subsonic speeds and altitudes abov ...

base in adjacent

. The land was returned to the

in 1959. The Army Camp area of the

Redwood Valley Railway The Redwood Valley Railway is a gauge miniature railway in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, California. History It was established in 1952 by Erich Thomsen as the Tilden South Gate and Pacific Railway, on a gauge, and has since expanded t ...

is the former location of the installation's barracks and mess hall. A large concrete bunker still exists and is used as a Tilden Park maintenance facility. Camp Wildcat Canyon was used for convalescing soldiers during World War II. On September 7, 1942, the Richmond Shipyards Athletic Association put on a large scale Labor Day company picnic at Tilden Park for the thousands of workers and families of the Kaiser

Richmond Shipyards The four Richmond Shipyards, in the city of Richmond, California, United States, were run by Permanente Metals and part of the Kaiser Shipyards. In World War II, Richmond built more ships than any other shipyard, turning out as many as three shi ...

. The event spanned the entire park offering a golf tournament, diving contest, band concerts, and dancing in addition to picnicking and sporting events. The event went from 8am-10pm, allowing all shipyard shifts to attend the picnic. Attendance was 10,000 people, making it the largest event in Tilden Park history. Nimitz Way, which traverses the park from north to south generally following the ridgeline of the hills, was named in 1955 in honor of

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fle ...

, former

U.S. Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

Commander. Originally built as an access road for the World War II and Cold War-era anti-aircraft gun and missile batteries in the area, Nimitz Way is now closed to motor vehicles and has been redeveloped as a multi-use path. Nimitz was known to hike in the area of Inspiration Point, spreading wild flower seeds, during the time he and his wife lived in Oakland at the Claremont Hotel and later at a residence in Berkeley.

Post-War Era

The post-war period saw the addition of pony rides, model airplane field, tennis courts, trout fishing pond, Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round in 1948, and the South Gate & Pacific Railway (precursor to the

) in 1952. With these attractions joining the already existing golf course, Botanic Garden, Brazilian Room, and Lake Anza, Tilden Park became a quintessential East Bay experience for the thousands of families that flocked to the area in the years during and after World War II.

Park features

File:Tilden Regional Park little farm.jpg, "The Little Farm" has various livestock Image:Lake Anza.jpg,

Image:inside tilden park madrabbit.jpg, Regional Parks Botanic Garden File:Trestle (2919035898).jpg,

File:Brazilian Room (Brazil Building) - Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, California - DSC04247.JPG, Brazilian Room File:0399 Ceiling Detail (29622931445).jpg, Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round In addition to major areas of wilderness, the park includes several developed features, including environmental education areas, extensive botanical garden, swimming lake, golf course, model farm, miniature train, merry-go-round, and event venue. The Environmental Education Center and the Little Farm are just south of the Tilden Nature Area. The Environmental Education Center hosts educational programs and permanent exhibits about the ecology of the area. The Little Farm is a model farm with a vegetable garden, shorthorn cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, pigs and poultry. Visitors can feed the animals and learn about the working farm from farm staff.

is located in the central portion of Tilden Regional Park and is open for swimming from May to September. Nearby hiking trails and picnic areas are open year-round. The Regional Parks Botanic Garden has an extensive collection of California native plants, laid out over 10 acres, and includes many rare and endangered California flora. The

is a rideable miniature ( gauge) train. Established in 1952, its 1.25 mile track offers about a 12-minute ride and carries 160,000 passengers per year. The Brazilian Room is an event venue and banquet hall located in the central portion of the park. The Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round is an antique Merry-Go-Round, built in 1912, and listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The Tilden Park Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf course. It was designed by architect William Park Bell and constructed by WPA workers. It formally opened to the public on November 11, 1937, although there were preview openings starting on November 6 up to the November 11 opening for various groups including the WPA workers, golfing professionals and local notables.

Popular Trails

File:Tilden Regional Park boardwalk.jpg, Boardwalk trail along Wildcat Creek in Tilden Regional Park Image:Nimitz Way.jpg, Nimitz Way Entrance at Inspiration Point The park contains numerous

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

s, providing facilities for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

and

bicycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

. While most of the trails are dog-friendly, dogs are not permitted in the Tilden Nature Area to the north of the park. Some of the main trails include: The Tilden Nature Area is the northern, undeveloped region of the park. It is a 740-acre preserve with 10 miles of hiking trails. These trails include a climb to Wildcat Peak and a trail and wooden boardwalk around

Jewel Lake Jewel Lake is a former reservoir and artificial lake along Wildcat Creek, a small stream in Northern California in Tilden Regional Park.

. Nimitz Way, a four-mile-long (6 km) paved trail (named after

) that begins at Inspiration Point on the eastern edge of the park and heads north along the ridge of the hills, crossing into

about two miles (3 km) in and ending at a peak above El Sobrante. Nimitz Way is very popular with hikers, runners and bicyclists, in part 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 Reservoir Briones Reservoir is an open cut terminal water storage reservoir located in western Contra Costa County, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It is owned and operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMU ...

s, along with Mt. Diablo to the east. Unknown to most of the folks who travel this trail, the two-mile section that is in

was a

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. Meadows Canyon-Curran-Wildcat Canyon loop - A steady, but not steep, climb from Lone Oak Road which is just off Central Park Dr. At the top, Meadows Canyon connects with Curran trail which meanders downhill to Wildcat Gorge trail. To the left, it is a short walk to

. To the right, the trail returns to take a right on Wildcat Gorge trail, it returns to the Lone Oak parking area. The total distance is a little under . East Bay Skyline Ridge Trail (or Seaview Trail) - This trail provides views of San Francisco Bay to the West and Mt. Diablo to the East. It can be an out-and-back from the parking lot near the Steam Trains off of Grizzly Peak Blvd. accessed via Seaview Trail or from the opposite end off of Wildcat Canyon Road's Quarry parking area via Seaview Trail. It is approximately end-to-end. South Park Drive - The road that runs between Wildcat Canyon Road at the Botanic Gardens to Grizzly Peak Blvd. closes from 1 November to 31 March annually to protect the migration process for a Newt. It is available for hiking.

Picnics and camping

There are 13 reservable picnic areas and many non-reservable picnic areas within the park. They vary in amenities (potable water, grills, bathrooms) and in capacity (from 35 to 150 for reservable sites). In addition to the official picnic grounds, there are benches on most trails; many have excellent views of San Francisco and the Bay. Tilden Regional Park offers three group campsites: New Woodland with a capacity of 50 people and Gillespie Youth Camp and Wildcat View with a capacity of 75. Es Anderson Equestrian Camp offers equestrian camping.

References

External links

Tilden Regional Park
- official site at East Bay Regional Park {{East Bay Regional Parks Berkeley Hills East Bay Regional Park District Parks in Alameda County, California Parks in Contra Costa County, California Parks in the San Francisco Bay Area Nature centers in California Regional parks in California Bay Area Ridge Trail 1936 establishments in California