Completed: April 8, 2023 | Elevation: 1,211′ | Trail: Wildcat Creek> Sylvan Trail > Wildcat Peak > Nimitz Way > Laurel Canyon Road > Loop | Distance: 3.5 miles
To reach our third and final peak of the day, Wildcat Peak, we continued our drive on Grizzly Peak Boulevard towards the northern end of Tilden Regional Park. We had finished Vollmer and Grizzly, which were relatively short and easy, so were looking forward to a longer hike.
We found parking on Central Park Drive near the playground. This section of the park seemed a lot busier, likely because the Environmental Education Center and Little Farm are located here. A lot of families were picnicking or strolling around with kids in tow.
I had never been to this part of Tilden, and actually didn’t even know these attractions were here. We took a quick detour to the Environmental Education Center, just to have a peak at what was going on inside. There was an interesting exhibit on Wildcat Creek and the different ecosystems that it flows through before emptying into San Pablo Bay.
From there we walked to Wildcat Creek Trail (not to be confused with the Wildcat Peak Trail) which is the main walkway outside the Center, continued on it just past Jewel Lake and then turned right at the marker for the Jewel Lake Trail. Up some steps, into the woods, and then it was a short 0.1 miles to another marker where we veered left onto the Sylvan Trail.
After a third of a mile we made another left onto the Wildcat Peak Trail. From here we ascended more quickly and left the shade of the eucalyptus trees behind. Views of the bay accompanied us as we meandered our way up the hill, with clusters of red and purple wildflowers dotting the way. After a mile, we saw a spur trail that headed higher up on the left; there was no sign, but we figured it must be Wildcat Peak.
At the top we found a circular stone structure, the Peace Grove Lookout, built in 1962 by the Rotary Club. It was a quiet, contemplative place from which to enjoy the 360° views.
Further down the trail we came upon the actual Peace Grove, a cluster of trees marked by a plaque with the names of people recognized by the Rotary Club for their contributions to world peace. I found some of the choices interesting.
I managed to miss the turnoff to Laurel Canyon Road (not Trail) and ended up on Nimitz Way, which still connected to Laurel Canyon, but took us out of our way by half a mile. We descended Laurel Canyon and found ourselves back in among the trees. The upper section of the trail was pretty muddy.
We eventually connected to the Loop Trail and exited onto Wildcat Creek Trail right near Jewel Lake. Rather than walking back along the trail, we took the boardwalk. Although it was after 2:00 and we hadn’t eaten lunch, I wanted to check out the farm. It was great to see the cows, chickens, rabbits, goats, geese, sheep and turkey that call this place home. Kids were having a blast feeding the animals celery and lettuce.
Needing a little sustenance ourselves, we hurried back to the car with plans to find lunch in Berkeley. Overall, it had been a good day of hiking, with amazing views and cute, furry farm animals to boot.
Find an overview of our Tilden hikes here.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.
Coda
There’s always more to discover in the Bay Area, our big backyard. Often we’re only scratching the surface of any one given place, and even then, those places are constantly changing. At this point we are just shy of completing 30% of our challenge and I find myself looking forward to weekends, thinking about which new place we’ll find this time.