Oakland and Alameda shoreline

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Oakland, CA, US

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Route Overview

Bay Area Bike Rides

Group-friendly, transit-accessible bike rides

25 mi.

262 ft.

A transit-accessible, entirely flat route along the waterfront of Oakland and Alameda. A beautiful ride for a warm day.

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Route Details

The [San Francisco Bay Trail](https://baytrail.org/) project has worked for 30+ years to develop a connected 500-mile trail along the waterfronts of the Bay Area. Oakland and Alameda have benefitted substantially from this work; there is now a lovely set of pathways along the Oakland/Alameda estuary and Alameda's bay front.

Beginning at Fruitvale BART, this route follows the estuary through Martin Luther King Regional shoreline, touches Bay Farm Island (which used to be an island, but is now connected to Oakland), takes the nation's only bike/pedestrian drawbridge over to Alameda (which used to be connected to Oakland, but is now an island).

The ride along Crown Beach features beautiful views of the Bay and San Francisco, and connects you to the former Alameda Naval Air Station, where you can view naval history at the U.S.S. Hornet Museum, or enjoy food trucks and a beverage at Spirits Alley, where breweries, wineries and distilleries now occupy the former naval warehouses out by the air strips.

A short hop on the [San Francisco Bay Ferry](https://sanfranciscobayferry.com/route/sffb/oakland) ($1.70, payable by Clipper Card) will take you back across the estuary to Jack London Square, where you can do an optional loop around Oakland's Lake Merritt (highly recommended on a sunny afternoon), then finish up with a ride along Oakland's Embarcadero back to Fruitvale.

* @poi[Martin Luther King Regional Shoreline](19892741) – bike paths, boardwalks and a viewing platform among the tidal mudflats. Wonderful shorebird viewing, especially at low tide.
* @poi[Crown Memorial State Beach](19892734) – picnic areas and wildlife preserve with views of the Bay and San Francisco. Rent a stand-up paddleboard or windsurfer at Boardsports.
* @poi[Crab Cove](19892736) – interpretive center, aquarium, and a beach that actually has warm water for swimming (at high tide).
* @poi[U.S.S. Hornet Sea, Air, and Space Museum](19892737) – decommissioned aircraft carrier (which retrieved Apollo 11 and 12) with exhibits, tours, and cool events like paranormal tours and an escape room.
* @poi[Spirits Alley](19892738) – old naval warehouses redeveloped as breweries, wineries and distilleries. Have a beverage, grab something from the food trucks, and enjoy remarkable views of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge out by the old air strips.
* @poi[Lake Merritt](19892743) – Oakland's jewel. See everyone in the town out enjoying the sunshine on a pleasant weekend day. 
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# Important Reminders

* The streets getting from Fruitvale BART to and the waterfront are not optimized for cycling.
* Bay Farm Island has a large population of rock squirrels, and they all want to run in front of bikes riding on the path.
* The ferry has limited trips which change seasonally; check the schedules. You can alternately use the Cross-Alameda Trail to ride back through Alameda and over the Park Street Bridge, or take the very unpleasant sidewalk through the Posey Tube.

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Oakland and Alameda shoreline

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