Alameda Creek Regional Trail, Fremont (EBRP)

AA - B; *; Transit; Wet Weather Yes     MORE INFO & MAP

This trail, a part of the East Bay Regional Park system, follows Alameda Creek for 12 miles, through the cities of Fremont, Union City, and Newark to Coyote Hills Park and the Bay. There are actually trails on both banks of the creek; the one on the south side is entirely paved; on the north side it's well-graded gravel. I travelled the south side, but the north side would have been almost as easy for my power chair. It appeared appeared to be nicer than the south side on some stretches, less appealing on others, and not much less heavily used by hikers, joggers and bicyclists.

The only access problems on the south trail itself are the underpasses, wherever streets cross the creek, which can be a bit steep. There are 13 of them, but that doesn't mean every one provides a point of access to the trail. Some of the cross streets have no sidewalks, and some that do, have no curb cuts. But my main quarrel with the Alameda CreekTrail is that since the creek runs entirely in a man-made channel about 75 feet wide, with streets and houses right by the levees most of the way, it provides little chance to enjoy nature except in the stretch adjacent to Coyote Hills Park. Using a fast power chair and bicycle, we were able to travel the entire 24 miles, and making that marathon ride was fun, but another recent ride, around Coyote Hills and the SF Wildlife Refuge, was a lot more interesting. Much of Alameda Creek Trail is too narrow and heavily travelled to allow comfortable walking abreast, making it a poor choice for strolling with a friend.

The Niles Staging Area, at the east end of the trail where the creek reaches the flatlands has a nice picnic area. Here the creek runs over a rocky bed and people fish from willow-shaded banks. Downstream the trail passes under Mission Boulevard and, three-quarters of a mile further, the Alameda County Water District's three rubber cofferdams, which are inflated year-round except during storms. They transform the creek into a series of long ponds. The ponded water is piped into old gravel quarries adjacent to the creek for groundwater recharge. During the dry season, the dams reduce the creek's flow to a trickle that gradually dries up, leaving the streambed exposed and covered with cattails. This stretch is less urban than what follows, and offers good bird-watching. Two and a quarter miles west, the pedestrian Sequoia Bridge spans the creek, allowing access to the northern side trail, Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area (which offers swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking, and accessible hiking trails) and the Isherwood Staging Area, downstream another half-mile or so on the north side. Note that the bridge on Isherwood Way has no curb cuts, so Sequoia Bridge may be the only way to reach it from the south side trail. Beard Staging Area, another four miles down the trail, has a nice picnic area and a shaded lawn, in a small city park, but there's not much to recommend the trail in this vicinity.

Details: Blue parking spaces are at all the staging areas: two at Isherwood, one each at Niles and Beard. Accessible portable toilets are also furnished. Benches are provided at the west end and at trail junctions in Coyote Hills Park, but are not frequent along most of the trail. AC Transit serves Mission Blvd to Niles Canyon Rd, a few hundred yards from the Niles Staging Area. To get there by car, exit Highway 880 at Decoto Road in Fremont. Go east on Decoto Road more than 1 mile, turn right onto Paseo Padre Parkway another mile or so, then left onto Peralta Boulevard (Highway 84) which becomes Mowry Avenue an ends at Mission Boulevard, where you turn left, then right at the first opportunity on Niles Canyon Road, and immediately right again across the creek on Old Canyon Road, where the Niles Staging Area is steeply down on the left. Last visit Spring 2008