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Anthony Chabot Regional Park (EBRP, Oakland) INFO
From the MacDonald Staging area off Redwood Road, this stretch of the Bay Area Ridge Trail is a dirt firetrail switchbacking steeply out of the canyon, uncomfortably rough with the rocky skeleton of the ridge even where it runs relatively level along the ridgetop. But it's little used, and has varied views across the east bay hills, as it winds in and out of oak woods, grassland and chaparral.
The trails we travelled had no impassible erosion, but all three (Cottontail,. Brandon, and Deer Canyon) were quite steep in places. Brandon Trail, which is also part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, had been recently graded, and the stretch we travelled, between Cottontail and the rifle range, encouraged me to expect that Chabot's bike routes would be well maintained in other parts of the park.
Details: MacDonald Staging Area is reached from Oakland via Redwood Road, about 3 miles east from Highway 13, down from Skyline Blvd. It is the second trailhead on the right near the bottom of the canyon. There is no toilet or reserved parking there, but the lot does not seem likely to get crowded. One can also reach the midpoint of MacDonald Trail from the east end of Parkridge Drive above Skyline Blvd., and so bypass the steep climb out of the canyon. But parking at that trailhead is on sloping residential streets, and no toilet is provided. Marciel Gate is another 5 miles out Redwood Road. It has an entrance sign where good park maps are furnished, a large dirt parking area, one picnic table, but no toilets. The Chabot Park maps show accessible toilets only at the Marina (from which I believe there must also be miles of accessible trails along Lake Chabot). I also think it likely they have accessible toilets at the campground, but haven't had a chance to check. If you have, please let me know! Last visit Fall 2006 |
Then,
less than a quarter mile before reaching the Bort Staging Area, as the
trail descends into the canyon, it is blocked by a high railroad-tie
step. As the photo below shows, it might be possible to get down over
this obstacle (probably not up) with sufficient assistance and/or a
manual chair. But this is a good example of an unnecessary barrier put
there not by nature but by a trail maintenance crew intent on preventing
erosion and ignorant of or indifferent to the need to maximize wheelchair
access even on difficult trails. 
The
Marciel Gate Trailhead is a much longer drive out Redwood Road, and
provides access to little-frequented trails along hillsides thickly
forested with eucalyptus. Hiking there on the weekday Halloween of 2006
we encountered only one bicyclist, one hiker (with 3 small dogs) and
a few deer, jays and juncos. 