Warning: Your browser appears to have Javascript disabled. In order to use some features of Hiking Trailhead successfully, such as this one, you'll need to enable Javascript.

Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park

Name: Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
Rating: 3.75

Type: Trail

Length: N/A

Elevation Gain: 976 Feet

Cost: N/A

Rating:

(3.75)4

Difficulty: 3stars

(3.25)

Solitude:

(2.75)

ADA Accessible: N/A

Bikes Allowed: Yes

Dogs Allowed: Yes

Interpretive Guide: No

City: Oakland

County: Contra Costa

More Information: More Info

Log Your Hike

Map

Topo maps provided by MyTopo.com (buy now!) Map Logo

Larger Map

Download

Order a topo map

Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is one of the many managed by the East Bay Regional Park District. Unlike some nearby parks such as Tilden, Reinhardt Redwood tends towards minimalism with an emphasis on miles of trails. There are no carousels or steam engine trains here. Just lots of nature and paths leading through it.

A view along the Tres Sendas trail. Leading into the Redwood Creek valley the tree cover becomes dense and the light fleeting.

The main loop around the park consists of the East Ridge Trail, West Ridge Trail and the Canyon Trail connecting the two at the east side of the park. The traffic is heaviest here in part because it's also the trail segments on which bikes are allowed. Much of the park outside of these loop segments are reserved for hikers and in some cases horses.

In part, bikes are not allowed on many of the trails inside the perimeter of the ridge trails due to their steepness as the descend down towards and up from Redwood Creek. The creek runs the length of the park and the two ridges rise abruptly from either bank.

Several interpretive signage along the trail (some in Spanish) highlight the natural history of the area. Though there are Redwood trees in abundance in the park, the area was heavily forested to fuel the Bay Area's growth in the early years. Most of the trees today are the minuscule descendants of the giants that once grew here. A pair of giants not far from the park were so large and prominent that they were used as navigation aids by ships in the bay to avoid dangerous shallows.

The Stream Trail along Redwood Creek is sometimes the scene of an amazing display of nature in the form of hordes of ladybugs. Ladybugs by the thousands gather on grasses and bushes along the trail, huddled together in dense clumps that cover the foliage to which they cling.

In 2019 Redwood Regional Park was renamed Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in honor of Dr. Aurelia Henry Reinhardt, past president of Mills College. She also served on the East Bay Regional Parks' first Board of Directors.

Here's a video describing some of the park's features:

Photos

On the West Ridge Trail the views open up now and then over the creek valley and farther inland. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Some of the ascents can be steep, particularly if going from near the bottom to the top of the ridge. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

A couple of different varieties of fern are abundant along the trails. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Light streams down over the trail. The light level and temperature under are far lower under the protection of Redwoods. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Coppertone ponders whether to cross the creek bed via this fallen log or the actual trail. She chose the later. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

The trail occasionally follows a dry creek bed like this one. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

A view along the trails as they parallel Redwood Creek. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

The camp shelters were all boarded up. It's not clear if it was just for the winter, or for good. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Not far off the trail is a camping area that is/was supported by the Rotary Club. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Trail markers in the park are excellent and provide a clear indication of the path you want to take. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

A view from the West Ridge Trail looking east. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

At one spot along Redwood Creek we spotted clumps of ladybugs such as this one. In all there must have been thousands of them. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Only showing last 12 photos. View All Photos

Log Entries

Phillips Loop and Eucalyptus Trail
By Austin Explorer on 9/28/2014
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 5.34 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 57 minutes

Coppertone and I revisited the park to map a couple of trail segments that we had not visited in the past. Lots of people were out and about on the trail. Runners and dog walkers were out in force.

The Phillips Loop and Eucalyptus Trail are a bit off the beaten path than the main thoroughfares like East Ridge, West Ridge or Stream. Nevertheless, they were hardly featuring any solitude.

Eucalyptus Trail is a very steep climb of about a third of a mile from Redwood Creek to the top of East Ridge. The water diversions along the path are just about the only segments that don't pitch steeply upward.

The Phillips Loop generally follows the contour of the ridge below the East Ridge Trail. The terrain undulates somewhat, but it's not too difficult. If nothing else, it provides a temporary relief from the crowds that might be streaming along East Ridge.

Knee breaker on French Trail and Fern
By Austin Explorer on 9/7/2014
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.17 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 3 minutes

Coppertone and I revisited Redwood Regional Park to start filling in some of the trails that we've missed during our previous visits. Our primary goal was to walk as far down French Trail as we could before heading back.

Being in the Redwood Creek valley, the length of French Trail is well shaded. Lots of large Redwood trees sprout up all around. The trail hugs the ridge high above the creek, but it does not follow the contour lines of the map faithfully. Instead, there are numerous and steep ascents and descants along the way.

Unlike the ridge trails above, French Trail is off limits to bikes. The steep terrain and lack of bikes means fewer people, though there was no shortage of walkers, hikers and runners that we encountered on the trail.

Given the time of day, we elected to use the Fern Trail to pop up to the West Ridge Trail and head back towards the Moon Gate trailhead from which we started.

Good and exhausting hike
By Austin Explorer on 3/8/2014
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.52 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 46 minutes

Coppertone and I hiked a loop through the park today, racking up over 8 miles. We're still getting used to the hilly terrain, which makes the Hill Country of Texas look pretty tame. It was a welcome diversion from unpacking at the new house.

Despite being days after the last rain, it was still a bit muddy in places and we had to tiptoe around a few small bogs.

We spotted some more hibernating lady bugs along Stream Trail, though not in the same quantities that we'd seen during our last hike along that path.

Great mix of terrain
By Austin Explorer on 9/29/2013
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours

Coppertone and I took a couple of hours to get outside during our recent trip to the Bay Area. We did a loop that included the west side of the park's ridge trails and even descended into the Redwood Creek Stream Trail for a bit.

We saw the largest concentration of lady bugs either of us have ever seen along one strtch of the Stream Trail. It must have been thousands and thousands of them clumped together on bushes and plants. The grouping was very dense and the overall area where they laid was small. Somehow all of the lady bugs decided to come to this very small spot. It evoked images of the Monarchs gathering in Mexico. Incredible!