Park It: Avoid mud on hikes, bike rides by using East Bay regional trails

With all the recent rains, it’s likely to be a bit soft underfoot on the trails in the East Bay regional parks and other public open spaces. During hikes, you may soon feel as though you were wearing platform shoes. Cyclists can acquire brown stripes down the back of their shirts.

Of course you can avoid the mud in the regional parks by hiking or biking the paved inter-park regional trails such as the Contra Costa Canal Trail and Iron Horse Trail in central Contra Costa County, the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail, the San Francisco Bay Trail along the shoreline or the Alameda Creek Regional Trail in Fremont.

Nimitz Way at Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley is paved for the first four miles out from Inspiration Point on Wildcat Canyon Road. On all trails, watch for signs indicating that dogs must be leashed.

There are no guarantees, but some unpaved trails that partly traverse rockier, less muddy soil include the Seaview Trail at Tilden, the Old Stage Road Trail at Diablo Foothills in Walnut Creek (there are four stream crossings), the Chaparral Loop Trail at Black Diamond Mines in Antioch and the Round Top Loop Trail at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the Oakland hills.

The Bayview Trail at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont is paved. The first section of Camp Ohlone Road at Sunol Wilderness in southern Alameda County is gravel and not muddy.

Perhaps the best approach is just to accept that the trails are muddy in the rainy season, dress accordingly and take a pair of dry shoes to wear after the hike. If possible, please avoid going off-trail to bypass mud. And before you go, check ebparks.org/alerts-closures to be sure that your excursion is possible.

As always, make sure you share the trails with others and help protect wildlife by staying on designated trails. Illegal bootleg trails are not maintained and damage wildlife habitat.

Swim season openings: The Park District plans to hire over 50 new lifeguards for the 2023 swim season at its dozen East Bay swim facilities, which include lakes, lagoons and swimming pools. All new lifeguard positions are seasonal, full-time positions from May through September. Anyone age 16 or older before April 22, 2023 may apply. Starting pay is $20.78 per hour.

Six lifeguard testing dates are scheduled in March. Participants will be asked to swim 550 yards in under 10 minutes, carry a rescue board 50 feet, retrieve three dive rings under four-to-seven feet of water, tread water for two minutes using only their legs and retrieve a 10-pound brick from underwater. There will also be a short informal interview after successful completion of the swim test on the same day.

Testing dates and locations are on Saturday and March 25 at Buchanan Pool in Pittsburg, as well as March 12 at Granada High School in Livermore, March 18 and 19 at San Leandro High School and March 26 at Castro Valley High School.

For information and how to apply, visit ebparks.org/public-lifeguard/jobs.

Fremont: The marshland at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont is the venue for three naturalist-led programs on Saturday.

“Marsh Mammal Madness” is the theme of a walk from 10 to 11:30 a.m. with naturalist Martha Cerda, who will talk about unique traits of the animals that live in the marshland, while the group plays a game of storytelling and science. Then, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., naturalist Erin Blackwood will lead a trek to find out what lives in the marsh mud. The group will use scientific tools to collect and examine the mud and its denizens, then make a model or sketch to take home. And there’s more: a naturalist-led “storywalk” at the marsh from 3 to 3:30 p.m. It’s a stroll with stories, songs and movement based on a nature-themed book.

All three programs are free and no registration is required. All ages are welcome; parents must accompany children. Meet at the visitor center. Coyote Hills is on Patterson Ranch Road off Paseo Padre Parkway. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle. For information, call 510-544-3220.

Alameda: Although it hasn’t been a problem lately, rainmaking is the theme of Family Nature Fun Hour from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove in Alameda. The program repeats at the same time on Sunday, March 12.

Crab Cove is at 1252 McKay Ave. off Alameda’s Central Avenue. For information, call 510-544-3187.

Oakland: The nighttime is the right time for a variety of animals. In hopes of seeing some of them, naturalist Susan Ramos will lead a twilight walk from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland.

You may hear owls or coyotes or perhaps catch a glimpse of other forest dwellers. The program is for ages 8 and older; parents must accompany children. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight.

It’s free and no registration is required. Meet Susan at the park’s Canyon Meadow Staging Area, which is at the end of the road leading into the park from Redwood Road, about two miles down-canyon from the intersection with Skyline Boulevard in Oakland. For information, call Crab Cove at 510-544-3187.

Ned MacKay writes about East Bay Regional Park District sites and activities. Email him at nedmackay@comcast.net.