UC Berkeley: Hayward fault & more; 3 miles (or 7-8 miles option to Orinda BART)

It's the 16th anniversary of the group, so time for our anniversary hike through UC Berkeley. This year we'll have an optional extension over the Berkeley hills, so the hike is either 3 miles or 7-8.

From 10:00-10:15, I'll give some background information on California geology; then we'll leave at 10:15. If you've already heard my background talk, you're welcome to arrive by 10:15. I "pass the hat" for a $2 suggested donation right before we start.

We'll start with a hike everyone seems to enjoy, wandering at a leisurely pace through UC Berkeley, looking at some of their hallway displays (including a T-Rex), then explore evidence of tectonic creep on the Hayward Fault near Memorial Stadium. The buildings we're exploring are usually accessible, but on some hikes we've been locked out of one or two.

Hiking options:

• We'll hike as a group for the first 2 miles through UC Berkeley, ending at Memorial Stadium (about 300' total climbing).
• Some folks may want to head back down to BART; this adds about one mile and is 'all downhilll.'
• Others may join us as we climb through rustic stairways and paths up into the Panoramic Hill neighborhood. We'll then climb on the "Upper Fire Trail" and make our way up to Grizzly Peak Blvd (after about 5 total miles from Berkeley BART). Some folks may want to head back down to Berkeley BART after enjoying the views from the firetrail (the best views are about four miles from BART). Total elevation gain to the top is about 1,800 feet.
• Finally, we'll head down through EBMUD trails to get to Orinda BART. These trails require EBMUD Trail Passes; each pass allows the pass holder to bring three guest.

Maps:

• An AllTrails map showing all the options can be found here.
• Google Map showing destinations (zoom in on the blue dots to see the destinations on UCB campus).
• Here's a video explaining the hike that I made a few years ago

My guess is we'll finish our 2 mile UCB exploration around 11:30, and get to Orinda BART around 3:00, but guarantees are not given on finishing times.

More details:

Bring food and water. On the longer hike, we'll stop for a 20-30 minute lunch break at the top of the Upper Fire Trail where we'll see some great sedimentary rock exposures.

If you poop out at Memorial Stadium, you'll have walked about 1.75 miles and seen most of the geology sites (so this is a good hike if you're not sure you're up for the entire 7 miles but still want to try it out).

Here, those who want to return are welcome to head back down the hill into Berkeley. The main group will continue with me up about 3/4 mile to Grizzly Peak, then down fire trails to Orinda BART (some of this portion is on EBMUD that technically requires a Trail Use Permit--I have one that covers me plus three others, but I've never been stopped and asked for my permit. If anyone wants to get a permit, you can order and download an EBMUD Trail Use Permit here ($10 for one year, $30 for five years); the more we have the better off we'll be.

There is no limit for this hike, so please don't need to feel rushed to RSVP. I suspect (and hope) we won't end up with too many, we seem to average in the 10-30 range who actually show up.

Kids are welcome, dogs are not.

I recommend coming by BART. If you drive, check parking signs carefully; street parking on UC Berkeley is allowed, and uses PayByPhone. The City of Berkeley has parking garages (I think the meter rates are pretty high, and minimal hours, but check). If you want to avoid Downtown Berkeley parking, you might park at North Berkeley BART and take BART in.