Bay Nature

Good for:

• Bikes
• Birding
• Disabled Access
• Dogs
• Kids

Habitat:

• Bay and Estuary

Attributes:

• Transit Accessible

Overview

This is the idyllic-looking slender lake you see south of University Avenue from Highway 80, and traffic noise is its main drawback. Disregard that, if you can, and it’s quite wonderful, with a large playground, grassy picnic areas, and a frisbee golf course. There’s a nice café serving espresso drinks near the north end, where boats can be rented. Herons, cormorants, geese, ducks and grebes are usually to be seen. A wheelchair-bike-pedestrian overpass just south of University Avenue at the north end of the lake connects Berkeley to the Bay Trail and waterfront parks on the Bay.

The less-used south entrance is at the north end of Shellmound Street, off a lightly-used on-ramp to the highway, which makes walking and biking to it uncomfortable if not hazardous. It has a gravel parking area and accessible chemical toilet.

Proceeding counterclockwise, take the winding asphalt path along the landscaped east side of the lake. You may elect to come back on this side instead of completing the loop, since the gravel service road along the west side is very close to speeding traffic.