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    Inspiration Point

    4.6 (84 reviews)

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    Phil A.

    So, was Inspiration Point inspirational?? No doubt that if you lose yourself in all that Berkeley scenery, you could find your inspiration here!! So inspiration? Maybe. But if you want get get your walk on, or get your steps in, or your bike or run on, there are plenty of trails for that. I came on a Saturday afternoon and the parking lot was full, so I parked on the side of the street, still relatively close. Inspiration Point is also where the Nimitz Trail begins, which was a really nice walk on that sunny Saturday. The Nimitz was paved, but there are plenty of dirt trails that veer off from the main trail, if your feeling adventurous. So come here and enjoy the views of the Berkeley Hills or the reservoir, it's all good here!!

    Start point.
    Wil L.

    Again, my review are for parents who are considering hiking this with young kids and a stroller. My wife and I took our three and one year old on this hike. We took our average joe City Go double stroller. We can't afford those high end luxury strollers nor can we afford a stroller for hikes and a stroller for other things. I'm fact, this was an excellent hand me down from the sister in law! Great paved hike! Lots of good hills so be prepared to put some work in with the strollers. The three year old hiked for a good portion but eventually tapped out and fell asleep. The one year old just sat and ate. Not much shade so bring your sun hats and sun screen. We really enjoyed it and will add this to our regular rotation.

    View at dusk
    Reba Jane S.

    We came here for dinner and a walk. Having arrived a little late in the evening, we settled in at a picnic table, took in the glorious pine aroma and watched the Acro-Bats! Since it was a super warm day and evening, at twilight the flying bugs were busy. Then came the bats, swooping and diving. Precision hair pin turns. My husband said "Did you feel that?" A bat swooped so close to my head and I didn't know it! This was amazing. Where we first noticed 2 bats there were now 4. Then 6! It was starting to get dark and time to leave, but I'll carry this dinner date with me for a long time. Other times we've driven by during the day on weekends without stopping because there is no parking unless you get lucky. But the view here is beautiful and there is a walking trail nearby.

    Tammy E.

    Beautiful location to hike and enjoy the great outdoors! We brought my nephew in his stroller on this pretty flat hiking trail. The parking lot is tiny so expect to wait a bit to get a legitimate spot here. Once here there are a few trails to choose from and they are nice and accessible to dogs, humans, and baby humans. There are many lookout points along the main trail here and it's a very rewarding hike without too much strain. The one downside of this being a dog-friendly trail that is also paved is that there was a lot of dog droppings all over the path. This is less the fault of the dogs than their owners, but nonetheless gross. When we were about to leave, someone in the car smelled something foul so we checked the stroller, only to find that of course someone had accidentally rolled over some dog droppings with the stroller and it was now stuck in the wheel. Yuck! Note to dog-owners, please be responsible and clean up after your pet! If you didn't bring a bag with you make sure your pet doesn't accidentally go in the middle of the paved path! Be responsible!!

    Chris L.

    I was afraid of not getting a parking spot, so I got here before 7. Not to worry, there's still plenty of space is available. But later in the morning, the spaces fill up quickly. The main trail is called the Nimitz Trail, named after a famous Navy Admiral. There are quite a few places to stop and gaze towards the San Pablo Reservoir. The views are indeed incredible. Today, there were a ton of bikers, bikers, strollers, and even a championship college Runner. The runner passed me on my bike! Along the Nimitz Trail, there are several interesting features. There are several Tree groves, sponsored by community organizations. For example the Rotary Club sponsors a peace Grove. They have plaques dedicated to famous peacemakers of years gone by. There are several restrooms at the start of the trial.

    amazing views!
    John S.

    Views. Views. Views. Amazing views. Inspiration Point is a popular hike in the Berkeley Hills. There are few slopes, and most of it is paved, so its quite easy as far as hikes go. In fact, I'd describe it more of a "walk" than a "hike". The parking lot fills up on the weekends or holidays, but there is nearby street parking. If you do park on the street, make sure you park in a spot along the road that is not between the "No Parking" signs. The East Bay Park Police patrol the parking lot. Berkeley PD in theory patrols the roads. So its Berkeley PD that would give you a ticket out on the street. DO NOT LEAVE ANY VALUABLES IN YOUR CAR. Notice all the broken glass on the ground. There are many car breakins in this area. I assume the thieves wait until you are out on your hike, then break in to your car. The hike itself is scenic, and along the way there are many small dirt paths that take you up or down the nearby slopes. The air temp up here is about 5 degrees cooler than the flat lands of Berkeley. This is due to the onshore winds that blanket the top of the hill you are walking along. Bring a windbreaker!

    Montage of images from Inspiration Point and Nimitz Way
    Ed U.

    I would be lying if I said I get inspiration at Inspiration Point, and hell, I've been coming here for years. In fact, I'm not sure if I would know inspiration if it hit me on my tuchus. What I really get are FitBit steps as I have been rather intent to get to my daily goal of 10,000 steps, and walking the well-traveled Nimitz Way was a convenient way to do it. Note I stated 'walk' as the first four miles are fully paved, and while there is sometimes a rolling elevation to the path, it never surpasses a three percent grade. In other words, it didn't feel like you're one of the Von Trapps desperately scaling the Alps to escape the Nazis. It felt more like you're a member of Wilson Phillips in the "Hold On" video where they don't really move off those rocks. Formerly an access road to a missile base (a challenging point of fact if you're a typical Berkeley pacifist), it just wasn't that challenging to cover unless you have time constraints. Pick up the pace if you want your heart to pump harder. Besides, there are benches along the way to take in panoramic views of the bay toward the west and San Pablo Reservoir to the east. I didn't realize until recently that the trail connects with the San Pablo Ridge Trail in Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. That would be an ambitious trek. Could you drive me back to my car? The parking lot handles the weekday visitor volume just fine, but forget about it on weekends and presume you'll be parking precariously on the edge of Wildcat Canyon Road. RELATED - Up for a hike? Here are the places around the Bay Area where I have trodded: http://bit.ly/2OsCCsK

    Signage
    Shayla B.

    Need a little inspiration? Well, Tilden Park's Inspiration Point is sure to help you with that! Just one glance at those beautiful Berkeley views is enough to make you fall completely in love! Inspiration Point is located in the parking lot next to the Tilden Regional Park entrance off of Wildcat Canyon Road. I usually park here when I hike Tilden Park. The main walking trail known as the "Nimitz trail" begins here. The actual viewpoint is gorgeous! On a clear day, you can see the beautiful rolling hills of Berkeley and beyond. It's a great place to chill out and enjoy the surrounding views of Berkeley. It's also a wonderful spot to catch a sunset or a sunrise. Because this park is heavily trafficked, the parking lot tends to get filled up rather quickly. It is always a good practice to arrive as early as possible, especially on the weekends when it tends to be the busiest. There are spots where you can park on the side of the road if the lot does get filled up. The Inspiration Point lookout has a small bench where you can sit and enjoy the views, and there are also restrooms available at the beginning of the trail. It's a wonderful place to sulk in the peaceful views of the rolling Berkeley Hills!

    Joanna H.

    My active friends and I love this hiking spot! The main trail is called Nimitz Trail and there are many other trails that you can take off of this main trail. This is a super family and dog friendly hike. We passed by many adorable dogs and lots of nice people with greetings like good morning and hello along the way. There are quite a few bikers too, so you have to be careful to let them pass by smoothly. There's a sign at the beginning of the hike telling you to please wear your mask when you are within 6 feet from other people. This hike is very much doable for all ages. I would definitely recommend this hike!

    Kathy V.

    Really disappointed.. only because directions to get to see the stunning view from Rotary Peace Grove was not provided. Assumption of taking the Nimitz trail highly recommended by everyone, you would run into it. Reading that the trail is 4.1 miles, assuming again it was a round about or 2 miles back and forth which was not the case! Try 8 plus mile with the turn around? And it was kinda boring!! Paved road leads to dead end of gravel and hills for days lol Since the rain is gone, and it's been hot lately - all you see are weeds and cows. Note: if you're interested in seeing the Rotary Peace Grove, it's about a mile out and a couple of feet towards your left. You will see a small sign, that can be easily missed. Hike towards up hill and you will find it. Sorry about the ranting, I wish I had brought water with me and I was dead tired lol That is all..I recommend which most people did, BRING YO BIKE!!

    Clear day glorious views!
    Jennifer N.

    Just to clarify-Inspiration Point is the parking area and scenic look-out that marks an entrance to the paved Nimitz Trail. Because I usually start some Tilden Area hikes from this lot but haven't written any Tilden reviews, yet, I figured I'd start here. Inspiration Point itself is pretty easy to get to if you're coming from east of the Caldecott. Simply take 24 East, exit at Orinda and bear right towards San Pablo Dam Rd. After about 2 miles if you make a right, you can head towards one of the Briones staging areas and then if you turn left on to Wildcat Canyon Road, you'll head towards Inspiration Point. The parking area tends to fill up quickly but on a Saturday late afternoon, around 4, there were plentiful spots. Once on the paved Nimitz trail glorious views abound of the San Pablo area resevoir, Mt. Diablo and then the bay itself, all the way to the Golden Gate and Marin, weather pending. I've done this walk many times, sometimes veering off down to the left in to the Tilden Nature Area, but being I was solo and it was later in the day, my most recent walk kept me on the paved path. There are regular mile markers, every 1/4 of a mile, for those of you keeping track and the trail varies in sun and shade, so plan accordingly. There are stretches of wide open sunny spaces then you'll go around the bend and it will be shady and windy. Because I was flying solo on my most recent walk (notice I don't say "hike" ) I kept to the main path until around 1.75 miles and then turned left toward the Peace Grove and up on the short trail that takes you to Wildcat Peak. Once on the peak there are wonderful 360 degree views of the bay, Briones and Mt. Diablo. I even caught the bucolic site of cows off in the distance looking down towards the San Pablo Resevoir. I decided to go back the way I came and felt rather safe doing that walk alone, especially as it crept close to 6-6:30. If it were earlier in the day, or I had company, I might have continued on the Nimitz trail which eventually takes you to Wildcat Canyon through cattle gates. Another option is to actually hike down in to the Tilden Nature Area, link up to the Visitor's Center and then head back up. I've done both in the past and look forward to it again. All in all, 5 stars for nature, friendly folks on the trail and good opportunity for bird watching if that's your thing too! The Yelp 100 Challenge

    Sign on the road so you know you're there.
    Daniel B.

    Inspiration Point is a lookout point at Tilden Regional Park that also has a parking lot and serves as a staging area for the park's most popular trail, Nimitz Way. The point is located on the eastern edge of the park, which is northeast of San Francisco and Oakland, in northeast Berkeley close to Orinda. This is a great place to stop and take in the beautiful, panoramic views of the rolling East Bay hills and Mount Diablo to the east. Entry to Tilden Regional Park is free and there is no cost to park at Inspiration Point. There are about 40 parking spaces available. Inspiration Point itself has a small lookout platform with informational placards and a few benches. It's nice -- ideal for pictures and for stopping to relax and enjoy the scenery. The parking lot surrounds a woodsy area with a handful of picnic tables. The access point for Nimitz Way also has a tiny picnic area as well as men's and women's restrooms. Nimitz Way is a wide, paved, four-mile-long walking/hiking trail that starts at Inspiration Point and goes north, along the ridge line, through Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, and ends at El Sobrante. The trail has excellent views of the Bay Area both east and west of the hills. Facing westward, you can see San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Nimitz Way is very easy to walk and is bicycle and stroller-friendly. It's excellent for beginners because the inclines are relatively shallow. Inspiration Point has access to another, more adventurous and less traveled trailed: Inspiration Trail. This trail is not paved. Only hikers and horses are allowed on this trail. Bikers are not allowed. This trail sort of parallels Nimitz Way for over a half-mile before meeting back up again with Nimitz Way. After that point, the two trails permanently diverge: Nimitz to the north and Inspiration to the east. Whether you're planning a multi-hour hike or a quick visit through, Inspiration Point is a terrific stop.

    Rotary Peace Grove Lookout on Wildcat Peak Trail
    Carol N.

    Directions to Rotary Peace Grove Lookout: 1) From Inspiration Point, take Nimitz Trail. 2) Look for second fork in the road, it should be the Wildcat Peak Trail on you left (first firm was Laurel Canyon). Pay attention for the second fork because we somehow missed it. If you pass the Wildcat Canyon sign (in your right), then you've gone past the Wildcat Peak Trail. 3) You will pass by Rotary Peace Grove which is a shady area. 4) Stay on the trail going uphill, it'll take you directly to the Lookout. FYI: Lots of flies around here! Loved the hike! Wasn't too long, probably about 2-3 hours. We went to the Lookout & went back to Inspiration Point.

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    Very nice place to take a walk with nice views into the valley below. It feels like worlds apart from the city and good way to recharge.

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    Very nice trails, did the peace off trail to the top. Great views will come back and work through all of the trails

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Inspiration Point

    Does anyone know if it's possible to use a stroller on the Inspiration trail to Wildcat Peak?

    Yes, they are.

    Anyone know current trail conditions 05/06/19?

    Review Highlights - Inspiration Point

    Inspiration Point is also where the Nimitz Trail begins, which was a really nice walk on that sunny Saturday.

    Mentioned in 13 reviews

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    Inspiration Point - parks - Updated May 2026

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