Warning: Google Maps and AllTrails will lead you astray! The best starting point is Montclair Parking Garage - 6235 La Salle Ave, Oakland. However! Maybe drive to this area and then drive around nearby to find residential parking instead IF you don't want to pay for parking. OR I have a 1-time free parking promo code for ya haha. Paying for parking at this parking garage is a tad annoying because you have to download an app (ParkMobile), register an account, select the right parking zone (6501), provide your license plate number, and pay... it was a lot slower than grabbing a ticket and proceeding to park. The good news is that at the time I went, the parking attendant gave me a promo code: FreeMV. Since this promo code gives you a whole day of free parking, I may recommend doing the trail and then walking around to enjoy Montclair Village! Haha take your sweet time and enjoy that free parking! There are many cute shops, grocery stores, coffee, and restaurants in the village. When you exit the garage by foot, turn left and you'll see a sign for Montclair Railroad Trail. This is definitely the "start" of the trail because the trail markers increase from 1/4 mile .. to 1 mile at the end of the trail, and then 2 miles total when you return (it is an out and back trail). It is a pretty easy walking path. There will be a few others but lots of space to keep distanced. The history of the spot is cool - it used to be railroad tracks (lol yuppp hence the name!). There is a sign speaking to this history along the trail. Get some fresh air, check out a new trail, enjoy the village, and take advantage of free parking! read more

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Very nice walk , good for people with walkers. Fairly flat and level. Lots of dogs on and off leash , although leashes are required.

Review #144 - 2020 I wasn't sure where I wanted to take my niece & her daughters out for our monthly adventure--so I tried to find something local since my car needed to get serviced and I didn't want to risk a long drive. We showed up at around 2 PM on Wednesday, August 5th & the weather was much colder than I anticipated for a summer day. My 4-year old daughter was still sleeping so I carried her in my arms for 90% of the walk and was still able to manage just fine. The hike is actually quite easy and quick. Overall, it was about a 2.5-mile hike round trip, from where we parked. We actually got kind of lost, but managed to find the trail from asking a local resident who was walking her dog & we found a parking spot around the residential area. The trail actually had plenty of foot traffic--some people were out walking their dogs. There are posted signs to keep dogs on a leash, but one rude woman not only let her dog run wild, she let him poop & didn't even bother to clean up after him. She saw us standing there waiting for her to clean up, but she didn't even give a damn. Shows what type of person she is! There were kids on their bikes, spending time with their parents. It's nice to see people out doing things rather than sitting inside, playing on their electronic devices. There are lots of trees so it would definitely be nice and cool on a hot, sunny day. Unfortunately, since it was already kind of cold, we didn't really need the shades. If I'm in the mood for a quick hike, I'll definitely be back... read more

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I love walking along Montclair Railroad Trail! It's a partly shaded walk, lots of trees all around, and if you're lucky, you'll even see some goats on the side of the trail which is always fun for the kids. If I was closer to this trail, I would walk here everyday! The walk is paved which is nice if you wanted to bring a stroller and it's not strenuous at all. read more

What a lovely, tree-lined stroll! Bring your dog -- he'll be in good company. The whole trail is one mile long with a very gentle incline that you hardly notice. If you go on a Friday after work, stop by the Farmstead wine shop at the end of your walk for 1$ tasting before you go home. read more

Montclair Railroad Trail - Tyson on the trail. - Parks Near Me - Oakland, California

This is a very nice mostly paved family friendly walk with a few ups and downs but mostly flat. It's very easy to park right in the village and after your walk you can visit one of the many friendly establishments to get a drink. read more

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This is an historical Trail, based on an old electric train line from about 50 years ago. It's really an interesting story, so take the time to read the information plaques. The entire walk is less than 2 miles so it's a really fun straw. The day I went there were occasional hikers in a few bikers. One interesting tip don't miss the secret waterfall trail. It's on your left as you walk along the trail about halfway down. There doesn't appear to be any facilities on this Trail. I did not see either restrooms or drinking faucets. However, it is really a pretty short walk, so I don't think that will be a problem for most folks. After walking down the trail, it's possible to continue up to Skyline and the regional parks up there. However, it's too dangerous to continue on Shepherd Canyon. Instead take a left and make a winding tour around to get up to the top. Yes it takes longer but it's far safer. Plus, it's a really pretty walk. The street you end up on is called Arrowhead. The one crazy thing about the Montclair is that you have to pay wherever you park. There doesn't appear to be free parking anywhere in town. The strikes me as odd but I paid the price. There is close parking in the garage next to the trailhead. However I think the parking there costs more than the meters. I think the meters are $1 per hour but the garage is $2 per hour. You can supposedly get 3 hours free parking if you get your ticket validated. But not one business I asked did the validation. Apparently it is mostly gift shops and other retail places that do the validation. But I never found one. read more

The only thing that could make this trail better was if they didn't allow bicycle police on the trail! Just kidding, but come on guys just let us get those dogs off the leash for a few minutes. In all seriousness, this is a good one mile trail and for the most part it is on all asphalt. The good neighbors in the area come out I believe monthly to do routine cleanup and planting. Great group! Gentle incline is not a challenge going up to the 1 mile marker and of course it is a relief coming back down. Plenty of stations stocked with poop bags for your four-legged friend and lots of benches and legends to give you more information about the trail. You can park in the parking garage a top LaSalle La Salle. read more

Montclair Railroad Trail - Great 1 mile trail but watch out for bikes. - Parks Near Me - Oakland, California

Sunday, at the Montclair Farmer's Market, after noshing on some fine chicken curry, I remembered the words of a friend, of her enjoyment culled from hiking with her husband upon the trails and byways of the Oakland Hills. And, with my last bite of said curry, the remembrance that just a few blocks away, the was beginning for the Montclair Railroad Trail. And that on this sunny and slightly hazy Sunday, that I could, and should, of it for the first time partake. It's really more a path than a trail. 1.4 miles total in unlooping length, my starting point was at the very end of Medau Place. So innocuous, its entrance is, I approached and retreated from it 3x thinking my GPS was off. (Tip: walk uphill on Medau, on the left, past the parking lot of McCaulou's. Keep walking. Trust me. Where at first you thought would be nothing, you'll see an asphalt incline that leads up to the trail.) A li'l history: from 1928, the Shepherd Canyon railroad ran from Sacramento and Chico, ferrying daily commuters to the SF area via their last last in Montclair. But with the rising popularity of the automobile in the '50s, the SN Railway ended its service, leaving only the 'hood of Montclair and the sylvian footprint, that is this railroad trail, as evidence for its existence. Walking for the first time upon this trail (really, more a path) was, for lack of better phrasing, a *mostly* pastoral treat. Cuz, for solitude and contemplation, it's hardly a perfect walk. To one side, often the car engines surge on a highway far below; and, on the other side from above, one's inspection is filled with the sightings of houses of the well and well-ish off . Electrical towers shadow much of one's journey. And, then, there are the other people who are also hiking. Many with dogs, which, despite the many posted signs, are off leash. And, then, the other people, whose children were, without any chiding signage, on leashes. Beyond these distractions (or maybe they're an essential ingredient to the recipe of enjoyment here?) --the Montclair RR trail is a lovely, historic, and easily accessible diversion -- one that's right in Oakland. Bask in the mid-afternoon sloped sunlight filtered through autumn leaves; observe in absolute silence that bluejay perched eight feet away; or, make friends with that outgoing Setter who scampers up from his owner to sniff and greet you. It's an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of history, to embrace a sense of community and collectiveness, and to, curiously simultaneously, languish in solitude while thinking about things that you don't understand. read more

Montclair Railroad Trail - One of those perfect moments. - Parks Near Me - Oakland, California

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My husband and I got the house in Montclair last June, 2015. When we got the house we didn't even know about this nice walking trail. Until a day before I was delivered, I told my husband that I really wanted to walk so we got out of the house and walked along the path. Of course we found this trail, and I was so happy about it. It is a really nice and easy walking for about 3 miles a round trip. Now that I have my son, my everyday routine is put him into the stroller and walk to this beautiful trial. My son and I always walk from home to the Montclair's village and back home. It is a nice and easy walk. read more

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It's more of a short neighborhood path than a park. The path is flat, wide and paved with asphalt with ample room on the side to run in the dirt if you prefer. It takes you through a tree lined area in the hills above Montclair Village which used to be part of the main line of the Sacramento Northern Railroad. The railroad tracks are gone but there are a few signs that describe the history of the area. There are a few benches along the way but no other amenities. If you look below, you'll see cars driving by. Look above and you'll see homes. It's about 0.75 miles. The homes in the area are quite nice - you might want to walk/jog around the neighborhood and up the hill. Dogs are allowed and the path seems popular with dog walkers and cyclists. read more

To correct the listing of this trail. The Shepherd Canyon Trail or the above name Montclair Railroad Trail truly starts next to the buildings at 1900 Mountain Blvd above the retaining walls. Those retaining walls were actually once the train bridge. 1900 Mountain Blvd is across the street from the Montclair Park tennis courts. The better entrance to the trail is behind the Montclair Village Parking garage which is located adjacent to Alain Pinel Realtors at the top of La Salle Ave at 6211 La Salle. The trail is now paved the entire length up to the end of the trail at the intersection of Saroni Dr and Shepherd Canyon Rd. This point is actually where the train went underground into the tunnel. Up until about 1985 the trail stopped at the corner of Shepherd Canyon and Paso Robles. But Mel Copland a local Broker-Realtor and builder built and paved the path improving the accessibility to the trail for more residents of Shepherd Canyon Rd. Mel Copland actually built homes along the trail and has video of the inside of the rail tunnel prior to it be filled in. Mel Copland grew up playing in Montclair as a child and remembers when the trains still came through the Village. Mel Copland donated the path to the City of Oakland along with a lot on Paso Robles for a Green Belt. The City is now responsible for the paths maintenance. The Trail is about 1.5 miles one way. There is a slight incline going up to Shepherd Canyon but it isn't a strenuous walk at all. The trail is primarily used by neighborhood residents to go back and forth from Montclair Village. The trail is bike friendly and great for your children and pets. read more

I wish I knew this earlier. It's a nice walk for about 3 miles round trip. If you're up for an easy walk for a short distance, it's perfect. I walked to the Montclair shopping area for haircut and lunch and then walked back. The only thing is there is no parking at the end of the path, so you need to find something on side streets in the residential area. read more

I had to rectify the low score for this trail. It's a fabulous little secret spot! True, it's not a big ol' hike, or a park, but it's a wonderful trail. I think it's more like a bit over a mile, which makes it about 2 1/2 miles there and back. A nice morning walk through a surprising urban forest (okay, kind of surprising, and only kind of urban; it is Montclair), and an hour of crazy fun for the dog. read more

A nice ride coming down from the hills. At one point I was confused because the bike route sign had an arrow pointing right saying "Mountain Blvd" but it was one of the steepest bike route hills I've seen. I started going up Paso Robles, made it a couple blocks, and realized, there's no way this is a bike route. I pulled out my trusty EBBC map and saw that you're actually supposed to veer right into this road marked "private drive", and then the trail continues. Bad signage! Otherwise it's a very nice trail with interpretative displays too. read more

Discovered this hidden gem recently. I use Shepard Canyon frequently. Remembering that Sacramento Northern RR used the canyon and tunnel on East end of canyon to access Contra Costa County, was curious to know where tracks once were. Not difficult to find out! Nice hike, especially when one is aware of the history behind the creation of what is now a hiking trail. read more

I wanted to let Yelpers interested in the Montclair Railroad Trail know about the Friends of Montclair RR Trail Web site. It has lots of information on the trail including: trail history, multiple access points, maps, volunteer membership and online donation opportunities. www.MontclairRRTrail.org Friends of Montclair RR Trail, a non-profit community volunteer organization, is working hard to maintain and perserve this lovely tree lined trail, a City of Oakland linear park. We welcome volunteers and have a trail work day the 3rd Saturday of every month. Two easy entrances to the trail: 1. Behind the Montclair Village Parking Garage, 6235 La Salle Ave, Oakland, CA 94611 2. Paso Robles Dr. at Bishops Court (off Shepherd Canyon Rd). Fun walk for all ages. www.MontclairRRTrail.org read more

eaasy trail. a really lovely walk through where a railroad used to have been. quiet, simple, pretty..