In The Teen and I's new Friday ritual of water watching before we head home, we stopped by Crown…read moreMemorial before heading through the tunnel to let traffic die down a bit.. This was definitely the place to be back in the day! Parking was a snap and we found a bench to sit on starting the water watching. The view was awesome and the sun was shining just like Bob Marley said. There were people, young and old playing in the sand, lots of bike riders, and of course, those dog walkers. The Teen put the phone down and ventured out and some sand, touching and driftwood drifting.. Definitely, we will be back when it gets warmer with hopes of finding front row parking again!

Last weekend in March, a Saturday afternoon 2 ish, not crowded. Easily found a spot not too close…read moreto others. What a great beach for children! No need to worry about large waves. The water was no higher than my teens knees, after he walked 5 minutes into the ocean. My toddler enjoyed sitting in the water playing with his bucket and shovel. Around 5pm the tides were slowly rising. Very calming to watch. My toddler and I enjoyed walking through the mini waves. Bathroom nearby no shower at this one, but still crowded. We were in the middle part of the beach. Wish they had more bathrooms with showers around to rinse off. But we made it work. We still made family memories and enjoyed a day at the beach. Will definitely be back.

Alameda beach is one of the few beaches in norcal where you can lounge at…read more We have been regularly doing our open water swims in the area and the water's always feeling relatively clean and refreshing. There is plenty of parking all along the roads and overall, a great place to reset in the mornings, evenings and on weekends.

This is the nearest beach I can find living in the East Bay. I decided to walk from the South Shore…read moreCenter, which is across the street on a sunny day. This is the driest beach I've ever been to; there aren't many people there in the afternoon, but it has a nice view of the Embarcadero in SF. Volleyball nets are available for the public. No dogs allowed. Great temporary beach therapy, but not much shade, and not worth swimming there.

Shoreline park is a beautiful walking path and a green belt on Harbor Bay Isle. It's about 6 miles…read morelong and runs into the Harbor Bay ferry. There is a gravel path and cement path for cyclists. On any giving day you can find people walking their dogs, relaxing and watching the beautiful bay and enjoying sunsets. There are several benches throughout the path and they also have restrooms and plenty of trash receptacles. In some sections, they even have picnic tables and barbecue pits. One area also has an outlook and sandbox for children to play in. While out enjoying the path, you can guarantee you will find some beautiful wildlife, and a lot of pictures are taken by photographers and people just blown away by the beautiful view of San Francisco. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a clean, beautiful and romantic path.

The views over here are Phenomenal!! Definitely recommend to catch a breather or two nothing like…read moreit the environment is excellent the atmosphere is amazing

Truly a hidden gem. Unless you lived in Alameda, this place will be hard to find. This is where…read morewe launch our kayaks from time to time. Beautiful homes nearby. I'm glad it's open to public.

When my Dad moved our family to Alameda decades ago, the island still had barren undeveloped land…read more One such place was Ballena Bay. Today it's the home of a large marina, modern homes, Pier 29, beautiful bay views, and a office building. Hey, my Edward Jones advisor is at Ballena Bay! Locals know it can be a place for bad cellphone reception. But visitors can come and walk around anytime. During the early days of Covid-19, someone put up "No Visitors " signs on the pathways. Yeah right. Back in the old days, when I was a little kid, Ballena Bay was the place with that " secret fishing spot." Drop your line, and pull fish out of the bay. Guys were pulling crabs out of the water with their hands. Ballena Bay is part of the City of Alameda, the Island City.

One of the best if possibly the only east bay dog beach? Great area, perfect size, they do have…read morebathrooms although one major drawback is not water and/or foot washing area. If they put in a water/washing area for our feet and our dogs, this would be perfect. Hopefully someone from the city will read this!

Just to be clear it is not legal to have your dog running loose. Yes plentiful people do and I have…read moreat times thinking it was ok. Very nice beach with plenty of loose dogs but recently there was an incident that brought back enforcement and tickets to people with loose dogs. Enforcement is rare but just want people to know it is a risk letting your dog run free.

I took myself on a solo date to Baker Beach yesterday and it was exactly what I needed. Parked in…read morethe neighborhood sine the lot was full. Was on my a 15 minute walk from my car down to the beach. The fresh air, the sound of the waves, and the peaceful atmosphere made it such a relaxing experience. The vibes here are just different -- calm, grounding, and honestly so good for the soul. It's the perfect spot to clear your mind, take a walk, or just sit and take everything in. Plus, the views of the Golden Gate Bridge make it even more special. Highly recommend taking yourself on a solo date here. I'll definitely be back whenever I need to reset ‍

This beach has always been a favorite of mine. Beautiful views of the ocean and the bridge! The…read moretrails to get down to the beach are nice and there is plenty of space for all to enjoy. Wear layers because the temp can change depending on whether there is cloud cover or the sun pops out. Last time we were there we had the privilege of walking (accidentally) through an engagement. It was so cute!

The Public Shoreline Trail is actually closed to the public during daylight hours. The gates are…read moreclosed during the evening for the homeowners that live next to or very close to this trail. This trail leads directly to Crab Cove and Crown Memorial Beach on one end and Ballena Bay on the other, and it's right next to the water. Lots of benches in the area to kick back on and enjoy the view. Check out this trail if you're in the area!!

This is a nice clean trail that is very easy to walk, run or bike ride…read more Started off at 512 Central ave. Free public parking in front of the gated community/condos We started off riding and before we knew it we were past the beach, past the bridge and all the way on the other side of the shoreline. We ended up riding 10 miles. It is a public shoreline trail however private homes are located in the area.

Love Marina Park! Tons of picnic spots, wide-open grassy areas for volleyball or soccer, and a nice…read morepaved path for walking or biking. The dog park's a bonus too. Always peaceful with great Bay views and watching planes land--one of my favorite spots in San Leandro. Cheers!

Summer 2025 It's a weekday and it's still busy and parking…read moreis almost full Filled with family and friends, talks and laughs Dog friendly, but be cautious and respectful please, clean up their mess and keep an eye on your pets Paved flat walk way, clean, organized and spacious, workout locations everywhere Just wish I can come on a weekend and not struggle to find parking

Beautiful trail that follows the shoreline of Bay Farm Island…read more Fabulous views of San Francisco. Normally great weather if it's hot inland. I believe it's about six miles if you do the complete trail. We normally park in Veterans Ct, just across the Bay Farm Island bridge.

Great wide walking/ bike path with occasional benches. If…read moreyou love airplanes (I do) this is a fantastic spot as the takeoffs from OAK go right overhead!!

This is a great park to be at by yourself or with company or even with a young child with a bike,…read moreit's just peaceful and not crowded, ever. I highly recommend it here.

This park says "Pets Welcome" -- what a complete lie. I showed up ready to enjoy the day with my…read moredog, and guess what? Every corner, every trail, every single area is covered in "NO DOGS" signs. Seriously, how can you say pets are welcome when dogs aren't allowed anywhere? On top of that, the park itself is ugly, smells terrible, and is insanely loud because it's right next to the Port of Oakland. Between the noise, the stench, and the false advertising, it's one of the worst park experiences I've ever had. I wasted my time, gas, and patience for nothing. If you have a dog, don't even think about coming here. It's not pet-friendly -- it's pet-hostile, dirty, and miserable