Locals in El Cerrito call it the "BART Path." The Ohlone Greenway is a walking and biking route that follows the elevated BART tracks through three East Bay cities, and it's one of the easiest car-free rides in the region.

The route

The greenway starts at Ohlone Park in Berkeley, near Hearst Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. It passes the North Berkeley BART station, briefly running as an on-street bike lane, and then continues northwest through Albany and El Cerrito. It ends at San Pablo Avenue at Baxter Creek Gateway Park in Richmond, where it connects to the Richmond Greenway.

Sources give different lengths. The City of Berkeley calls it a 5.3-mile greenway, with more than 1.5 miles in Berkeley. Wikipedia lists 4.5 miles.

In El Cerrito, the city says the path runs the length of town parallel to San Pablo Avenue. It gives people a car-free way to reach the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations, the library and the senior center.

A railroad history

Most of the greenway follows old rail lines. North of North Berkeley BART, it uses the former right-of-way of the Key System's Westbrae line and then the Santa Fe Railroad. BART started running above it in January 1973. The last Santa Fe train ran on May 12, 1979, so for a few years the two ran side by side, according to Wikipedia. The first 2.7 miles of linear park were funded by a $400,000 federal grant. Parts closed from 2011 to 2014 while BART seismically retrofitted its tracks.

What you'll see

  • Playgrounds, off-leash dog areas and garden beds at Ohlone Park
  • Three volunteer-run community gardens between Hopkins Street and Santa Fe Avenue
  • A native coastal prairie restoration between Gilman and Peralta streets, tended by volunteers for more than 20 years
  • Separate pedestrian and bike paths along much of the route

Construction on the Berkeley end

Berkeley is upgrading the northern stretch from Virginia Gardens to Santa Fe Avenue with safer intersections, new lighting and a wider path. The work is funded partly by a Safe Routes to BART grant. Check the city's project page for current detours before you ride.