North of busier Tilden Regional Park, Wildcat Canyon covers the hills above Richmond.
The park
The park district says Wildcat Canyon covers 2,789 acres along the Wildcat Creek watershed and the surrounding hills. It extends from the Tilden Nature Area above the Berkeley hills to historic Alvarado Park in Richmond, and it includes much of the paved Nimitz Way from Inspiration Point in Tilden. The district says Alvarado Park, with its historic stonework, has picnic areas, a children's play area and access to Wildcat Creek.
History
Wikipedia says Native Americans lived in the area until 1772, when a Spanish group including Fray Juan Crespí came across their settlement while searching for routes north. After the district created Tilden in the 1930s, it kept buying land to the north until it formed Wildcat Canyon Regional Park in 1976. In 2014, it added 362 acres of woodland on the park's east side, linking it toward Kennedy Grove and San Pablo Reservoir.
Right now
The district says it is completing a wildfire hazard reduction project in the park. Trail users may run into equipment and tree crews and should follow their directions. The park is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the Alvarado Staging Area lot at 5755 McBryde Ave. is open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in October and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November. Parking is free.