The Bay Trail provides easily accessible recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, including hikers, joggers, bicyclists and skaters; it also offers a setting for wildlife viewing and environmental education. It is enjoyed by people of all ages, incomes and cultural backgrounds. Depending on the location of its segments, the Bay Trail consists of paved multi-use paths, dirt trails, bike lanes, sidewalks or city streets signed as bike routes. The Bay Trail passes through highly urbanized areas like downtown San Francisco as well as remote natural areas like the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It provides access to points of historic, natural and cultural interest, to recreational areas like beaches, marinas and fishing piers, and to over 130 parks totaling 57,000 acres of open space.

Listed in a geographic counterclockwise direction, starting in San Francisco’s northern waterfront, here are one hundred reasons to visit the Bay Trail. This is not a "best of" list; but simply a compilation of some of the many treasures Bay Trail users can expect to find along their way.

San Francisco

• Fort Point
• The Presidio
• Crissy Field
• Marina Green
• Fort Mason
• San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
• Aquatic Park
• Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39
• Embarcadero Promenade
• San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
• South Beach Harbor
• Warm Water Cove Park
• Candlestick Point State Recreation Area

Peninsula (San Mateo County)

• Brisbane Lagoon
• Sierra Point (Brisbane)
• Brisbane Marina
• Oyster Point Park and Marina (South San Francisco)
• San Bruno Point (South San Francisco)
• SamTrans Island (South San Francisco)
• Bayfront Park (Millbrae)
• Bayside Park (Burlingame)
• Burlingame and Anza lagoons
• Coyote Point County Recreation Area (City of San Mateo)
• Foster City perimeter levee trail
• San Mateo County Fishing Pier (Foster City)
• Sea Cloud Park (Foster City)
• Redwood Shores perimeter levee trail
• Redwood Shores Lagoon
• Inner Bair Island (Redwood City)
• Port of Redwood City
• Bayfront Park (Menlo Park)
• San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (SFBNWR) (Menlo Park)
• Dumbarton Bridge and piers (Menlo Park)
• Ravenswood Open Space Preserve (East Palo Alto)

South Bay (Santa Clara County)

• Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve
• Palo Alto Duck Pond
• Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center (Palo Alto)
• Byxbee Park (Palo Alto)
• Shoreline at Mountain View
• Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area (Mountain View)
• Sunnyvale Baylands Park
• Alviso Historic District (San Jose)
• Alviso Slough trail loop (SFBNWR/San Jose)
• Alviso Environmental Education Center (SFBNWR/San Jose)

Alameda County

• S.F. Bay National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (Fremont)
• Dumbarton Pier (Fremont)
• Coyote Hills Regional Park (Fremont)
• Alameda Creek Regional Trail (Fremont)
• Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center
• Hayward Regional Shoreline
• San Leandro Marina and shoreline trail
• Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline (San Leandro)
• Arrowhead Marsh (Oakland)
• Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline (Oakland)
• Bay Farm Island Shoreline Park (City of Alameda)
• obert Crown Memorial State Beach (City of Alameda)
• City of Alameda southern waterfront shoreline trail
• Embarcadero Cove (Oakland)
• Estuary Park (Oakland)
• Jack London Square (Oakland)
• Portview Park (Oakland)
• Emeryville Marina Park
• Eastshore trail (Emeryville/Berkeley)
• Berkeley Marina
• Cesar E. Chavez Park (Berkeley)
• Albany Bulb

Contra Costa County

• Point Isabel Regional Shoreline (Richmond)
• Richmond Marina Bay
• Brooks Island Regional Preserve (off Richmond)
• Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline (Richmond)
• Point Pinole Regional Shoreline (Richmond)
• San Pablo Bay Regional Park (Pinole/Hercules)
• Pinole Bayfront Park (Pinole)
• Lone Tree Point (Rodeo)
• Carquinez Strait Regional Trail (Rodeo)
• Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline (Crockett/Port Costa)
• Martinez Regional Shoreline (Martinez)

North Bay (Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties)

• Benicia Marina
• Benicia State Recreation Area
• California Maritime Academy (Vallejo)
• River Park (Vallejo)
• John F. Kennedy Memorial Park (City of Napa)
• Lower Tubbs Island (Sears Point)

Marin County

• John F. McInnis Park (San Rafael)
• Santa Margarita Island Open Space Preserve (San Rafael)
• Santa Venetia Marsh Open Space Preserve (San Rafael)
• China Camp State Park (San Rafael)
• McNears Beach (San Rafael)
• Pickleweed and Schoen parks (San Rafael)
• Shoreline Park (San Rafael)
• Corte Madera Creek (Larkspur)
• Corte Madera Marsh State Ecological Reserve (Corte Madera)
• Paradise Beach County Park (Tiburon)
• Richardson Bay Park (Tiburon)
• Angel Island State Park (off Tiburon)
• Bayfront Park (Mill Valley)
• Bothin Marsh (Mill Valley)
• Bay Model Visitor Center (Sausalito)
• Fort Baker (Sausalito)
• Golden Gate Bridge

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