Future Quarry Lakes Regional Park, looking towards
Niles Canyon
Future Quarry Lakes Regional Park, looking towards
Niles Canyon
Introduction
Access
Trail Description and Views
Side Trips
Go
to the Alameda Creek Trail - Coyote Hills to I-880 (southside) tour
Go to the Alameda Creek Trail - Southside from
I-880 to Niles Canyon
Go to the Alameda Creek Trail
- Northside I-880 to SF Bay
Go to the Coyote Hills
Go to the Hayward Regional Shoreline
tour
Return
to Bay Trail Guided Photo Tours page
The trail starts at the mouth of Niles Canyon in the historic Fremont community of Niles. Niles has a long history that includes railroads and movie-making. The transcontinental Central Pacific Railroad came through Niles Canyon starting in 1869. The railroad tradition is kept alive by the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, which offers rail tours through the rustic canyon. There is also a railroad museum, the Niles Depot. at the old Southern Pacific depot in Niles. In 1912, Niles was the home of Essanay Studios. Silent movies starring Charlie Chaplin, Bronco Billy, and other famous silent film stars were filmed here. Today, the scenic community is a popular tourist spot. It is well-known for its antique shops.. Walking tours highlight some of its historical buildings.
The other alternative is to begin at the end of the trail in Niles Canyon and head west. This is recommended for afternoon tours, since you will be riding into the wind at the start of the trip, and will have a tailwind assist at the end of the trip, even though you will be riding slightly uphill. To get here from the north, take I-880 to Alvarado-Niles Road east. It becomes Niles Blvd. Take it all the way to Niles Canyon Road. Turn right on Old Canyon Road to the Niles Staging Area. From the south, take I-880 to Decoto Road. Turn right on Niles Blvd., and follow the directions above.
Click here for transit information on how to get to the Alameda Creek Trail.
The Bay Trail route runs north along city streets from Alameda Creek, running mostly through residential, commercial, and industrial areas. It does not see much in the way of natural scenery until it crosses Hwy 92 and reaches the Hayward Regional Shoreline. To the south, it runs through Coyote Hills Regional Park and the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newark. A branch of the trail runs by Ardenwood Historic Farm. The Bay Trail also crosses the Dumbarton Bridge to Menlo Park and Ravenswood Open Space Preserve. (See this map.)
Continuing from the end of the southside tour to Niles Canyon, this tour
starts in Niles at the Old Canyon Road bridge. At the west end of the bridge
(the Stanley Bridge, built in 1948), the unpaved northside trail begins
at 6.1 miles. The trail is a relatively smooth gravel path, smooth enough
even for road bikes. It runs behind the fences of older homes.
At 6.4 miles, the trail crosses under the Mission Blvd. bridge at creek
level. The path may be wet.
At 6.5 miles is the railroad bridge and rubber dam.
Beyond here, the trail passes by homes in the community of Niles. There are several trail access points at the ends of the city streets.
At 7.0 miles, the trail passes the end of 1st Street and reaches the edge
of Niles Community Park. This is a large park that has lawns, picnic areas,
tennis courts, restrooms, and playgrounds.
This area is actually 3 adjacent parks: Niles Community Park, Shinn Pond,
and Rancho Arroyo Park. These park have 3 ponds, which are popular for
waterfowl watching and fishing. The trail runs next to and above these
ponds. At 7.2 miles is a concrete observation platform overlooking 2 of
the ponds, including the largest, Shinn Pond. Trees line the lawn area
between the trail and Shinn Pond. Here are picnic tables, water, and a
restroom.
At 7.5 miles, Shinn Pond ends near the railroad tracks. A gravel road runs
around the pond. On the northwest corner of the pond is Rancho Arroyo Park.
A road and houses line the far shore.
The trail drops under the railroad tracks and BART tracks, separated from
the creek by a concrete wall.
On the other side of the BART tracks to the north is a small percolation
pond. At 7.7 miles, a levee road runs between this small pond and the huge
pond complex to the west. This road is fenced off and not open to the public.
The ponds here are part of the Quarry Lakes Recreation Area. They are used
as percolation ponds
to recharge the underground aquifers with water diverted from Alameda Creek.
The ponds were not open to the public at this writing, but are
scheduled
to be turned into a recreation area in the future. The ponds can be
seen through the fence next to the trail.
At 8.0 miles is a bench along the creek. At 8.1 miles is the last rubber dam in the creek.
At 9.0 miles is the Isherwood Staging Area. It is located at the southwest
corner of Quarry Lakes and has parking, picnic tables, benches, drinking
water, and a restroom. Its entrance is off Isherwood Way.
At 9.2 miles, the Quarry Lakes end at Isherwood Way. The trail goes under
the Isherwood Way Bridge.
On the other side of the road, an asphalt path starts at a gate on Isherwood
Way and parallels the gravel Alameda Creek Trail. The asphalt path runs
along the edge of Nuttman Lane. It is lined with small palm trees. At 9.4
miles, the asphalt path turns right to follow Dominici Drive along the
edge of a creek. This route will be described below in "Arroyo
Park and Vicinity."
The creek, the historical bed of Alameda Creek before it was channelized,
is a cattail-filled marsh. Gates on the edge of the Alameda Creek Trail
control the flow of water into it. This creek marks the border between
Fremont and Union City. The Alameda Creek Trail runs through Union City
from this point to I-880.
Past the creek is a large open field. This field is not fenced off, but there are no public trails through it, and it is posted "No trespassing" by the Alameda County Water District.
The field ends at 9.6 miles. The trail then runs behind backyard fences.
At 9.9 miles, the trail runs under Decoto Road. Paths also lead out to
Decoto Road, and there is a small parking area on the east side of the
road.
At 10.4 miles, the trail becomes a paved asphalt path at the point where
a small, unsigned creek branches off from the main trail. A paved path
follows this small creek to the north. This is part of the Union City Trail
system. This path runs along this small creek, past the Union City Civic
Center, and ends on Decoto Road. This will be described
more below. At the trail junction is a bench.
Continuing on the Alameda Creek Trail, which in this area is also a part
of the Union City Trail system, the smooth paved path continues on, following
the slow curve of the creek to the left. The trail is elevated above the
nearby houses.
At 10.9 miles, a bench is on the creek side of the trail. Just beyond it,
the trail makes a sharp right turn at the wide, ungated mouth of Dry Creek,
where it empties into Alameda Creek. The trail follows up the side of Dry
Creek.
It soon reaches a bridge. A street-level crossing crosses Arizona Street.
Trails continue on both or one side of Dry Creek all the way to the BART
train tracks, with a few street-crossings. (For more information on the
Dry Creek Trail, see below.) For this tour, cross
over the Arizona Street Bridge to the west bank of Dry Creek and head back
towards Alameda Creek.
At 11.2 miles, a concrete bench is on the left of the trail near the mouth of Dry Creek. The trail then turns right to follow Alameda Creek.
A long sunny stretch of trail begins as the creek gradually curves to the left. The trail is still elevated above the nearby homes. Trees line the right side of the trail, but do not provide much shade.
At 11.6 miles, the paved trail drops down to the right to enter William
Cann Neighborhood Park. This park and the trail ahead, all the way to the
Bay is described in the northwest
trail segment tour and in the section below.
The trail passes by a water gate on the left that controls the flow of
water into tiny, heavily-vegetated Old Alameda Creek on the right.
At 12.0 miles, the trail runs under I-880. At 12.3 miles, it reaches the
Alvarado Blvd. Bridge. From here, either continue
on to the Bay or go back to your starting point.
The historical community of Niles is a popular tourist destination. The downtown area, with its many old shops, particularly antique stores, is the main attraction. A train passenger car owned by the Niles Merchants Association has a plaque that commemorates the completion of the final link in the railroad between San Francisco and Sacramento in 1869. This link was completed near the flour mill of Jesus Vallejo. Vallejo Mills Park, on the northside of the mouth of Niles Canyon, is a city park with lawns, picnic areas, and the stone ruins of the Vallejo flour mill. The railroad history of the area is preserved in the Niles Depot Museum, which contains model trains and displays on railroad history. The train line next to the museum is an active, busy route.
An unsigned path leads north from the Alameda Creek Trail at the intersection of Nuttman Lane and Dominici Drive (see the point above at 9.4 miles). It follows a wide creek bed that is surrounded by dense bushes. The creek bed itself is full of cattails. Though there are no signs indicating what creek this is, old maps show that this was once the creek bed of Alameda Creek before it was channeled into the straight flood control channel. It once marked the border between Union City and Fremont. Dominici Drive ends, but the trail continues on through a gate to follow the creek. Past the houses, it opens onto a huge open field. The creek and trail curve to the right. The lawns of Arroyo Park can be glimpsed across the creek. The creekbed becomes shallower and dryer. The creek and trail finally end at a gate on Quarry Lakes Drive/Isherwood Way across from Quarry Lakes. To get to Arroyo Park, turn left and follow Quarry Lakes Drive. Turn left on Osprey Drive. Arroyo Park is a large park on the left. It has lawns, picnic areas, ball fields, and restrooms.
A paved trail along an unsigned creek turns north from Alameda Creek at the 10.4 mile point above. This trail runs behind houses along the east bank of the creek. It turns to the right and crosses Royal Ann Drive. Just north of the creek is the William Cann Civic Center Park. The entrance to the park is to the left of the creek on Royal Ann Drive. The Civic Center contains the City Council, Library, and Police Department. A U-shaped pond and park surrounds the civic center buildings. The pond is full of ducks and has bridges over it. There are picnic areas and playgrounds here. A long wall near the playground is illustrated with scenes form Union City's history. See here for a Union City Civic Center photo tour. The creek trail continues on and dead ends at Decoto Road. Even though the creek and creek levee road continue on past Decoto Road, they are fenced off and not open to the public at this time.
Kennedy Park
The Charles F. Kennedy Community Center is a large park in Union City located west of the Union City BART Station and south of the BART tracks at Decoto and Myers Drive. It has a community center, a covered amphitheater, playgrounds, ball fields, and picnic areas.
Dry Creek Trail to Dry Creek Pioneer/Garin Regional Parks
Starting from Alameda Creek, paved Union City Trails run along both sides of Dry Creek. The trails first cross Arizona Street, then are interrupted by Alvarado-Niles Road. The road can be safely crossed at Western Avenue to the west. A single trail continues on the west side of Dry Creek north of Alvarado-Niles Road. It runs behind industrial buildings on the left. Across the creek on the right are suburban homes. The trail ends at a bridge to residential 13th Street on the right and an opening in the fence to industrial Lewis Street on the left. The railroad tracks and BART tracks ahead create a gap in the trail between this point and Whipple Road that requires a long detour, either through the industrial area to the west or the residential area to the east. The trail begins again north of Whipple Road on the left side of the creek. It runs through a residential neighborhood and ends on Mission Blvd. Mission Blvd. can be crossed at signals on May Road to the right or Tamarack Drive to the left. At the end of Tamarack Drive is a formal entrance to Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park. At the end of May Road is an unmarked entrance to the park. Dirt paths also run along the banks of Dry Creek north of Mission Blvd. Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park adjoins Garin Regional Park. Together they comprise 3082 of hilly parkland with 20 miles of trails, some scaling heights of over 1100 feet. They have spectacular hilltop views of the East Bay and Bay Area. Garin Park has a large pond, called Jordon Pond, that was created by damming Dry Creek. It is a popular fishing and picnicking spot.
William Cann Neighborhood Park and the Union City Trail Along Old Alameda Creek
The Union City Trail along Old Alameda Creek (see the 11.6 mile pont above) beginning at William Cann Neighborhood Park is described in the northside tour from I-880 to SF Bay. It currently ends at Union City Blvd. Across Union City Blvd., the creek and levee roads continue on, but they are not yet open to the public. They run between salt ponds and empty into San Francisco Bay. The Bay Trail map shows that this is a proposed future route for the Bay Trail.
Go
to the Alameda Creek Trail - Coyote Hills to I-880 (southside) tour
Go to the Alameda Creek Trail - Southside from
I-880 to Niles Canyon
Go to the Alameda Creek Trail
- Northside I-880 to SF Bay
Go to the Coyote Hills
Go to the Hayward Regional Shoreline
tour
Return
to Bay Trail Guided Photo Tours page