Join us from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, for a Saturday morning hike at Lake Chabot in Castro Valley to get to know other sisters in the community and enjoy the great outdoors. No children, please (female teens, okay). Let us know you are coming: https://mcceastbay.org/rsvp
If sisters want to walk around more, they can do it depending on their interest/time. The hike will be canceled if there are insufficient RSVPs, depending on the weather.
- – When: Saturday, July 13, 2024
- – Time: 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Please arrive a little early to park and find the group. The group can wait till 6:15 a.m. and will start the hike. Please be on time since we cannot hold the group.
- – Carpool: We highly recommend carpooling. No carpool from MCC is available for this hike. Carpool encouraged others on this hike.
- – Parking: $5.00
- – Location: Lake Chabot
- – Trail: Lake Chabot Loop via West, Bass, Columbine, Honker, East Shore Trails
- – Distance: 8.7 miles
- – All Trails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/lake-chabot-west-shore-bass-cove-columbine-honker-bay-east-shore-loop?sh=kyrhg8
- – Difficulty: Moderate
- – Misc: Bring a small breakfast/ Lunch sandwich or something to eat. Wear hiking shoes if possible. Carry enough water, a hat, and a light jacket. Please download All Trails map (free version) in case you decide to return in the middle of the hike. This will be very helpful in navigating back to the parking lot.
- – RSVP: By Friday, July 12, please let us know you are coming for this hike: https://mcceastbay.org/rsvp
Sr. Aparna Khan and Sr. Sohaila will be leading this hike. If you have trouble finding the group on the day of the hike, please call or text Sr. Aparna at (408) 480-6584 or Sr. Sohaila at (925) 786-7698. Please remember that we cannot hold all the group, so we request you to please be on time.
For future hikes, please subscribe to the MCC newsletter and/or add your phone number to the Women’s Hiking WhatsUp group.
Please wear comfortable walking/hiking shoes, carry a water bottle, a small snack, a hat, sunglasses, and hiking poles if you have one.Â
Questions? hiking@mcceastbay.org
About this trail:
• Lake Chabot Regional Park charges a fee to enter. For more information, please visit https://www.ebparks.org/parks/lake-chabot
This is a beautiful hiking area with both paved and dirt trails that are moderately steep and lovely views of the water. If desired, you can avoid a large portion of the paved East Shore Trail by taking the southern Cameron Loop after crossing the Honker Bay bridge, Ten Hills Trail, and Indian Cove Trail, leaving a very short paved section to the Marina.
Dogs must be on leash in developed areas/under voice command in undeveloped park areas.
Accessibility: Visitors using wheelchairs, mobility equipment, or strollers may need all-terrain tires or adaptive/motorized equipment for the surface type and grade. There are 6 designated van-accessible parking spaces at the trailhead. The trail surface varies between paved asphalt and a natural surface (dirt), typically at least 6 feet wide. This trail is estimated to be mostly gentle (5% or less) throughout, with a few steeper sections along the way. Known barriers include stairs at about 6.9 miles when going clockwise. Additionally, there are benches along the trail, and several wheelchair-accessible picnic tables with a firm and stable path and surface, providing at least 27 inches of knee clearance. Other accessible features include wheelchair-accessible restrooms at the boathouse and a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier.
According to Access Northern California (https://accessnca.org/access-northern-california/explore/explore-detail-view/?site_id=238): Lake Chabot is a popular destination for families and bustles on weekends. Among the many amenities you can find are multiple picnic areas, a grassy play area, fishing, an outdoor fitness zone with interactive exercise machines (one is designed for wheelchair access), and miles of lakefront trails. The Marina has a café, tackle and bait shop, rental boats, and seasonal lake tours aboard the tour boat “Chabot Queen.” The ramp to the boats is accessible but quite steep. To board the tour boat, a portable ramp is available.
The paved West Shore and East Shore trails around the lake offer some access, although their steep terrain may deter some with limited mobility. They are worth the effort if possible because it feels as though you’re far from the nearby bustling cities.
Although paved, the West Shore Trail has numerous steep grades throughout as it travels high above the lake, passing in and out of shade provided by oaks, bay laurel, willow, and cottonwood trees. Poison oak is plentiful, as well as vetch, blackberries, and blue-eyed grass. A few interpretive panels about the dam’s history are towards the end of this 2-mile route. Benches are scattered throughout, although most have a steep grade to reach them.
At about 2 miles, you reach the dam, where shortly after, the trail climbs steeply and becomes gravel, where visitors may need to turn around. Most of the hills have a slope greater than 8%.