Hiking Strawberry Canyon

Looking toward the lot after
walking under the oak tree

The Strawberry Canyon trail is one of my favorites so far.  It has amazing views at the top, and on the way up some interesting plants and animals.  It's about 7 miles round trip, and it's dog-friendly.

The journey starts at a small gravel parking lot on the right side of Centennial Drive, heading up just past the Strawberry Canyon/Haas Pool at Berkeley and before the Botanical Gardens.  Parking is free but your stay needs to be at or under 2 hours and the lot is fairly small.

Once you are parked, walk under the oak tree at the bottom of the lot and you will see the start of the trail.  Joggers take part of this trail as well so you'll cross paths with quite a few of them on your way up.

Banana Slug

Looking down at the creek

You pass over a small creek that gurgles through the area.  Keep an eye out for Banana Slugs on the path as well.  They are neat little creatures that are about the size of your pointer finger.

Incline to the top

Soon you'll reach the incline that will give you a good cardio workout as you make your way up.  There is a fork in this trail at which you need to keep left for the complete hike.  If you keep right it's a shorter way up.

Once you reach the top, enjoy the amazing view!  There are quite a few places you can sit to have lunch if you brought some.  Save a bit of your energy for the hike down as the incline part is pretty steep.

View from the top!