Ohlone Greenway
Path data:
Lower Street
(Adjacent Addresses) |
Upper Street
(Adjacent Addresses)
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Notes |
| Path begins in El Cerrito |
Ohlone Park -- Hearst & MLK |
Runs from El Cerrito to Berkeley |
Photos (click on thumbnail to display photo):
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Walk the Ohlone Greenway -- Discover its Exhibits by Mary Lynch
Berkeley Path Wanderers Association Newsletter -- Summer 2005 -- Vol. 8 No. 2
Many BPWA members keep mainly to paths in the hills. A nice change of pace is the Ohlone Greenway, a long pathway of more than three miles that is wide, flat and paved. Although the path stretches from Ohlone Park (at Hearst and MLK) in Berkeley through Albany and El Cerrito to Richmond, our focus is the part in the Westbrae section of Berkeley, the Ohlone Greenway Natural and Cultural History Interpretative Exhibit.
Noteworthy points begin near the intersection of Hopkins and Peralta Streets, where the BART tracks become elevated. Close to this intersection are three City of Berkeley Community Gardens – the Karl Linn, Peralta, and Northside. The public is welcome to enjoy the gardens when they are open, usually on weekends. Just outside the Peralta Garden is the beginning of the history exhibits, an adobe gateway posted with the Spanish history of the area.
Walking north, you will see the efforts of California Habitat Indigenous Activists to transform the borders of the path into the original native Coastal Prairie. These volunteers collect and plant seeds to create a beautiful native landscape. A bit further on, notice the cow sculptures together with tractor seats, a testament to the area’s agricultural era.
Some of the artwork, done here by contemporary artists, was inspired by the Ohlone Tribe, who were believed to be Berkeley’s first inhabitants. Note the long mural, from Elk Tracks to BART Tracks, a colorful display of the area’s modes of transport from pre-history onwards.
This one-block section of the Ohlone Greenway, together with the adjacent community gardens, is a beautiful public space created by many volunteers over the last six years, with funding from the City of Berkeley and BART.
If you need a break from trudging up and down the paths and stairs in the hills, come and enjoy the Ohlone Greenway.
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