Taking the Scenic Route with Janet Byron & Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson and Janet Byron share a passion for taking the scenic route — a passion they share with others by leading and promoting walking tours of Berkeley. They co-authored a guidebook — Berkeley Walks — which is now in its third edition and celebrating 10 years in print. It’s published by Heyday and available at local bookstores and from the authors.
Turkeys Trot the Trails
This month, as the weather becomes cooler and the leaves drift to the ground, it’s a perfect time to escape the city streets and take a walk along some of Berkeley’s much-loved paths. You might even encounter some of our urban wild turkey flock, frequently spotted across the Berkeley landscape.
Finding Ways: Meet the Neighbors Who Keep Up Berkeley's Historic Foot Paths
If you’ve walked anywhere in the Berkeley hills, chances are you’ve walked up and down the many foot paths and stairs that criss-cross our winding streets. There are about 140 of these paths in Berkeley, mostly in the hills, a legacy of the city’s early development.
More than three dozen of them were built or improved by the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association, an all-volunteer neighborhood group that has worked with the city since 1998 to build, improve, and maintain the entire network of paths.
Meet the BPWA Team
For many, Berkeley’s 136 paths and stairways are a local resource and historical treasure that seem to be maintained and improved by an invisible hand. Overgrown paths are magically weeded overnight. Decaying steps replaced after decades of wear. Much-needed handrails appear out of nowhere. Group walks are organized.
In fact, all these benefits are planned and executed by a hardworking team of BPWA board members working quietly behind the scenes. We meet monthly, either in person or over Zoom, to review and discuss BPWA activities, financials, and our collaboration with the City of Berkeley. In case you ever wondered about the folks who make BPWA a vital organization, here’s a brief rundown on who we are and what we do. And if you’re ever tempted to join our efforts, we’re always looking for new board members!
Betty Olds: A Beloved Activist
When, in 2008, Betty Olds retired from serving District 6 on the Berkeley City Council after 16 years, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the council “will lose its crankiest, wittiest, and often most rational member.” Six years later, the path that connects Sterling and Whitaker avenues in North Berkeley (previously known as Twain Path, #68 on the BPWA map) was renamed the Betty Olds Path in her honor. The children’s room at the North Branch of the Berkeley Public Library also bears her name.
Scott Newhall: Legendary Editor and Adventurer
On the easternmost edge of Berkeley, close to the border with Tilden Park, wanderers will find Scott Newhall Path following the contour of Hill Road. To younger walkers, this name will probably mean nothing. But to anyone who was living in the Bay Area in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it will ring a deeply familiar bell.
Good News for Kensington's Paths
Like Berkeley, the Kensington community just to the north has a set of walking paths, created when the area was subdivided in 1910. But while Berkeley’s paths are owned by the city, due to an historic anomaly Kensington’s paths are not officially publicly owned.
Rose Walk: The Jewel in the Crown
Berkeley’s paths and stairways take walkers along some of the city’s prettiest neighborhoods and streets. But there’s one that might well surpass all the others in terms of history and architectural interest: If you’re looking for a path to share with visitors to demonstrate the richness of Berkeley’s culture, look no further than Rose Walk.
Thank You, Path Builders!
As you walk or hike along Berkeley’s paths, consider the terrain: if you’re using concrete steps or walkways, they were probably part of the path’s original construction. If you see wooden steps, however, it’s likely that the pathway has been built by BPWA’s devoted path-building crew, which has worked for more than 20 years to bring Berkeley’s paths to a high level of safety.
Jane Andersen: Structural Engineer and Passionate Path-Lover
On December 28, BPWA lost a beloved and valued member of our community. Jane Andersen, a licensed structural engineer, joined our board in July 2022 as the Emergency Services Coordinator. She also participated in coordination meetings with the city engineer, where her extensive engineering expertise and collaborative spirit were invaluable.
Indian Rock Path: A Centuries-Old History
Indian Rock is one of many volcanic rhyolite rock outcroppings found across the Bay Area that are estimated to have occurred between nine and eleven million years ago. Anyone who has climbed the steep steps in its face has also seen the depressions of mortar holes still evident here, especially in the aptly named Mortar Rock, where the Ohlone people used the bedrock as a grinding surface for food and medicine.
Introducing New BPWA Board Members
BPWA welcomes two new board members: Nancy Graham, treasurer, and Jen English, walks co-coordinator. Three days a week Nancy, her husband, and dog, Dinky, get their aerobic exercise by walking uphill and hitting as many paths as possible. Jen joined the board in 2008 for her first term. Jen’s also been learning the ropes of emergency response, taking community emergency management (CERT) courses and other preparedness training and is excited to be involved with BPWA again because Berkeley's public paths and stairways are a key component of the city's emergency response network.
2024 ANNUAL MEETING AND PATH-A-THON
Saturday, September 21, 2024 offered a beautiful “Second Summer” day as about 40 people gathered to attend the annual meeting of the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association at Live Oak Park. The event followed a well-attended morning Path-a-thon.
Ina Coolbrith: California’s First Poet Laureate
Just south of Latham Lane in North Berkeley you’ll find Ina Coolbrith Path, which connects Miller Avenue and Grizzly Peak Blvd. If you’ve ever wondered about its namesake, the path commemorates a remarkable woman who figured prominently in the state’s literary history.
Steve Price: Walking the Walk
Steve Price is the El Cerrito-based author/artist of the digital book Imagining a Walkable America: Visualizing Low-Carbon Cities, Towns, and Neighborhoods, Step by Step. First published in 2020, it’s just been updated with a new introduction and fresh images to reflect the country’s changing transportation landscape.
Charles Keeler: Modeling the Simple Life
Many who wander Berkeley’s paths are familiar with the name and work of Bernard Maybeck (although, surprisingly, there is no Maybeck Path). Fewer know about his friend and colleague Charles Keeler, who was nearly as influential in the prominent Arts and Crafts movement of the early twentieth century.
Elsa Tranter Honored by Berkeley City Council
You might know Elsa from her longtime affiliation with the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association, serving on the board for four two-year terms from 2008 to 2016. She frequently uses both Acacia Walk and Acacia Steps, both of which are near her home, but her current favorite path is Halkin Walk, between Euclid and Hilldale Avenues.
In Memoriam: Steve Glaeser
We are sad to report that Steve Glaeser, a longtime member of our Berkeley Path Wanderers Association community, passed away in January at the age of 62.
A picture’s worth a thousand words
John Ewing began recording on-the-ground 360-degree videos of walking and bicycling facilities in the East Bay and uploading them to Google Maps Street View. To date, he’s submitted nearly 100 miles of trails with about 250,000 views. His hope is that, by being able to see the actual appearance of these trails and paths, more people will choose to experience the world around them on foot or by bicycle.
Welcome new board members!
Read on to meet our six new board members, who were voted in at our annual meeting in November: Eileen Chen, Dhara Desai, Desmid Lyon, Lori Kohlstaedt, Kirsten Mickelwait, and Emma Morris.