The Glen Cove Marina building was constructed in 1908 as a lighthouse, and was located a mile West of its current location. In the 1950s it was moved here on a barge. This is where the trail up to the Carquinez Bridge begins.
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Hiking from the Glen Cove Marina to the Carquinez Bridge takes you high above the Carquinez Strait, and offers great views stretching from Mt. Diablo to Mt. Tamalpais. |
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The Glen Cove Marina building was constructed in 1908 as a lighthouse, and was located a mile West of its current location. In the 1950s it was moved here on a barge. This is where the trail up to the Carquinez Bridge begins. |
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An egret looks for a meal in the muddy water along the marina docks. |
| Looking back, you can see how the trail heads West out of the marina. There is currently some construction going on in the area, so heads up. |
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A gate and some trail markers indicate that this trail is part of the Bay Trail and Bay Area Ridge Trail networks. |
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The trail isn't too long, but it does involve some climbing. |
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The Carquinez Bridge. The recently completed Zampa Memorial suspension bridge (named after a man who helped build several Bay Area bridges) is behind the two older spans. The bridge in the foreground (built in the 1950s) will stay, but the middle bridge (built in the 1920s) will soon be dismantled. |
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The new bridge has a bike and pedestrian lane, but it's on the far side, so currently there's no easy way to get there from this trail (you'd have to cross Rt. 80). Supposedly they will be connected, but when is not clear. Just beyond the bridge is a new viewing platform, looking out at San Pablo Bay and Mt. Tamalpais in the distance. |
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Mare Island harbored a busy naval shipyard from the 1850s to the 1990s. The Southern end of the island, seen here, was recently considered for siting a power plant and liquified natural gas receiving terminal, but public opposition defeated this idea. A park is now planned for this scenic and historic place. |
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Looking down on the Carquinez Strait, which is where the Sacramento and San Joaqin River deltas enter San Pablo and San Francisco Bay. Salmon and other migratory fish must pass through here to reach their spawning grounds in the Sierra, Cascade, and Trinity Alps mountain ranges. |
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Heading back towards the marina, you can get a sense of the distance if you were to hike the whole Glen Cove waterfront, from the Carquinez Bridge all the way into Benicia State Park (which is on the far side of the hill with the tall tower). |
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Though more may exist somewhere, we could only find poison oak in one spot, and it was off-trail. When in doubt, remember "leaves of three, let it be". |
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The trail we just took is high above this steep slope, but you can also explore (carefully) along the water's edge. Avoid high tide (someone in the marina office can probably tell you when the tide comes in). |
