Coyote Hills Park, Fremont, CA
Nifty little hills with great Bay-area views
Coyote Hills Regional Park is a convenient hidden gem located in Fremont where Alameda Creek meets the San Francisco Bay. See map below.
It consists of 978 acres of grass-covered “little hills” with spectacular views plus bayshore and marshlands that are well populated with migrating birds. The park also has several other nice features such as an excellent Visitor Center (the staff is quite pleasant too), a 2000-year old Tuibun Ohlone village site (available only via naturalist-led tours emphasizing the natives who lived in this area for at least 13,000 years), big boulders you can climb, and a native-plant-filled butterfly Nectar Garden.
Hiking & Dog walking
We, and our dogs, especially enjoyed hiking the beautiful hills. Here are some treks we suggest.
- The Glider Hill Trail from the Visitor Center to the top, then over to Red Hill Trail which ends at Alameda Creek Trail (an 11-mile paved trail headed in-land and ending up in Niles Canyon), then back to the Visitor Center via the paved Bay View Trail. You get great views along with a little exercise because some of the hills are steep (but short and smooth).
- A walk from the Visitor Center up Muskrat Trail to see the big boulders.
- We didn’t take the flat boardwalk marsh trails or the Pelican Trail to the Bay because dogs are not allowed in these wildlife refuges.
The park is also good for bird watchers and mountain bikers (smooth easy rides with good views on wide walking trails … but do please slow down for walkers).
Parking
Parking is a consideration here. It costs $5 to drive into the park where you can find parking in front of the Visitor Center and half way in at the Quarry Staging Area. We understand both lots can get full at times so coming early (before 10 am) is advised during busy season (Spring & Summer). You can also park for free about a mile away at Patterson Ranch Road & Paseo Padre; if you are biking this is a good way to save $5.
Weather
Our experience with Fremont-Newark is that it gets very hot and sometimes windy in the summer. Spring and winter are good times to visit because it’s cooler and greener. The last time we visited, on a Sunday in January, was quite foggy but very beautiful and reasonably warm (60 degrees) the entire day.
More Tips
- Ardenwood Historic Farm is only about 2 miles away from Coyote Hills Park. We suggest visiting both on the same trip if you don’t live nearby.
- Alameda Creek Trails – 12 miles of uninterrupted trails run from east from the Bay at Coyote Hills Park to Niles Canyon.
phone: (510) 544-3220
links: website, yelp
