Tilden Regional Park
Whenever I need a hearty serving of peace and contentment, I head to Tilden Regional Park, which sits on Ohlone land on the border of what we commonly refer to as Berkeley and Oakland, California.
As you arrive, the smell of pine and eucalyptus trees welcomes you, with their spicy and bright aroma. If you’ve chosen one of the many hiking trails or picnic areas, you might be rewarded with wide views across expanses of green that roll over hills and ravines towards Mount Diablo. Within minutes of arriving, I can feel a drop in the tension and stress that I’ve been holding. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to cross paths with a pack of shimmering, prehistoric-looking wild turkeys. And I’ve heard — but never seen — that deer and goats pass through in the summer.
If you are drawn to water like I am, wend your way over to Lake Anza. Swimming’s not usually allowed due to an algae that grows on the water. But on a clear day, you’ll find the sun glittering across its surface, as it sparkles like a sapphire set atop a tiny mountain. Just being near it deepens my breathing and allows quiet peace to wash over me. The shore of the lake even has sand near the entrance gate, so if you bring a blanket, you get to pretend that you’re laying on a very quiet, very hidden, secret beach.
Around the lake, there’s a small walking path that will take you past bigleaf maples, manzanitas, and graceful peeling eucalyptus trees that remind you to shed whatever you no longer need. At the north end of Lake Anza, a fallen eucalyptus juts from the shade into the water’s edge — a perfect perch for reflecting on the impermanence of all things.
Tilden Regional is a huge park. Admittedly, I’ve only ever explored a tiny sliver of it, having a preference for the regions surrounding Lake Anza. It has everything I need: it provides an unbroken view of the sky, the warmth of the sun, and a quiet place to walk or lay down and feel the energy of the earth rising up from deep below. If you come here, please try to maintain the tranquility that this special enclave offers. Shrill exclamations and even the volume of normal conversation carry easily across the water and will disturb the peace for everyone around you.
This special park has multiple facets and a long history that stretches back to the early 1900s.Tilden’s land originally belonged to the native Ohlone Indians. According to Wikipedia, Spanish explorers and Mexican ranchers drove the Ohlone off the land when ranchers infiltrated Wildcat Canyon. The land was turned into a park when it was purchased by the East Bay Regional Park District in 1936.
After World War II a number of attractions were added to the park, including tennis courts, a model airplane field, a miniature train, and a merry-go-round near the lake. There’s also a botanic garden and a banquet hall and event venue. If you want to stay longer, there are picnic and camping sites. Or, you can do what I do, which is simply to drop by for an hour or two whenever you need some peace and quiet and want to make the stressful rush of the city feel very, very far away.
