OVERVIEW

In the East Bay’s City of Pinole; known for its architectural heritage and historic past that includes Native American settlements dating back over 5,000 years, resides Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. Dogs are required to be on-lead on paved roads but whether you are walking with your dog on-lead or off in the unpaved trails, you can enjoy some great views of the Bay. If you are looking for a scenic pet-friendly activity in the East Bay, go do the CANGO at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline.

HOW PET-FRIENDLY IS IT?

I would recommend this park for the following reasons: (1) you can get some genuine exercise with your dog on the various trails; and (2) you can enjoy the scenic views of the San Pablo Bay, (3) you can reap the restorative benefits of being in nature with trees and a variety of birds.   

It is somewhat easy to find a place to dispose of waste but really only near the parking lots where there are doody bag dispensers and water fountains.

There are water fountains by both parking lot areas and at the shuttle stop by the back of the park (northwest area). However, there is not a lot of shade on most of the trails so bringing water may be wise.

Also, although the trails are well marked with labels, it is very easy to get lost since there are so many trails and not enough maps or some kind of color-coded system directing people back to the two different lots. It would be nice if there were color-coded loops or maps making it easier to follow an out and back trail off of the main paved roads since most dog owners hit the dirt so that they can have more freedom with their dogs. (Full disclosure though, I get lost easily once I do not have the Bay water in my sights).

Warning: since Point Pinole is a more “wild” or natural park, there is more wildlife including a lot of deers that come with deer ticks. There are a lot of ticks once you get off of the trails. Once when I took one of Lovie’s buddies with us, she rolled in the grass by the shuttle stop and when she shook herself off a lot of ticks flew off like water. I had to pick the rest off of her before they embedded themselves. Gross! So a word of warning to people who do not want to deal with ticks (and I am one of those people), you may want to make sure that your dog stays on a trail and does not wander into the brush.

My other bit of advice would be to mention that Point Pinole hosts some isolated trails and there have been some incidents. I have not had any bad experiences personally, but I know people who have encountered some close calls, to say the least, and the news has covered infrequent incidents so I would not recommend walking around alone or being there as it starts to get dark. It is not dangerous, but it is not in a busy area. The rangers seem to stick to the main paved path and as a result, the off-shoots are less patrolled. Dog owners seem to be the main users of the unpaved areas because dogs can be off-lead. The rangers will nail you if they see your dog off-leash on the main paved road.

IS IT CONVENIENT OR A PAIN IN THE —?

The biggest downside to this park is that there is a fee to park in the main lot by the juvenile detention facility and somewhat limited parking in the newer lot closer to the business park.

Point Pinole is very close to Fitzgerald Rd. exit off Interstate 80 (close to the intersection with Highway 4). The park is located near a business park and a juvenile detention facility.

The closest 24/7 emergency vets that I could find is SAGE Veterinary Centers located at 1410 Monument Blvd in Concord. This center is roughly 20 miles away or a 30-minute drive. The other option would be PETS Referral Center located at 1048 University Ave in Berkeley. This center is roughly 13 miles away or a 20-minute drive. Your selection will likely be greatly influenced by traffic: in the morning between 7-10 AM, heading southwest is basically a parking lot of stopped traffic, so SAGE would be a better option. In the afternoon between 2-6 PM, traffic comes to a near standstill heading northeast, so PETS would be a better option.

[Tip: You could take San Pablo Avenue from Pinole to Berkeley instead of I-80 or Alhambra Valley Road instead of Highway 4 to go from Pinole to Concord.]

*{Please note: We provide the veterinary locations as a reference and resource, not a referral or endorsement}.