Joaquin Miller Park

Join Joaquin Miller Park and you'll soon forget that the hustle and bustle of the city are minutes away from you. The 500-acre park is frequently frequented by hikers, equestrians, bicyclists, joggers and picnicists from all over the Bay Area. Through redwood groves and oak woodlands and across green creeksides and wet meadows, the rustic woodland trails lead you. Dogs are authorized - on leash - in the park and a fenced off-leash dog area is accessible on park land for both large and small dogs. Park facilities for weddings, picnics, large group meetings and special activities are open. Come and discover the wonders of the urban wildlands of Oakland! For park history, nature shows, upcoming activities, a landline telephone and more, visit the Park Ranger Station!
 

Wildlife, Fungi and Plants

The redwoods in Joaquin Miller Park are considered one of the few redwood forests in an urban environment to thrive today. Native Coast Redwoods (sequoia sempervirens) grow in the park, most notably. After extensive logging in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many are in the second or third creation when the redwoods were used to help create Oakland, San Francisco and other booming cities of the time. Of the thousands of trees that were planted under the leadership of Joaquin Miller, many still stand today.
 

The park provides a number of representative ecosystems for the central coastal range, hot open hillsides, cool redwoods, oak trees, green creeksides, and wet meadows. The park is home to over 200 native plant species. Along with such non-natives as fennel, acacia and eucalyptus, there are rare plants like the Oakland star tulip, pallid manzanita and leatherwood. In the serpentine grasslands, California's state grass, purple needlegrass, and the state flower, the California golden poppy, are common.

You can gently walk and explore mysterious animals. This park is home to Towhees, scrub jays, Cooper's hawks, wild turkeys, California quail, lizards, gopher snakes, or maybe even a gray fox, deer or skunk.
 

Joaquin Miller Park is a delightful place for hiking amid towering redwoods, draped over 500 acres in the Oakland Hills, with expansive views of San Francisco and the Bay. Named after its former owner, noted local writer and poet Joaquin Miller, it is owned by the city of Oakland.

How to get here

Take Hwy from San Francisco, the North and East Bay. 24 on Hwy. 13 (the Warren Freeway) south to the exit of Joaquin Miller Rd/Lincoln Ave. 580 west to Hwy. 13 north. From South Bay Hwy. AC Transit route 39 serves the park. You can also reach the park at Sequoia Arena from Skyline Blvd.