El Cerrito, CA: Northern California Chapter, Transbay Walk

Join us for a local Caminho da Costa with both spiritual and not-so-spiritual variants right here in the Bay Area — starting from the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station and ending at that place across the bay where the road always rises, the wind always freezes, the fog is always at your back (and your front), and the dough is forever sour…

It does not involve walking on water but there will be some spectacularly scenic walking along the Bay Trail and other trails once used by the indigenous xučyun (Huichin) who lived in the area eons before a 16th century Castilian romance novel gave California its name.

If time permits, we might even have a chance at a peek into the life of Rosie the Riveter and get a taste of the finest in wartime propaganda at a National Historic Park in Richmond before we head to the Richmond Ferry terminal to catch the 12 noon boat which arrives in San Francisco at 12:35 PM.

Schedule: Meet at 9:00 AM for sign-in and briefing outside the main entrance to the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station. (NOTE: This is the first El Cerrito station immediately after North Berkeley station. If you find yourself at the El Cerrito Del Norte station you’ve gone one stop too far.)

Once we arrive in San Francisco, folks are free to either make their way back to the East Bay via BART from the Embarcadero station or head over to the Sue Bierman Park across the Embarcadero to eat their bag lunch or empanadas picked up at the Saturday farmer’s market in the Ferry Building.

After lunch, we will walk up to the Fairmont Hotel to inspect the iconic gingerbread house for a Christmassy end to the hike.

Level of Difficulty: Moderate. About 6 miles/9 kms of mostly flat trails, and some gradual uphill on city sidewalks.

Advance online registration is required. Click the Register button to sign up. Because space is limited, please register if/when you are certain you can attend. Thank you!

Cancellation: If you are unable to attend, please email us as soon as possible at norcal@americanpilgrims.org so we can update our list. Heavy rain will cancel this event and we will notify registrants in advance.

Getting There: This is a BART station-to-station walk so getting there and back is a cinch! Just use the BART Trip Planner to take a train to the El Cerrito Plaza (NOT El Cerrito del Norte) station and again at the end of the day to plan your return from San Francisco. You are strongly encouraged to use public transport if it is accessible, but if you drive you can park at the El Cerrito Plaza Station for free on weekends.

Note: Before exiting the El Cerrito Plaza Station, be sure to take the opportunity to visit the restroom!

What to Bring: A lunch (if you don’t want to purchase something at the San Francisco farmers market), snacks, water and sun protection (hat, sunscreen). Clipper card/app with sufficient funds for the ferry. Good walking shoes are sufficient. Hiking poles are generally not necessary on this walk.

Carpooling: Registered participants will have access to an online “Carpool Bulletin Board” to post a message if they need a ride or can give one. But we encourage you to use public transportation (BART) if it is accessible.

Leader: Merula Furtado

The Ruff Stuff: For insurance purposes, we are unable to welcome dogs, except service animals, at our events.