Hillside Natural Area
Park
193 acres3.2 mi of trail
Ridge TrailMotorcycle Hill TrailLive Oak TrailForest Brown Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in El Cerrito
6% of El Cerrito’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 12 miles of mapped trail cross El Cerrito, 3.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Hillside Natural Area (3.2 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #212 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
140 acres · of 3.7 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
198 ac
7.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
3.8 mi lanes · 3.0 mi paths
Highest peak
1,004 ft
William Rust Summit
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is El Cerrito?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does El Cerrito have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, El Cerrito is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #212 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of El Cerrito’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land7.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (198 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 75%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Hillside Natural Area, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ohlone Greenway
Park
16 acres0.3 mi of trail
Ohlone Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Madera Open Space
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Madera-Julian TrailMadera to Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Canyon Trail Park
Managed by City of El Cerrito
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cerrito Vista Park
Park
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 14 parks & preserves
Hillside Natural Area193 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsArlington Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Ohlone Greenway16 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMadera Open Space9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCanyon Trail Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of El Cerrito
Cerrito Vista Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCastro Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTassajara Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Huber Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFairmont Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPoinsett Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Baxter Creek Gateway Park2 acres
DirectionsHarding Park2 acres
Creekside Park1 acres · City of Albany
Who protects it
140 conserved acres
6% of El Cerrito’s land. Who manages El Cerrito’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city137 ac
Regional agency2 ac
Local Conservation Area · 99 acLocal Park · 38 acLocal Recreation Area · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 99 | Open |
| Canyon Trail Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Cerrito Vista Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Arlington Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Castro Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Tassajara Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| El Cerrito Community Swim Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Huber Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Wildcat Canyon Regional Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Harding Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
33 places to go in El Cerrito
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in El Cerrito
El Cerrito Splash Park
DirectionsPlus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in El Cerrito
Bruce King Memorial Dog ParkHours: Mon–Sun 7 am – 9 pm
DirectionsScenic views in El Cerrito
Murietta Rock
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in El Cerrito
William Rust Summit1,004 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in El Cerrito
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in El Cerrito
Camp Herms BSA
DirectionsCommunity gardens in El Cerrito
AMS Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.9 mi
Ridge Trail0.8 mi
Motorcycle Hill Trail0.6 mi
Live Oak Trail0.4 mi
Navellier Trail0.4 mi
Forest Brown Trail0.3 mi
Ohlone Greenway0.3 mi
Ken Smith Trail0.2 mi
Madera-Julian Trail0.2 mi
The Lower Trail0.2 mi
Lower Snowdon Trail0.1 mi
5 more trails
Church Trail
0.1 miMadera to Ridge Trail
0.1 miStockton-King Trail
0.1 miGreat Western Power Trail
0.1 miUpper Snowdon Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.0 mi
off-road bike paths
3.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
17Basketball
17Tennis
9Baseball
3Soccer
2Football
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in El Cerrito: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 60 | 63 | 66 | 70 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 73 | 64 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 4.9 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 5.0 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.0 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in El Cerrito →
Next door
El Cerrito and its neighbors
El Cerrito has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Cerrito | 6% | 3.3 | 8 | 99%+ | A |
| Richmond | 34% | 2.2 | 37 | 98% | A+ |
| Kensington | 4% | 0.8 | 6 | 91% | B+ |
| Albany | 55% | 3.6 | 10 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in El Cerrito
Where can I hike in El Cerrito?
The longest trail networks: Hillside Natural Area, 3.2 miles; Arlington Park, 0.4 miles; Ohlone Greenway, 0.3 miles; Madera Open Space, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of El Cerrito is conserved land?
6% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on El Cerrito’s trails?
Hillside Natural Area and Arlington Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in El Cerrito?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of painted or protected lanes, 3.0 of off-road paths and 3.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near El Cerrito?
33,766 acres of parks and open public land lie inside El Cerrito or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 198 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does El Cerrito have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #212 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from El Cerrito neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →