Albany Bulb

Dogs are allowed to roam off leash here and there’s a great view of the city. It’s also not as busy as some of the other parks in the east bay. Windy though so bring layers! Interesting graffiti art makes this spot unique and Instagram worthy. Can also be a pretty dangerous terrain in the wrong shoes. Sharp poles, broken Cement blocks and abandoned tires litter the main attraction of the bulb.

Beautiful unique spot that’s super close to Richmond and Berkeley. It feels like an artists forest beach. There’s a cool history behind it being a converted landfill. On that note, there’s a lot of glass on the ground I don’t want my little pup walking on (looking into boots on Amazon because it’s such a cool spot).
I was looking for the awesome people driftwood statutes I saw in pictures, they are straight ahead and as right as you can go from the parking lot. Amazing view from the rope swings along that path, to your left before the driftwood statues. Bay Area gem for sure
*** side note because my dog is a chicken/​scaredy guy– he isn’t as chill here when compared to other dog parks; i think it’s because there’s so many secluded areas perfect for a picnic that strangers approach you randomly. I had to keep him on a leash when he’s usually cool at point Isabel

Terrific place for dogs. Fun to explore. Great artwork and trails and views. Tide pools, beaches. Parking is just ok. All type of trails to explore.

My new favorite place to take my dogs for a walk! Not as crowded as point Isabel. Lots of cool artwork. Definitely coming here more often.

This is a great place to let your dog off leash and either sit with your kids on the beach while the pup has fun or hike through the paths and get the heat pumping while surrounded with amazing views of the bay. Some notes:
— Parking is a bit tricky on beautiful days, since many bikers and runners park there to access the bay path. But after 3 pm, you can go up the horse track, around and down a ramp that will allow you to park right in the beach (before 3 pm, you would have to pay to enter the horse track).
— Please pick up after your dog and after yourself too. It’s a perfect place for a picnic, unless the high tide brought in algae.
— Lots of homeless used to live in the paths, but in 2015 they got removed and now the county is in the process of rebuilding it in order to create housing, so it might be different every time you go.
— Even in warm days it’s very windy, so dress in layers.
— Yes, there will be lots of dogs and some owners are very responsible, others not so much. So consider yourself warned and be tolerant.
–There is a port-​a-​potty at the park entrance. Just one.
— No doggie bags provided but sometimes people leave some extra plastic bags for others to use.

This place is nice little oasis away from the city. It’s pretty much a dog park so if you’re not a dog lover be prepared but the views are pretty epic.

Who knew garbage could be so cool? Although, a tad hard to find. I found out about this through a website listing odd roadside attractions. My family and I braved the construction and rocky path with a stroller (not recommended, as we quickly found out.) There are some beautiful bay views to the left, yet be sure to take the path to the right to see the sculptures (also learned the hard way.) Dog walkers love this area, and my son was entertained watching all of the dogs passing by. Such a great way to reuse and upcycle!

What a fun little place! I told my husband he needed to walk me, so he found this place… I guess it’s only fitting that it’s classified as a dog park! They are doing a TON of work at the park, and I can’t wait to see it when they are finished. It is going to be BEAUTIFUL! This place actually reminds me a lot of the historical park on Mare Island in Vallejo. Great views, fun stuff to come across, lots of different little paths to explore, plus a «beach»! Such fun to watch the dogs romp in and out of that (what I’m assuming) freezing water. Too bad it started raining while we were there, next time we won’t have our adventure cut so short!

So much cleaner than before and you get to walk your dogs through random art installations with amazing views of San Francisco, the bay, and GG bridge! Plus a beach area for the four legged ones to romp in the water.
Relaxing time for the dogs as well as for the owners. Definite visit of you haven’t been here yet.

This place is garbage! Literally!
Well, it’s a dog park AND a bunch of garbage. If you want to feel like Indiana Jones, it’s the place to go!
On a Monday around 2pm, I parked without any trouble. I didn’t know what to look for so I picked a random direction when I hit the trail junction and just started walking. Just saw a lot of broken up, graffiti-​ed concrete and a bunch of untamed, dead shrubbery, but it was compelling enough to wander through the brush to find… something. The presence of others, those not walking packs of dogs, kept me confident that I was close to a find, so I pressed on. I’d seen photos of the «driftwood people» before, but stumbling across them as a discovery made it a really neato experience. I stayed for about an hour, but if it weren’t for having to be somewhere at a certain time that day, I would’ve stayed longer.
Verdict: this place made me feel like a kid again! A lot to explore, a lot to discover, and a lot more to this place than appears. If I can make it back again, I will, and hopefully alone so I can take my time discovering all of this place’s mysteries.

Most amazing place I’ve been to in a long while! Don’t miss this — go check it out! Spend the whole day – pack a picnic.

Love this place! Far less crowded than Point Isabel and, in my opinion, prettier to walk around than Cesar Chavez.
Highlights:
Huge off leash dog park with views of the bay, SF, and Golden Gate.
Used to be an artistic commune of some sort so there are several installations still in place.
There’s a small beach near the parking lot where dogs can run without worrying about large waves.
It’s easy to explore and find something new every time.

Coolest dog park /​former homeless encampment /​outdoor art gallery ever! I came here on a sunny Sunday afternoon and there were a bunch of people, and their dogs of course, walking on the trail. Nothing too difficult, not much of a hike. The main trails are clearly distinguishable, but you can venture off trail to find the interesting stuff here. There’s a lot of busted concrete and junk littering the area, but a lot of it is transformed into sculptures, graffiti, and other cool art pieces! What was most surprising to me was how many flowers were in bloom! They give a really nice contrast to all the debris in this place.
Again, this place is super cool and extremely «Berkeley» if you know what I mean. WARNING on the parking though! The main parking lot on Buchanan is quite small and it was full when I got there. I had to park in the big lot next to it by Golden Gate Fields. It cost $ 1 to park there, but there’s a lot more spaces available.

We came here with my dog to find the wacky, Berkeley-​esque art work in Albany Bulb, but we were surprised with how huge this park is!
There must’ve been at least 80 dogs off leash roaming around on a Sunday. My dog had a blast running and exploring, but was super dirty after a day in the park. He didn’t play in the mud, but he ended up wrestling with another dog who was covered in mud. (oh boy!)
We never found the art work, but ended up having a great time. The view is gorgeous and you can vaguely see the Golden Gate from here.

For all the adventurers at heart, the Albany Bulb appeals to all of your exploration needs. First of all, it is a waterfront trail… so it starts off with a mini beach and you’re surrounded by trees and grassland as you go further down the trail. Art work is displayed on rocks and what used to be junk bringing more color to your surroundings.
If you make it all the way down to the water, be prepared for slippery rocks. I don’t think I can adequately describe the beauty of this place. You can see the skyline of both Oakland and SF in the distance which is just a cherry on top.

This is a wacky but fun place, the art work made out mostly garbage and debris are amazing. I’m not a arty person, but those are fun to check out.
It is also a good place to take a quick hike if you are in the area.
The only thing I wish is that people can leash their dogs, some dogs likes to wonder and this place isn’t very well maintained.

Fun place to explore! Definitely a lot of graffiti and debris art everywhere, but definitely cool to look at.
The area used to be a construction dumping site, but overtime habitat and life took over.
Uhm. The squirrels here are very plump looking and seem to be well fed. lizards everywhere… great view of SF and chavez park.
If you have a dog definitely bring them, tons of dogs and people walking.

I came here with my mother a few years ago, and I decided to take my boyfriend yesterday. See, I live in Sacramento, and the weather here has been below 55 degrees for quite some time. But yesterday, yesterday was beautiful. I loaded the car with some lunch, a cooler full of waters, and my boyfriend.
Upon arriving, the weather was nothing short of perfect. Not too cold, but not too hot.
The parking spaces, though, need to be updated. I don’t mind waiting, I’m a patient person (try having customers yell at you over bread…) After parking, my boyfriend and I grabbed our drinks and our food, and sat on the stone benches overlooking the beach.
I was amazed at how much cleaner the park was.
This amazing place, that was once a land fill, became nothing short of a beautiful and calm place to either hike, fish, swim, surf, or take your dogs too.

I have lived in the East Bay since I was in Pampers, and I will probably still be here when I eventually need Depends, but last Saturday was my first trip to the Albany Bulb. After grabbing a delicious lunch at Pablo’s Brazil Café in Berkeley, my friend and I headed here for a quick walk before the Solano Avenue Hood Hunters Event started.
+:
+ ample free parking close to the Bulb
+ great, sweeping views of the Bay
+ a slight incline to force you to exert some energy :)
+ plenty of friendly folks with their friendly pets
+ lots of graffiti art
I was able to walk the full path in sandals, but I think I’d grab tennis shoes the next time around. Will definitely be back!

I’m bucking the trend on this place, a waterfront hiking trail that sounds like something I’d love. First though, a report on what I liked:
* free parking that leads you right onto the path that runs alongside the churning bay water.
* views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco
* some of the found-​object sculpture and some of the graffiti
* the rock semi-​circle that arced out over the water creating a walkable bridge between two points
And what I did not like?:
* the single porta-​potty was beyond foul;
* thirty or so people congregating near the path entrance to booze and smoke weed (they weren’t menacing, just added to the edgy feeling of the place);
* the dogs that looked like they’d be dangerous for my small dog to get close to;
* the garbage everywhere. Not just bottles and cans strewn around the paths, but every interesting concrete thing I looked into was filled with trash; and
* the entire shantytown that’s been created out here. It’s tent city, folks, and walking through all that just made me uncomfortable.
Some pathways will have you coming closer to the encampments than others but it’d be difficult to see this place without also seeing a lot of evidence that a lot of people live out here year-​round. Some of the artwork might make it worth your time but for me that wasn’t enough. I can find cleaner and more beautiful waterfront trails all over the place that don’t leave me with the feelings this place gave me. Chrissy Field anyone?