Grizzly Peak

Beautiful view that’s worth seeing if you’re in the area, regardless of weather.

You can’t give a view like this less than 5 stars.
Sure, it doesn’t compare to Grand View Park but the view is amazing nonetheless.
Going up the road there are several places to stop to take in the view & take pics but I was with my friend who knew where the PERFECT stop was so I lucked out.
It was a GORGEOUS day so the views were super clear.
You can see Berkeley below.
My friend was saying that the city lights at night are so pretty but she said that the crime rate has gone up especially around night time. You can see the trash from people at night all over the place. There was Corona boxes, swisher wrappers, just straight trash. If you can look past that, the view is a sight to see. They have logs that you can sit on & just ponder. A great view right off the freeway :)

If I could be at this location everyday at sunset, I’d do just that! A spot where you can say absolutely nothing but feel everything. The best view I’ve seen of the East Bay!
Both bridges and about three or four cites can be seen. A little tricky to get to an ideal location, but your GPS should help with that. Once you’ve arrive there are plenty of spots to choose from.
People come her for all reasons, a romantic date, to enjoy a drink or smoke, or get a piece of mind for a minute. I believe it even has a few hiking trails… if you’re into that.
If your visiting the area, check it out at sunset. And if you live in the area I’d make it to make it a point to get here at least once a week. It will be worth it.

Beautiful! Relaxing wether with friends or alone. Anytime of the day it’s beautiful really.

Only a few parking spots. Dirty with trash and graffiti everywhere. Way better view from the top of Mountain View Cemetery.

I had no idea that there was such a nice hike was so close to Cal! I met a friend on campus yesterday for an afternoon hike and he recommended that we go to Grizzly Peak. I assumed we’d be driving, but little did I know that the trail begins right by the soccer fields. If you’re a student at Cal it’s a perfect little escape from campus.
The hike is beautiful, views are fantastic, and it feels worlds away from Cal. We passed a good amount of trail runners, people with their dogs, and a few cyclists on the trail. If you’re looking for more of a secluded hike, I would look elsewhere. Grizzly Peak seems to be a well known hike in the Berkeley area.
My friend and I left in the late afternoon and were able to catch the sun beginning to set. This was the perfect time to go! I would highly recommend checking out the trail when the sun is rising, or setting. We didn’t go all the way up to the peak (I’m not sure how far that actually is), instead we turned around and cut back through the redwoods. The hike took us roughly two hours to complete.
Don’t forget your water bottle (there’s a refill station on the way by the soccer fields), sneakers, and sunglasses. I left my hiking shoes in the car and now my feet are a little messed up from wearing espadrilles. It’s okay though– the views were worth it!

Why 5 stars? Because this is one of the best views I’ve ever seen.
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I love lookout points, especially in the Bay Area. I never get tired of looking at such beauty. And this one is one of the best, and also one of the highest. Maybe it’s just an optical illusion, but this one seems to be higher than any other that I’ve seen.
And for me, half the fun was the drive up to the peak. You’re winding your way through this neighborhood, and all of the sudden, you’re literally on top of the world.
I can’t recommend this enough to anyone visiting the area. And if you’re a local, it’s still freaking cool. We don’t all have mountains in the rest of the country, so take advantage of the awesomeness in your own backyard.

This place has great views, ideal for a date.
I was taken here by a friend and I thought it was beautiful. It was my first time around the Berkley area and I enjoyed the scenery. It would’ve been perfect but there was a lot of other people in the area. Some were noisy so it wasn’t as great as we wanted it to be. Parking was kind of difficult. Some people made their own parking spot since it was crowded.
Luckily, there were more than one spot so we drove around until we found a better view.

Had a great date night up there to view the meteor shower. View was great, parking area easy to get to. Only downside were the teenagers smoking.

Breathtaking view of the bay! We had a lovely time picnicing from the back of the truck, enjoying the sun and the view. We watched the fog roll in as evening settled in which brought cool temperatures. …bring a sweater!

The drive up is so worth it. The view from the top is amazing. You can see Oakland, Berkeley and San Fransisco. Go for sunset, you might get to see the fog rolling in over San Fransisco.

Great lookout spot! I just wish that people would be more considerate of the environment and each other’s interest by not littering.
There are so many beer cans down the hill that you would think that it’s part of the natural scenery!

I’m taking that this listing is for the Grizzly Peak areas in general, not the actual peak itself. Grizzly Peak area mostly surrounds the path of Grizzly Peak Blvd. The scenic areas start pretty much from Centennial Dr. that goes down to the UC Berkeley Campus heading north to it’s end at Skyline Blvd. It’s a windy curvy road that follows the ridgeline with super great views of the SF Bay and Golden Gate Bridge, at least when the fog is not in. Super popular with the motorcycle crowd, both hoggers, but more knee dragger sport bikes, they all congregate at selected view points to hang out. The bicycle riders use this road a lot too, so watch out. My fave section is from the intersection of Claremont Canyon Rd to Centennial Drive. It has the best view points and is a great ride by bicycle or moto. At night, all the turn outs are make out spots, you may have trouble finding a spot alone!
I use Grizzly Peak a lot sometimes to avoid the traffic back up at the Caldecott Tunnel to get back to Montclair Dist. Just exit at Fish Ranch Rd, Climb to the top and turn left on Grizzly Peak, it takes you to Skyline and then I follow that and drop down Shepard Canyon back to Montclair. Beats waiting in a backup and then using Highway 13.
Take a drive along Grizzly Peak if you haven’t, even if you don’t live in the East Bay, come on over!

Oakland and Berkeley hills never disappoint. I love Grizzly Peak and Fish Ranch Rd. there are many stopping/​lookout areas to take gorgeous photos of the Bay.
Lucky for me, I’ve come on clear days all three times I’ve been here. There’s not much else I can really sell you on coming here. You’ll just have to see it for your own eyes!

Not sure if it is the fog, or the smog, or the weed, or all three, it is cloudy in the East Bay when I visited. =)
Although Unilocal only allows one stop point, but there are few other view points on the road as well, check them out.

I seriously love coming here. It has one of the best views in the Bay and it’s really easy to get to. Just a quick drive up Grizzly Peak Blvd or Claremont Ave.
The best time to come here is sunset. The SF skyline looks amazing from up here. At night you can also get a great view of the city and the Bay Bridge lights.
On a cloudy night it feels like a horror movie since you won’t be able to see past 10 meters in front of you. Who knows what could be lurking around 11 meters away…
Definitely bring any visitors to the Berkeley area up here. If you live and Berkeley and haven’t been to Grizzly Peak yet then you definitely need to check it out.

GREAT VIEW AT NIGHT OF THE BAY!!! Wonderful place to hang out and relax. Highly recommended. :)
There are many different spots where you can park your car so don’t be discouraged if the first few pit stops seem full. Keep driving up and I guarantee you’ll find a spot! (unless you go on a day/​night that’s abnormally popular…)
Note of caution: Don’t drive too fast on the turns. :P

I am so thankful I discovered this place, a friend I met while out here brought me here one day and it was love at first sight. It lies in the Oakland-​Berkeley hills and overlooks a ton of the Bays amenities. Such as; Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, Angel Island, SF, Oakland and Berkeley. I frequent this spot knowing one day soon I will not be able to drive up there, it truly saddens me. I am a sucker for nature and all of its brilliance and scenery. In this iconic area of the map, it doesn’t get any better, it coins the phrase «picture perfect», to a T.
If you are into photography, nature, alone time, dates (men or women), you must visit this place at least once. Bring your significant other and I can almost guarantee you’ll be getting some by the end of the night, or if you need a spot to get some, you couldn’t pick a better place. Just ask the guy I pulled beside yesterday, on that note, find a secluded spot if this is your plan.
There are two main view points once you go up Grizzly Peak road, both containing benches made of old tree stumps, giant old tree stumps, pretty darn cool if you ask me. Its the perfect place to be at one with nature.
Every now and again you can hear the howls of what I’m told to be are Hyenas, who are caged up of course somewhere down in the valley, its super cool if you catch this. Walk down the hill a little ways and you’re sure to stumble upon some anoles in the shrubbery, they’re not too worried about you being there either, good pictures to take if you’re quick enough.
I made it up here for the 4^th of July, which was a bust, all the fireworks were minuscule due to the height you’re at. All bs aside, f you don’t visit here, or know about it and have not yet done so, you’re super sleepin’!!!

I ran my first-​ever marathon at Grizzly Peak this past weekend, and absolutely loved it. We arrived nice n’ early, right when the fog was hanging around the lake and valleys.
The paths that made up the course twisted every which way, but were incredibly muddy. Pretty much everybody at the finish line (including myself) was caked in a thick layer of sludge!
But other than the lack of rocks/​tanbark/​tread, I have no complaints. Parking was free, the area was clean, and I got a good run in.

I am biased toward Mt. Tam because of all the hiking, waterfalls, views from East Peak, ladder on Steep Ravine Trail, Dipsea steps etc. but one thing that it lacks is amazing views at sunset. The views from here (if you know where exactly to get an unobstructed view) are simply breathtaking. I have seen views from all over North America and Europe these last 8 months but this one is truly quite spectacular. Although great almost anytime, the best time to come is at sunset on a clear day.
Things to note:
–parking can be a pain; be prepared to walk along narrow roads flooded with cyclists, cars and other individuals
–some of the popular lookouts are littered with trash, smell of marijuana from constant smoking from nearby cars, and are quite crowded
–the roads at night are dark and narrow so be careful
–there are some lookouts that are cleaner and less crowded than others (just need to look out for them)