Knowland State Arboretum And Park

Nice dog park in oakland area. Everything is new and kept neat. Doggy trash bags were stocked unlike most other parks. The area isn’t level but it’s nice for the doggies to get some exercise.

Went to check out Knowland Park which is just a little city park in Oakland. Off Malcolm Ave, there isn’t much parking since it’s in residential neighborhood. No Bathrooms and No Water.
We parked in front of someone’s house and the owner even had the guts to come outside to ask why we were there and for how long. He probably wanted to tow our car away.
People in the neighborhood want to save Knowland Park so the Oakland Zoo doesn’t put a giant fence in their backyard to block off this dog park and limit their views.
We had a map from the website, but all they have is a bunch of circles and lots of dead end trails. Some good views when the weather is nice. You can see Oakland and SF way in the distance.
I thought it was just ok, but then I live in Fremont so I don’t care about Knowland Park and wouldn’t mind paying to see it from the Zoo either.
Update: Oakland City Council voted 6 – 2 to pass the «conservation easement» ordinance, moving the zoo one step closer to breaking ground.
Website:

Having grown up in the East Bay, I recognize the real thing when I see it – and it’s fast disappearing. While some of this is understandable since our population is growing, how is it necessary to ‘disneyfy’ this wonderful open space? Don’t take my word for it: get your walking shoes on & check it out.
Seriously, folks: it is rare when you get to hike in an unspoiled, untampered section of California right down in Urbanville. Enjoy! (and read the expose in this week’s East Bay Express for more information).

Who knew that in the middle of a busy residential area lies a fantastic wild and free, unchanged public Knowland Park! With rolling hills overlooking a spectacular view of the Bay, coastal oak woodlands, rare and endangered maritime chaparral, large meadows of beautiful wild native flowers and grasses, found in very few, if any, other places in the East Bay. This is how East Bay Hills looked prior to housing developments.
And in the midst of these varied habitats live countless animals of all kinds, including a protected species the Alameda Whipsnake. Mountain lions roam through this habitat as they range for miles along the undeveloped ridgeline, from park to park.
It’s the perfect place to hike the trails, let kids explore, looking for little critters, listen and watch for birds and hawks. Come fly your kite, have a picnic.
Remember it’s totally cared for by friends of the Park, so cart out your own litter. And there are no picnic tables or rest rooms. Enjoy that it is wild and free! To see what’s being done to keep it wild and free see
.

Knowland Park is a spectacular city park in the Oakland hills – one of the best places to see native plant and wildlife habitat and all within a few minutes’ walk. Without a doubt, it’s one of Oakland’s finest sites and its best kept secret. The landscape there changes with the seasons – winter and spring show the park at its greenest, early summer is beautiful and golden. In June the goats come to graze the grasslands and that part of the park looks beaten up in terms of the vegetation until the rains come, but you can still access gorgeous views. That’s a good time of year to hike the oak woodlands and chaparral which are beautiful in their own right.
The Oakland Zoo is trying to take 77 acres of the finest park land to develop – there’s no question that this will ruin the heart of the park since it’s the single best location in the park. Want to do something about that? Visit
and get involved in the fight to protect this amazing park.

Amazing open space with views of Oakland, San Fran, the Golden Gate, and Mt Tam. Easy walk in. Rare native plants that are hard to find and even the occasional coyote, fox and owl. Experience what the bay was before development. Add it to your must do hikes. And it’s FREE

Knowland Park was a total surprise after moving into the Sequoiah Highlands neighborhood. With in a 10 min. walk from my house, it feels like I’m out near Yosemite. My pup and I love it and go running/​hiking here regularly. Everyone we meet has always been really friendly, even when they get attacked with puppy love. Truly a hidden gem in Oakland!

I love being able to hop over the hill from my house in a quick 3 or 4 minutes to take a nice walk in Knowland Park with my dog. It is currently open space and belongs to the City of Oakland. It is easily accessed from any of several side streets off Malcolm in the South Hills of Oakland.
What’s not to love? Beautiful? Check. Easy walking trails? Check. Diverse native plant and animal life? Check. Gorgeous wide-​angle views? Check. Friendly people using the park? Check. Free and open to the public? Check. I hear that volunteers work hard to steward the land, doing «weed attacks» every few weeks to nurture the native grasslands and Oak woodlands.
There’s one problem: The popular Oakland Zoo, which now occupies one small section at the base of the park is planning to construct an enormous project in the midst of this precious jewel in Oakland. Come and enjoy the park as it is now — before over 70 acres of our prime open space in the hills is literally broken and fenced off.

Knowland Park is just wonderful. At every season of the year it is full of native plants and animals and has a ridge view that is unsurpassed. It is actually the last undeveloped ridge line in Oakland. It is right here in town and easy to access with no charge. If you haven’t been there, go soon because the interests that want to make a profit expanding the zoo into Knowland are very active, have deep pocket backers and want to turn the area into a theme park with an Office/​restaurant/​convention center/​gift store complex on the ridge. There has been talk of bringing tourists, etc. up by gondola.
This park was given to Oakland by the state to be available to Oakland citizens in perpetuity. I don’t think they meant for private interests to develop for profit. The Zoo can take a cue from other world class zoos that have approximately the same footprint and can’t expand and have done wonders with what they have. Honolulu Zoo comes to mind.

Hands down, my favorite place in Oakland. So peaceful. So beautiful. Free, open to all. Just wonderful.

I just learned about Knowland Park from visiting the Oakland Zoo. This natural park is threatened by private interests affiliated with the zoo, who would like to fence it off and develop it, ironically, for a new ‘California Native’ exhibit. My family and I are standing up for Knowland Park, which is a beautiful contrast to the Oakland zoo. Leave it be! Go visit and show your support for the real California.

Knowland is a little jewel in the midst of highways and urbanization. It’s home to numerous native flora and fauna, some of them quite rare. I discovered this beautiful open space years ago when my son and daughter-​in-​law bought a house on one of the many cul-​de-​sacs off Malcolm whose back gate opens directly onto Knowland Park.
Unfortunately the Zoo has had its eye on the Park for many years. They’ve tried every means possible, some of them pretty skanky, to expand into the Park. They just don’t give up. It’s a shame to think that Knowland may be in its #finalspring if the Zoo poo-​bahs get their way.
Enjoy Knowland this Spring! The wildflowers are gorgeous this year.

My pup loves this park. It is huuuge, incredibly spacious, with rolling hills and clusters of trees. It has a beautiful view of Oakland, the bay, and SF. We take our dog here at least once a week so that he can stretch his legs, break into a full run, etc. The park is large enough that I only occasionally run into other people on the trails, and so my dog is able to be off-​leash, which is reason enough to bring him here. Knowland Park is a gem!