We are kicking off a new blog series called “Trail Tales”.  Our Trail Tale posts will feature short reviews of hiking trails in the Bay Area and beyond. The posts will be authored by us and other active members of our OWL community.  Our goal with Trail Tales is to provide ideas to get outside across the country and share the inside scoop on interesting hiking trails and outdoor adventures from the locals that know it best. 

Our first Trail Tale review is No Name Trail in Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont, CA. 

Trail Name: No Name Trail

Location: Fremont, CA

Would you visit again? Absolutely, both this trail and others in the Coyote Hills!

Quick Summary: Part of Coyote Hills Regional Park, the No Name Trail is a flat, dirt trail that goes out from the shoreline into the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The trail offers beautiful views of the Bay, salt ponds, and birds. It may be windy so dress appropriately.  The trail is flat and easy for kids, but depending on where you park, there may be some hills to access it. This trail can be a short out and back (as far as you’d like to go) starting at near the South Marsh or an adventurous loop connecting to Shoreline Trail and Bayview Trail. See EBRP Trail Map.

Our Trail Tale

Coyote Hills is part of the East Bay Regional Park District in Fremont, CA. The park area offers hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails, birdwatching, picnic areas and even campsites. We decided to visit Coyote Hills one gorgeous Saturday in January. We wanted to try a new trail but didn’t want to spend a lot of time getting there and Coyote Springs seemed like a great fit. As a bonus, it is along the bay, and we love a hike with water in view.

It turns out lots of other people had the same idea and the Coyote Hills parking area was overflowing when we arrived. There was no chance we were getting a park spot in the lot or along the road, so we called an audible and headed to the Dumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay. Just south of the Coyote Hills parking lot and visitors center, this campground had ample parking and clean restrooms with easy access to the trails and regional park. Parking was $5, but well worth it to support the East Bay Regional Parks and all they do. Thank you EBRP!

From the parking area the ranger directed us to hop on to the Meadowlark Trail to intersect with the Apay Way and No Name Trails. As we hiked up the Meadowlark Trail, we had an amazing view of the area and the South Marsh. We had just gotten a lot of rain, so water levels were high making it seem as if trees were floating on the water.

The first part of Meadowlark Trail was uphill from the campground, but since it was paved, it was easy for the kids to manage. The view from the top of the hill was breathtaking. We visited in the later afternoon, so the winter sun was shining brilliantly over the bay.

From there we headed down to the intersection of the Meadowlark, Apay Way, and No Name Trails. This was a busy intersection with lots of adults and children on bikes and walking. Most visitors appeared to be heading along the Bay View Trail, which looked to have amazing views of the bay and is definitely one we will try in the future. But the No Name Trail was just too appealing, heading straight out into the Bay, to go any other way.

We hiked a fair amount onto the trail, but we did not intersect with the Shoreline Trail since the sun was beginning to set and we had to make our way back in the daylight. It was very windy and a bit chilly, but it was a perfect family friendly outing to get some fresh air.  Being a flat trail with good visibility the kids could run ahead without worry (knowing they know the rule to stay on the trail). The blue sky, setting sun, and still waters painted a picturesque view of the bay.

Overall, we recommend giving the No Name Trail and Coyote Hills Regional Park a visit when looking to explore near Fremont. If you have questions drop them in the comments or connect with us on Instagram. We’d love to hear from you!

Have a local trail you want to share with the Outdoor Wise Living community? Let us know in the comments or send us an email. We’d love to feature trails from across the country.

As always, we hope to see you outside!