Hayward Regional Shoreline

Hayward Regional Shoreline is much, much nicer than I assumed it would from driving past it on the San Mateo Bridge. I had seen the Hayward Shoreline Interpretative Center, and I assumed that this was the only way to reach the park. The center itself looks nice enough, but the trails would almost certainly be noisy due to the traffic from the freeway. It turns out that there are actually three entrances to the park. I took the one on West Winton Avenue, and it was really beautiful--no traffic noise at all, but just lots of gorgeous marsh grasses and shorebirds in Cogswell Marsh.

The route I took was between 3.5 and 4 miles. I started outside of the main parking lot because I went early in the morning before the lot was opened. There is a gravel lot near the EBRPD's office and people were parking along the road there. The trail along the flood control channel went straight towards San Francisco Bay, and then from there looped around to the Cogswell Marsh Loop.

The land fill was not at all apparent from this hike. It is completely hidden by a levee, and you cannot smell or see anything. This was another reason I had been less than eager to explore this park--I was worried that hiking around a land fill would be unpleasant, but I would not have known that this was a land fill at all if it had not been for the map. After completing the lollipop of the Cogswell Marsh Loop, I took the short route back to my car, through the main parking lot.

I really enjoyed Cogswell Marsh, which is a former salt flat that has been reclaimed as marshland. The trail is well used so as to feel very safe, but it was not crowded on the day that I went. It was a foggy morning, which really created a feeling of intimacy. I am sure that there are wonderful views of the city of San Francisco on clear days, but it felt like there was nothing in the world but water, grass, and birds (and occasional bicyclists or runners). I saw all kinds of birds too: egrets, herons, wrens, and a Northern Harrier hunting. The mosaic colors of the grasses was just beautiful.

I envision that I will be back one day, perhaps to explore the trails heading north from West Winton Avenue. I have a feeling that it would be interesting to compare the Oro Loma Marsh to the Cogswell Marsh. Because it is so flat, this would be a great place to bring children too (or folks with bad knees). So maybe next time I will have a little hiker with me too, or possible even her Grammy!