Lakeside Nature Trail at Lafayette Reservoir

The weather was so gorgeous today in the Tri-Valley and the East Bay. I don't know how we've gotten so lucky this late into June to have had 4 or 5 days in a row of temperatures in the 70s when it's normally closer to 95°F. The forecast predicts that it's going to start getting hotter tomorrow, so my daughter and I made the most of this amazing weather by trying out the 2.7-mile paved nature trail around the Lafayette Reservoir. It was our first time to this park, and we had a blast.

This was my first time to visit a park or open space that is managed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District. Usually you have to purchase a permit ahead of time to hike on the EBMUD lands. There is a parking fee at this park, but it is very reasonable, $7 for the whole day or $1.50 per hour. This park was very well maintained, and very obviously loved by the community.

Even on a weekday afternoon, there were plenty of people on the paved trail making the perimeter of the lake. Luckily, the path is wide enough that there was ample room for social distancing, and it never felt too crowded. The park only just reopened, and people were so excited to be back. Everyone seemed so happy--but that might have been because of the weather too.

We took the route in a counter-clockwise direction, which was good for the late afternoon sun. It was quite windy at the dam, but on the leeward side of the hills that circle the southern portion of the reservoir, it was warmer and it was nice to have the sun at our back when we were walking up some of the gentle hills.

This trail was perfect for doing with a stroller. I would be interested to come back to this park alone to check out some of the other trails that are more rugged. And I am super interested to come back here after the virus is over both to let my daughter play on the really beautiful playground and to rent a boat for taking us out on the lake. Those are amenities are still closed for now, so we'll just file that away for another day.

Also: I've been thinking a lot about hiking and my love of the outdoors and how it sits in relationship to systemic racism in our country, particularly anti-Black racism; see here for both discussion of the problem and also a group of people who are working to promote more diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors. This site, though sponsored, is also interesting to read for additional ideas. Part of what I loved about this park was how diverse the visitors were who were visiting. It was one of the most welcoming parks I've been to! I would recommend this park to anyone.

Sometimes the work that needs to be done in terms of dismantling white privilege has to do with rejecting a malevolent and unearned privilege. For example, someone like me (a white woman) should not use the greater credit that is given to white people's words to do harm to people of color (like Amy Cooper did to Christian Cooper). Sometimes the work that needs to be done is to lift up others, to extend privileges to people who are being denied something good. And that can mean making people of color feel welcome in public parks. There is so much work to be done, and this seems so small in comparison to reforming, demilitarizing, and even dismantling the police. But still it's something that outdoor enthusiasts have an obligation to do. The benefits of being outdoors are too great to ignore, and we need to think about how to make the parks more welcoming in terms of both accessibility and making people feel secure and welcomed. It's a small way that we can show how we believe that Black lives matter.