Run The Planet is proud to introduce our new affiliate Run.com, the best running route resource on the web. If you are looking for a new Berkeley running route, or want to share your favorite Berkeley running routes with the rest of the word, Run.com is the place to be.
Try using Run.com to find a run, or publish a run of your own.
Run 1: Strawberry Canyon Fire Trail. Park adjacent to Memorial Stadium on the eastern end of the UC Berkeley campus. Run along the sidewalk/trail adjacent to Centennial Road (on the north side of the Strawberry Canyon recreation/swimming pool area) about 1/2 to 3/4 mile up the canyon (depending upon where you park - the parking lot adjacent to the entrance of the Fire Trail is intermittently closed... if you park there, it will shorten the run by a round trip of 1 to 1.5 miles). The entrance to the Fire Trail is about 1/2 mile up the road from the stadium, on your right, or the south side of the road. The Fire Trail climbs about 300 feet in the first 0.8 mile at which time you will have reached the end of the "lower Fire Trail". The very steep, approximately 30 degree slope, 200 meter segment connecting the lower to upper fire trail, is called "The Connector". Once on the upper Fire Trail you can run from about mile 1 of the Fire Trail to the end at 3.7 miles at the Space Sciences Lab. The upper Fire Trail climbs another 400 feet, mostly gradually, but very steep sections at about 1 mile into the upper part of the trail. Both trails are gorgeous, double track fire roads, through stands of Monterey pine, white fir and redwoods on the lower trail, and open oak woodland for the upper trail. I would rate the run as moderately difficult (about 7 on a difficulty scale of 0-10). If you are used to running on the flat, you might think this is a 10, but if you are used to running in the East Bay Hills of the San Francisco area, there are much more relentlessly hilly runs in Redwood, Tilden and Round Top parks. This run is worth it... spectacular views of the Bay Area, Golden Gate, East Bay. You will understand why those of us in this area think that the running in the San Francisco Bay Area surpasses those areas usually prop'ed as the best, such as Eugene, Seattle and Portland. Other runs in the area can be found on the East Bay Striders web site (www.eastbaystriders.org).
