Brooks Island Regional Shoreline

great view of the bay area and great view of the city and great view of the bridge and great place

Foolish and naïve, I kayaked out here once upon a time, only to be yelled at relentlessly by a person protector already there that we were not allowed to step on the land. ECOLOGICAL PRESERVATION, can somebody say?!
woops; mea culpa
Cool thing is, you are allowed to stop on the north spit of the island, which is what we did to enjoy the wondrous views of the Bay, spot a sea lion (or was it a seal?) frolicking, and glory in that CA sun.
straight from their website:
«NOTE: You may only access Brooks Island as part of a scheduled East Bay Regional Park District naturalist tour. Please call the Reservations Department at 888−327−2757, option 2 or visit
for the current schedule of trips.»

Full Disclosure: This outing was comped as Weekend Sherpa story research.
You know the island off-​shore of the Richmond Marina? That’s Brooks. It’s uninhabited (expect by the caretaker) and only accessible via the East Bay Regional Park’s «Brooks Island Adventure» trip. Personally, I love the thought of exploring a «deserted» island and this trip fits the bill.
It’s a kayak/​hiking trip filled with loads of information about Brooks Island’s natural surroundings and its history (an East Bay Park naturalist is your tour guide). And for such a tiny island, it’s got a lot of history — some of it totally off the wall.
The kayak component is also a blast. Short — but I always enjoy a chance to paddle. California Canoe & Kayak provides the gear (it’s quality stuff).

I bet many in the Bay Area haven’t heard of Brooks Island Regional Shoreline and don’t know where it is.
I heard about Brooks Island though a hiking friend only a few yrs ago. One reason it took me so long to visit it is cuz you need to have RSVP to be lead on a Guided tour of the Island.
I finally made RSVP through the East Bay Regional Park District by calling 510−636−1684 and signing my hubby and me up for the Brooks Island «Outfitter» Paddle which is $ 85 pp. It’s expensive but it’s something new & exciting.
We meet at the Richmond Marina and you can park your car for $ 10 there, or take your chances in the FREE lot on the Right, or the street. We took our chances and the car was still there after the class (don’t know about you guys).
The class we had on Sat 6÷7÷07 was from 11am-​4pm. There were about 11 of us. 2 kayake guides & a botanist. Kayaking to the island is only ½ a mile away, but it’s Hard. Especially for us since we don’t kayake. Everyone (older & more experienced) passed us, and we were the last ones.
After we get to the Island we then have a potluck lunch (we all had to bring something to share for 7 ppl-​we brought store bought cookies).
There is a Caretaker that lives on the island that took us on a guided 2-​mi hike around the island which is normally closed to visitors. Lots of birds to see if you bring binoculars. The views we had were just ok cuz it was hazy, but on a nice day should be nice.
After the hike we had to kayake back which was easier.
It’s worth it to sign up for an outing if you’ve done everything else in the Bay Area & interested in this regional park.
Website:
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