Emeryville

Despite over 3 miles of coastline in our 1.2 square mile city, urbanization has still created a nature deficit for the children and communities in Emeryville. Our beloved Marina Park, despite its ample lawn space and great views, offers no safe areas to explore amongst the limited strips of trees and plants, with no barrier to the adjacent parking lots. 

Our other parks offer not much more than lawn and a few trees, and harmful objects are regularly found on our beaches. Temescal Creek Park, despite its name, has no waters to be seen, unless you count the blue strip of paint on the rubberized surfacing representing the creek that has been forced to flow underground. The creek does not surface until it reaches Bay Street Mall, where it briefly flows in a straight concrete canal before entering the San Francisco Bay.

Emeryville families must spend excessive time, money, and energy in order to travel to spend an afternoon immersed in and exploring nature. Time, money, and energy are all limited resources for families these days, and as we know, they are limited far more for some than others, making access to nature a major issue for Emeryville families.

Our Current Nature Opportunities

Marina Park and the adjacent coastline are still the best options for families to explore nature, though take caution regarding traffic, beach hazards, and water safety. 

Activities include:

Bay Trail - The Emeryville portion of the Bay Trail goes from Point Emery to Shorebird Park, to the publicly accessible Watergate Condos boardwalk, and then around the Marina Park. Biking the trail is an option, though bikes are not allowed on the boardwalk, and must remain on the road at the Marina Park.

Bird Watching - There are many wonderful water and shorebirds to watch on the marina and from the Bay Trail. Binoculars and bird guides are handy, but not necessary! 

Sunsets - The sunsets are typically gorgeous from the marina and the Bay Trail. View sunset times here.

Marina Shore - In addition to the Bay Trail and bird watching, the Marina Park has beautiful cypress trees and a small area in the Northwest that is offset a bit from the road and parking lots. The Bay Trail goes around a large infrequently used lawn in that area (due to high winds and poor drainage), but on the other side is a short trail for exploring between the rocks and trees. 

Davenport Park - This small park is surrounded by the bay and has an area with natural materials for exploring, though sadly three out of five trees were lost in the major storms of 2023. The park is fenced and also has a playground with a pirate ship play structure and (artificial) logs and rocks that add to the adventure.

Rose Garden behind the Fire and Police Stations: There is a cute little rose garden tucked behind the fire and police stations located on the Bay Trail at the South end of the marina. 

About Emeryville Beaches: Use Only with Caution! - There are three beaches in Emeryville: Point Emery, Shorebird Park, and a small unofficial beach area near Davenport Park that emerges at low tide. The beaches are not well maintained, have lots of trash (including sharps!), occasional algae blooms, and water safety precautions should always be taken, especially with children. 

Of the three beaches, the beach at Davenport has the least trash and the tamest waters. However, parts of it can be quite slippery and the wooden stairs down from the Bay Trail are not well maintained. It is also closest to the marina's boats, which creates concerns about dumped waste, though the nearest water quality monitor typically reports clean water. Coming soon: link to water quality data to check for algae blooms and bay contaminants.

Inland Nature

Community Gardens: There are four community gardens in Emeryville: Emeryville Community Organic Garden (ECOG), Big Daddy's Complete Rejuvinating Community Garden, Temescal Creek Community Garden, and a new community garden at Huchiun Park.  Garden plots are limited to members, and most gardens, if not all, have long waitlist to join. 

ECOG accepts applications to become a Friend of the Garden, which allows visiting without being a member. There is also a stretch of the Emeryville Greenway behind ECOG that is beautifully landscaped and fun to explore. 

Emeryville Center for Community Life Garden: There is a children's garden at the ECCL and Emery Unified School District shared facilities that is used during the weekday by students. It is open to the public after 6pm on weekdays and on weekends. There are also recreation facilities and playgrounds open to the public at that time, including the unique verticle playground!

City Parks: There is not a lot of nature currently at our city parks, though this is something we are definitely trying to change! Most of the major parks have a lot of lawn space and some nice trees, vegetated drainage swales, but not much else. Temescal Creek Park has a natural feel as it is offset from the road with many trees, and it is begining to be maintained better. Christie Park has the "Whale Playground," which offers both an ocean theme and dynamic play equipment. The Emeryville Greenway has trees and plants and is a nice way to travel by foot or bike through that part of the city. 

Art in Public Places - Art and nature can be deeply connected, and Emeryville is fortunate to have a robust artist community. There is also an Art in Public Places program, which includes a few pieces at our city parks. Many of the murals in our city are also a celebration of nature and promote stewardship of the environment.