Location: Neighborhood bordering the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland & Piedmont, CA
Source: Oakland/Piedmont Way of Trees walk, from the book, Hidden Walks in the East Bay & Marin by Stephen Altschuler.
Features: Tree lined streets, Pleasant Valley Ct., hidden shortcuts and beautiful Dracaena Quarry Park.
This walk covers an area I often drive by while traveling to either Piedmont or Mountain View Cemetery. I didn’t realize the hidden gems of the area; especially Dracena Park, which is another stellar, well maintained park in the town of Piedmont.
Starting just below the entrance gate to Mountain View Cemetery, go through an old walkway by an old warehouse and you end up walking through Pleasant Valley Ct., which is an old development of small bungalows. The walk continues into Piedmont and beautiful Dracaena park which part of a flourishing rock quarry. Groves of beautiful trees surround the park and its lush lawns. Fancy kids play areas with a slide and climbing rock. The park has several access points to surrounding neighborhoods and has a great dog trail and bridge in it’s north end. I noticed that many Piedmont’s neighborhoods have rose colored sidewalks. Some have exposed aggregate where public works crews ground them down to a smooth bevel in order to maintain a smooth walking path.
