Panoramic Hill, Chaparral Peak, and Strawberry Canyon Loop is a 10.0-kilometer difficult loop trail located near Berkeley, California that features beautiful wildflowers. The trail is open all year and is popular for hiking, running, nature walks, and bird watching. This trail is also accessible to dogs.

A popular weekend hike that offers spectacular views of San Francisco, Oakland, and the Bay from eucalyptus, pine, and oak forests. The route begins with a climb up Panoramic Hill from the Claremont Hotel, then continues along Panoramic Ridge via the Upper Strawberry Canyon Fire Trail to Chaparral Peak, then descends the new fire trail below Grizzly Peak to the lower Strawberry Canyon trail. Around the perimeter of Strawberry Canyon, back to the upper fire trail, and down Panoramic Hill on the canyon’s north side. It’s especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset, or when there’s a thick fog down near the bay.

The first two miles are definitely steep, but the views of the city are stunning (and foggy today). When you come around the corner at the far end of the trail, you’re on this lovely wide gentle fire road. Then you’re on a real road for a while, which was a strange flex, but the views were still spectacular. Then you deviate from the road onto another small trail (missed it, and had to do many tiny stairs to retrace my route). It was about 7 miles from the hotel and most of it was very beautiful.

For about half of the trail, the path begins with an incline and only leads to more inclines. Much of the trail is wide or at least wide enough, but there are some sections that are narrow and overgrown with shrubs and plants. The views are one of the trail’s main draws, with a spectacular view of the Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge. The cost is, of course, the uphill climb.

The first two miles are quite steep, but the downhill is pleasant and gradual.

This trail is one of the best in Oakland, and it will not disappoint.

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been up in the Oakland hills and looked out over the San Francisco Bay Area.

This trail offers a lot of variety. It’s raining heavily because there are a lot of uphills, some of which are quite steep.

Keep your phone’s geologic map open. This is one of the world’s most geologically diverse areas.

This is one of those trails where a GPS device is essential if you want to stay on track.

Berkeley, California is blessed with some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful hiking trails for you to explore with your furbaby.  Here’s a list of our favorites:

  • Stonewall Panoramic Trail
  • Wildcat Gorge, Meadows Canyon, and Curran Trail
  • Strawberry Canyon Fire Trail
  • Chaparral Peak via Stonewall-Panoramic Trail
  • Upper Big Springs, Seaview, and Quarry Trails Loop
  • Grizzly Peak Trail from Golf Course Drive
  • Berkeley Marina Loop Trail
  • Strawberry Creek Fire Trails via Dwight Way

All of these dog-friendly hikes are located just a short distance from our location in downtown Berkeley, at 1935 Addison Street, Suite A!