Touring * Fitness * Beginner * Artistic *

From Interstate Highway 880 in south Oakland, exit at Hegenberger Road and follow the signs directing you west toward Oakland International Airport. Just after passing the Oakland Airport Hilton, turn right on Doolittle Drive (a sign before the intersection says 'Alameda'). Follow Doolittle as it curves around the east and then north border of the island. When you reach the stoplight for Harbor Bay Parkway, turn left into the business park. Pass South Loop and North Loop Roads as you check out the scenery and pavement on your way up to the Harbor Bay Maritime ferry harbor, where you can park your car. This point is also accessible by ferry from San Francisco's Ferry Building. You'll see the asphalt trail next to the rest rooms.

Bay Farm Island is the place to be on a sunny weekend to enjoy the unparalleled views of the Oakland and San Francisco skylines across the bay and the pavement in and around the nearby office park. But just so you know what you're getting yourself into, sections of this loop tour will have you lurching, and in one short stretch, the pavement rises like mini volcanoes in the middle of the trail. Most of the path is just fine, however, and the views from the shore make the bumps worthwhile.

Start your trip by skating north from the ferry harbor parking lot to pass through Shoreline Park. The best views across the bay are from this section of the trail. On a clear day, you can see Mount Tamalpais behind the San Francisco skyline, and further east, the Oakland cityscape rises in the distance beyond the shores of Crown Memorial State Beach. It's too bad the pavement is so terrible here. The rough stuff reaches its worst near the swimming pool at the recreation center just before you reach the bridge to Alameda. A separate, rather narrow bridge takes you under the drawbridge and to much smoother skating. Follow the trail alongside a grassy, undeveloped hill, the now-closed Doolittle Landfill, and past the Model Airplane Field located at the intersection of Doolittle Drive and Harbor Bay Parkway. Cross Doolittle to follow the asphalt bike path next to Harbor Bay Parkway, the same road you drove in on. Behind the wire fence on the right is the Alameda Municipal Golf Course. Watch out for the little volcano-shaped mounds at this point. The pavement on the street here is much smoother than the asphalt, and since Harbor Bay Parkway is a four-lane road, feel free to take to the street if traffic is light enough.

A quarter mile up from the Doolittle intersection, a water fountain splashes invitingly in the shade on your left, and picnic tables under the trees increase the temptation to stop for a rest. Explore the parking lots and paved areas of businesses on both sides of the main road and on South Loop Road, where you're likely to encounter bicyclists working out in colorful skin suits and helmets. If you want, you can follow North Loop Road all the way back to the marina, but more bayside skating on the best pavement of the loop awaits if you continue heading west on the trail on the south side of Harbor Bay Parkway. When you reach the shore, look for the wide concrete sidewalk next to the water. Less adventurous skaters come here to glide up and down this short, smooth stretch. If the wind is blowing off the bay, you'll appreciate the undemanding surface all the more. When the sidewalk ends, return to the asphalt trail just behind it to make your way north back to the ferry dock.

• Crown Memorial State Beach