Touring * Fitness * Beginner * Slalom * Scene * Artistic *

From Interstate 80 around Berkeley, take the University Avenue exit and head east toward the Marina. Take the first right (Marina Boulevard) and follow the road around the bend. Park on the shoulder of Spinnaker Way or, if there's still room, in the small lot where Spinnaker terminates. Berkeley city buses 51 A and M will drop you off at the end of the pier on Sewall Drive.

The Berkeley Marina is a favorite destination among Bay Area skaters. The scene may not be as "happening" as the one you'll find at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but it's still worth a visit on a weekend when you're here with skates at hand (or should I say at foot). At the park's northeast border, the sign says Cesar E. Chavez Park, but at the parking lot it's called North Waterfront Park. The Berkeley Marina Perimeter Trail, an eight-foot-wide path of smooth asphalt, circles the old converted landfill that is now the park. A few gentle slopes traversing the rolling grass mounds are paved, making them excellent for intermediate-level slalom turn practice. Across the bay to the north, the Richmond towers reflect the hazy sunlight, and from the northwest side of the parking lot, the Bay Bridge can occasionally be picked out against the glare of the light afternoon fog. This breezy park attracts people with kites and kids, and there are ample picnic tables, drinking fountains, and barbecue grills for relaxing on warm days. If you're up for more skating (in traffic), explore to the south along Seawall Drive in front of the amazingly long pier where skating is prohibited, and in the parking lots across from coincidentally named Skates Restaurant (no relation to in-lines).