Touring * Fitness * Slalom * Artistic *

Approaching from the San Ramon Valley, get onto Highway 24 from Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek. Take the Orinda exit and follow Camino Pablo northwest for about two miles. Take a left onto Wildcat Canyon Road and follow it up to Inspiration Point on the right, where you'll park. From the west, take Interstate 80 north to Albany and exit on Buchanan Street. After jogging south for a block on San Pablo Avenue, continue east on Marin Avenue as it enters Berkeley and, past Arlington Circle, begins to ascend the hills. Turn right when you reach Grizzly Peak Boulevard, and follow Grizzly about a mile southwest to Shasta Road, where a big sign points the way to Tilden Regional Park. Turn left and wind your way down the hill, where you'll merge toward the right onto Wildcat Canyon Road. Pass the Botanic Gardens and the intersection with South Park Drive (often closed in winter for newt migrations) and follow the road uphill to the Inspiration Point parking area on your left. Map: For a free trail map, call the East Bay Regional Parks District at (510) 562-PARK (7275) and ask for the Tilden Regional Park area brochure.

Believe me, the Nimitz Trail is worth every minute of the drive up into the hills. On a clear day, you'll be able to see the San Pablo Reservoir, Mount Diablo, and the San Francisco Bay all the way to the delta. Combine this vista with pastoral scenery at the trail side, rolling hills, and wide, mostly smooth pavement, and you've got a first-rate skate destination. Since you're sharing the only paved section of the East Bay Skyline National Trail with hikers, bikers, and horseback riders, there's quite a bit of traffic for the first two miles, especially on a clear, dry day. (Mileage markers keep you posted on your distance from the trail's start.) Beyond mile two, truly daring skaters keep up their speed on the downhills and jump the wide cattle guards, making a thrilling addition to the skate. (Please don't try this the first time without checking one out to make sure it's within your leaping abilities.) Most skaters, however, will want to step around the cattle guards through the gates. Watch out for dogs on leashes and the occasional cow pie. If it's not too windy or foggy, pack a sweater and lunch so you can chew your own cud awhile at the pavement's end. Make sure to bring along something to drink, since there's no water fountain at Inspiration Point.