Secret Stairs: East Bay: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Berkeley and Oakland (Revised September 2020)

A few months ago while walking with my partner, I saw a staircase that, while unlabeled, definitely seemed to be public: fences on both sides, well-maintained pavement that matched the sidewalk. We guessed that as a right of way, it probably preceded the houses on either side of it. But it wasn't labeled on maps, even old maps.Secret Stairs East Bay solved the mystery. The staircases in this book date back to the Key Route streetcar system. All over the hilly parts of Oakland and Berkeley, there are staircases that long-ago commuters took to get to a streetcar stop. Some even have benches for commuters to stop and rest, and the ones we've tried so far have at least one great view that's worth all the climbing.We've only hiked four of the routes so far, though we'd like to hike them all. As Fleming points out, pavement quality and maintenance vary, and as we discovered on the Grizzly Peak trail, some homeowners adjacent to the paths really wish you wouldn't use them (though you're legally allowed). A few of the paths abut parkland, if you have the time for an extended hike.Fleming is good about helping you find your way on paths that aren't always marked-- we haven't gotten lost yet. He also helpfully distinguishes between routes that are shaded and routes that are sunny, which is helpful in determining how much water you'll want to bring, as well as pointing out routes that would be too slick to walk in the rainy season.If I have one quibble, it's that the difficulty rating seems to be based on the overall amount of climbing in the route, rather than how sustained the climbing is. (Thus, the Grizzly Peak trail is rated as the most difficult one in the book, though we felt it was easier than the Northern Upper Rockridge one, which has fewer flat stretches built into it.) But that's a minor criticism. All in all, this book makes an inexpensive and portable tour guide to the vistas and history of the East Bay.

I really enjoy this book and our family has done more than half of the almost 40 walks in it. The routes are well planned out for difficulty, views, street crossings and points of interest and provide a unique view at neighborhoods that appear very different when passing by in a car. You'll be traveling back in time to a pre-auto dominated landscape where these stairs quickly connected new residential developments with streetcar lines. Descriptions of the route are relatively light and breezy; more focusing on landmarks than history but it's a walking guide not a historical guide. Finally like a lot of other creatures of the modern age, I've been trying to figure out how I wouldn't have to haul the entire book around on a walk. With a dog in one hand and kids that need a hand to cross streets it's a bit trying on days with no large pocketed jacket. I've photocopied the maps, but sometimes you need the text to find stairs that start out of the back of parking lots or other uncertain places (the text often is very useful at giving street numbers either side). I've taken pre reading the text and adding notes to photocopied maps which works most of the time. All in all a top notch resource that until now was only available for San Francisco proper.

Really enjoy using this book. We took it on one of the recommended hikes and I was glad we did because we got pretty turned around. We had the book but also needed the GPS. We will use both on the next outing. Overall, we really enjoyed the urban hike and we are anxious to go out and explore more with this book!

This is so well written and easy to follow. Our guests have raved about it in reviews of our place because it allowed them to discover and enjoy the beauty of Berkeley behind the scenes. We are on our sixth copy because we suggest that they take it with them on their walks. They forget to return it.

This book is fantastic. What a fun way to get some exercise and explore secret walkways. Highly recommend!

So many fun ways to walk. Be careful! Some of the stairs don’t have handrails (you have to figure this out on your own—-along with if they are up stairs or down stairs.

History of area provided in book, worth th price of book. Other than that did not care for book & passed it along

I've been taking a walk every weekend and discovering places I've never been although I've lived in the East Bay for 35 years. I hardly know I'm exercising because the walks include stunning views and interesting stories of neighborhoods past and present. I love checking out people's yards and houses, especially in the neighborhoods the book highlights. Generally accurate information; however on one recent walk, the direction was wrong and it took a long time for me and my walking partner to find the path (it was before a certain house, not after). I photo copy the map and description of each walk so I don't have to carry the book. I'd like to try all the walks!