Overview
Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline is a 196-acre bayside park in San Leandro built on a former landfill that was capped and revegetated into one of the East Bay's more interesting ecological patchworks — rolling berms, a paved Bay Trail perimeter, seven picnic areas, a monarch butterfly garden, an 18-hole disc golf course, and reliable wind that makes it one of the better kite-flying spots on the bay. It sits directly south of Oakland Airport, which means constant low-altitude plane traffic overhead — a feature, not a bug, if you're with kids who track aircraft. Almost no one outside the immediate neighborhood uses it, which means even on a Saturday you'll have the trail largely to yourself.
How to Do It
From I-880 in San Leandro, exit at Marina Boulevard and drive west. Turn right on Neptune Drive and follow it to the end — the parking lot is at the terminus, free with no fee kiosk. The main trail network starts from the parking area. Head left (south) on the paved perimeter trail for bay views; the two-mile Bay Trail loop runs from the Neptune entrance around to the Bill Lockyer Bridge and is fully paved except for the last half-mile, which transitions to hard-packed gravel. Strollers handle the paved section easily. About halfway along the perimeter, a spur trail climbs up through the interior berms to Roger Berry's metal sculpture "Rising Wave" — a good landmark to aim for with kids, elevated enough to offer views across the bay toward the San Mateo Bridge and down to the San Leandro Marina. On the way back, cut through the interior trails to find the monarch butterfly garden (a quarter-acre of 300 native plants that blooms fall through winter) and the disc golf course. The picnic areas are non-reservable and nearly always open — grab one near the lawn for a blanket lunch. Full loop with the sculpture spur runs about 3 miles; most families with kids will be comfortable on the paved two-mile perimeter version.
Tips & Tricks
Bring a kite. The shoreline wind here is consistent and strong enough to actually fly one without running — unusual for a bay-adjacent park. The large flat lawn near the picnic area is the launch zone; the perimeter trail gets more technical wind from the south. A basic delta kite works well; power kites are probably too much for the space.
The disc golf course opened in December 2021 and is free to the public. It's 18 holes with two tees and two baskets per hole, so the layout works for both beginners and more experienced players. If you bring discs, plan to do at least the back nine near the interior trails — the front holes near the entrance give you bay views, but the back section is where the terrain gets more interesting.
Shorebird populations here are genuinely dense and diverse. Northern harriers, white-tailed kites, and red-tailed hawks hunt the berms regularly, and the tidal flats along the perimeter attract willets, dunlins, and marbled godwits depending on the season. A basic field guide or the Merlin app makes this a real birding outing for older kids. Peak shorebird activity is fall migration (September through November) and winter.
The park sits under the Oakland Airport flight path for arrivals on 28L and 28R — planes cross at roughly 800-1,000 feet on final approach, close enough to see liveries clearly. If you're with plane-obsessed kids, download a flight tracker app before you go. Arrivals tend to come in steady waves every 10-15 minutes during peak hours.
The monarch butterfly garden is at its best from October through February when overwintering monarchs use it as a fuel stop during migration. Native plantings include milkweed and a range of fall-blooming natives — even outside butterfly season it's a quiet, well-maintained corner of the park worth seeing.
Planning
The park is free — no parking fee, no dog fee. Open 5 AM to 10 PM daily. Dogs are allowed off-leash in the interior unpaved areas when under voice control, and on-leash on the paved perimeter trail. Restrooms are near the parking lot and picnic area. No food concessions — bring a packed lunch and water. The paved trail is fully stroller-accessible; the interior trails and sculpture spur involve moderate incline and loose gravel, manageable with a structured trail stroller but not ideal for umbrella strollers. Best months are March through October when weather is driest; winter visits (November through February) are fine for the monarch garden but the trails can get muddy after rain. Avoid the day after significant rainfall — the gravel sections get soft. All ages do well here; toddlers on the lawn and picnic area, older kids on the full loop trail or disc golf course. The park is rarely crowded even on weekends — one of the few EBRPD spots where arriving early is not mandatory.