Head of partnerships Carrie Maultsby-Lute says the panoramic views are magnificent
OAKLAND, Calif. — When Carrie Maultsby-Lute moved to California 25 years ago for college, she’d never seen forests like the ones she found in Oakland.That’s right, Oakland.“Even after traveling to a bunch of different countries, it was like nothing I’d ever experienced in my life,” Maultsby-Lute said. “Nature in its raw element, and then the panoramic views of the Golden Gate peeking out.”
As head of partnerships on Northeastern’s Oakland campus, Maultsby-Lute knows Oakland well. She appreciates the walkable neighborhoods, cultural diversity, farmers markets and easy access to San Francisco.But for sheer relaxation, she heads up to the Oakland hills where a system of regional parks offers miles of hiking trails through oak and redwood forests. They aren’t as well-known as the redwoods in Marin County’s Muir Woods, but Oakland’s redwoods are all but hidden gems.
They once towered so high that sailors used them to avoid treacherous rocks in San Francisco Bay. Old-growth trees were timbered to build San Francisco and then build it again after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Only one old tree survives after decades of cutting. But today, second-growth redwoods thrive in Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park and Joaquin Miller Regional Park, growing in so-called “fairy circles” around the stumps of timbered old-growth trees.
One of Maultsby-Lute’s favorite trails starts at Canyon Meadow Staging Area and heads directly into mature redwood forest.
“You just get lost in how gorgeous it is,” she said. “You’re deep in the forest, in another world. You can be by yourself and experience nature.”
Many of the wider trails allow mountain bikes, but Maultsby-Lute is a walker and usually goes with a friend. She especially loves the trails that meander through types of ecosystems — native oaks, bay laurel, redwood and chaparral shrubs — and offer vista points.
“I love when you have those spots where you get a panoramic view and the sun is shining,” she said.
And the best part is how close serenity is to Oakland’s neighborhoods.
“Just 10 minutes up the hill and you’re surrounded by natural beauty,” she said. “It’s what makes Oakland and the East Bay unique.”