.Most Scenic Run

“Scenic” in the East Bay hills may as well mean “hilly as hell.” Sure, those steep climbs can do wonders for fitness, but sometimes all you want is a nice, flat fire trail. You’ll find it in Strawberry Canyon just above UC Berkeley’s Strawberry Canyon Recreation Area, where a broad but nicely wooded dirt road leaves an easily accessible staging area, climbs gradually for 1.5 miles, then travels a few more miles along relatively flat, fast, and natural terrain. Eucalyptus and native plants crowd the path, wildlife is present even given the high level of foot traffic, and interesting views of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory campus are plentiful. But at one spot in particular, where benches allow an opportunity to stop and rest, the view is as rich as anywhere else in the hills: the Campanile, the flats, the bay, the bridge, and the gleaming Pacific Ocean.