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Secret Stairs: East Bay: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Berkeley and Oakland
Revised and Updated in September 2020!
The hills of the East Bay contain one of the finest and densest urban hiking environments in the state of California—more than 400 paved pathways and public staircases lattice up and down the slopes of Berkeley and Oakland alone. Rising high above the city centers, with towering views of the San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, and San Francisco itself, these elegant civic walking trails—many of them shaded in oaks and redwoods, and many unknown even to local residents—present a unique landscape for both the casual walker and dedicated hiker.
Charles Fleming, the Southern California author whose bestselling 2010 walking guide Secret Stairs turned the hidden public staircases of Los Angeles into popular hiking trails, now turns his eyes northward. For Secret East Bay , Fleming has designed more than 30 individual hiking loops. Linking multiple staircases into one-to two-hour self-guided strolls, these urban treks will delight the tourist, newly arrived Berkeley undergraduate, and veteran Bay Area resident alike.
The circular walks, each calibrated by length, difficulty, and duration—and each accompanied by a detailed, easy-to-follow map—are sprinkled with fascinating facts about the historic staircases, the historic homes around them, and the famous Bay Area characters who gave them their names. Walk the walks of Bret Harte, Mark Twain, and John Muir! Climb Berkeley’s massive Fred Herbert and Tamalpais Paths, hike Easter Way, and summit Sunset Trail! Mount Oakland’s Oakmore stairs, then tackle the hills of Upper Rockridge and Crocker Highlands via the public staircases. And do it all within easy walking distance from BART or bus stops, free parking, and excellent Bay Area cafés.
The hills of the East Bay contain one of the finest and densest urban hiking environments in the state of California—more than 400 paved pathways and public staircases lattice up and down the slopes of Berkeley and Oakland alone. Rising high above the city centers, with towering views of the San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, and San Francisco itself, these elegant civic walking trails—many of them shaded in oaks and redwoods, and many unknown even to local residents—present a unique landscape for both the casual walker and dedicated hiker.
Charles Fleming, the Southern California author whose bestselling 2010 walking guide Secret Stairs turned the hidden public staircases of Los Angeles into popular hiking trails, now turns his eyes northward. For Secret East Bay , Fleming has designed more than 30 individual hiking loops. Linking multiple staircases into one-to two-hour self-guided strolls, these urban treks will delight the tourist, newly arrived Berkeley undergraduate, and veteran Bay Area resident alike.
The circular walks, each calibrated by length, difficulty, and duration—and each accompanied by a detailed, easy-to-follow map—are sprinkled with fascinating facts about the historic staircases, the historic homes around them, and the famous Bay Area characters who gave them their names. Walk the walks of Bret Harte, Mark Twain, and John Muir! Climb Berkeley’s massive Fred Herbert and Tamalpais Paths, hike Easter Way, and summit Sunset Trail! Mount Oakland’s Oakmore stairs, then tackle the hills of Upper Rockridge and Crocker Highlands via the public staircases. And do it all within easy walking distance from BART or bus stops, free parking, and excellent Bay Area cafés.
- GenresNonfictionTravel
232 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
34 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Charles Fleming
63 books11 followersCharles Fleming teaches entertainment reporting at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. He has written for numerous magazines, including LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, the New York Times, and Vanity Fair. He is the author of High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess and the coauthor of The Goomba Diet: Living Large, The Goombas Book of Love, A Goombas Guide to Life, My Lobotomy, Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper. He lives in Los Angeles."
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 22, 2025
My review for this book is similar to my review for Stairway walks of San Francisco.
You may see the theme here: I love stairway walks!
I had been traversing the stairways of San Francisco for many years before I discovered the East Bay version of the book. Actually, they are completely separate books by different authors, but with the same outcome which is to discover parts of an area I thought I already knew well, and find there was so much more to learn and take in.
These stairway walks are beautiful. And, as an explorer, I love discovering new things. Amazing architecture, learning a bit of history, and of course breath taking views.
One of the walks even includes a partial tour of UC Berkeley.
If you decide to go on some of these adventures, be sure to treat yourself to a great restaurant after the walk. I suggest Zachary's Chicago style Pizzeria. The best pizza anywhere! Great China is good too.
You may see the theme here: I love stairway walks!
I had been traversing the stairways of San Francisco for many years before I discovered the East Bay version of the book. Actually, they are completely separate books by different authors, but with the same outcome which is to discover parts of an area I thought I already knew well, and find there was so much more to learn and take in.
These stairway walks are beautiful. And, as an explorer, I love discovering new things. Amazing architecture, learning a bit of history, and of course breath taking views.
One of the walks even includes a partial tour of UC Berkeley.
If you decide to go on some of these adventures, be sure to treat yourself to a great restaurant after the walk. I suggest Zachary's Chicago style Pizzeria. The best pizza anywhere! Great China is good too.
July 30, 2025
Really enjoyable. I did a few around the Piedmont area and would definitely do more if I were visiting longer.
The instructions were pretty accurate and descriptions made it easy to find each staircase. I do wish there was just a little bit more history around houses or neighborhoods or signs, but overall the point of the hikes is to get outside and it accomplished that.
The instructions were pretty accurate and descriptions made it easy to find each staircase. I do wish there was just a little bit more history around houses or neighborhoods or signs, but overall the point of the hikes is to get outside and it accomplished that.
September 27, 2020
The walks themselves are amazing -- some make you feel like you're a continent away from the Bay Area. But the maps are pretty inadequate and the text descriptions aren't easy to follow. I always map out the routes on Google maps before attempting any of these, otherwise I'm sure I'd get lost.
October 23, 2011
Lots of information to use for stair walks.
May 18, 2014
looking forward to more long walks. should probably buy a hardcopy rather than sfpl ebook.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews