Tour - Walking Waterhoods: Lake Temescal

Walking Waterhoods: Lake Temescal

Oakland, California 94607, United States

Created By: Wholly H2O

Tour Information

Lake Temescal is a human made lake created when Anthony Chabot dammed Temescal Creek. The Lake is directly over the Hayward Fault. Before colonization, the area was used by the Huichin Ohlone, with sweat lodges located in the area. Over the years since it's creation in 1866, the lake has been used by artists, fishers, swimmers, joggers, picnickers, and naturalists. It was even considered as a site for the Oakland Coliseum. It's a landscape with a fascinating story, and full of native (and nonnative) flora and fauna.

Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

Ohlone at Lake Temescal

The first known inhabitants of the area were the Huichin and Saclan Ohlone — Native Americans who lived here for thousands of years before European colonization. The name "Temescal" comes from an Aztec word for "sweat lodge." The sweat lo... Read more

The Damming of Temescal Creek

Anthony Chabot brought hydraulic gold mining to early California. With the wealth he generated during the Gold Rush, he began buying land and trying to solve the problem of how to provide water to the new communities of European settlers. ... Read more

Lake Temescal Dam

Chinese immigrants, who originally came to the US to build railroads, built Chabot Dam. Hundreds of workers lived for several years excavating dirt from downstream, loading it into mule-drawn carts, and with the help of mustang horses, pack... Read more

Lake Temescal Dam

The Chinese workers (men only) lived in camps, where, in their free time, they played traditional Chinese games including mahjong and Pai gow. They dressed in typical "coolie" clothing like that worn by farmers in China at the time. Within... Read more

Hayward Fault and Dam Failure

You might think that putting a reservoir over an active fault line was a bad idea. But at the time Anthony Chabot conceived of putting a dam on the creek here at a sag pond, no one knew it was a fault. Even an earthquake that occurred on th... Read more

Highways and the Caldecott Tunnel

Highways 13 and 24 surround Lake Temescal, and are part of a complicated history of roadways and tunnels linking Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The original pathways for horse drawn buggies over the hill were steep and quite treacherous... Read more

Lake Temescal in the 1800's

The Bohemian Artists that camped at Lake Temescal: In the 1880s poets and landscape painters know an "plein air" artists gathered here. Ambrose Bierce (pictured) and George Sterling met at Lake Temescal before. Ambrose Bierce was one of the... Read more

Landvale Bridge

This ramp that goes up and suddenly stops is what is left of the Landvale Bridge. Originally build in 1937 in conjunction with the first two bores of the Caldecott Tunnel, it served as a bridge between Tunnel Road and Montclair until 1964... Read more

Lake Temescal Beach House and Cliff Swallows

The Lake Temescal Beach house was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1940 and is now used for public and private event rentals. In addition to the Beach House, WPA labor helped create the park's walking paths and adde... Read more

Temescal Beach

The Beach is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Temescal, close to the intersection of Dam Trail and East Shore Trail. Lake Temescal has the honor of being one of the first three parks opened by the East Bay Regional Park District... Read more

Sign: Restoration of Temescal Waterfall

Informational sign about the beach house and waterfall. The waterfall was man-made, crafted out of local rocks. Despite being restored in 2013, it often remains nonoperational due to drought.

Fishing Dock

Fishing Lake Temescal has a long tradition going back almost 150 years as we can see from this entry from July 22, 1881's Oakland Tribune. While fishing in Temescal Creek is prohibited, this fishing in encouraged from this dock.

Canada Goose

Canada Geese (note - not "Canadian") are commonly found in Oakland and have been breeding in the Bay Area since at least the 1950s. They bond in breeding pairs for life and are primarily vegetarian, although they do eat small insects and fi... Read more

Electric train

In the first half of the 20th Century, an electric, inter-urban train named The Comet traveled across Lake Temescal. The train took passengers from San Francisco to Sacramento or Chico. The railway was built primarily by Chinese Immigrants... Read more

Sign: Water Quality Improvement Project

Lake Temescal is tested for bacterial levels weekly from April to October. Water quality samples are taken from four different locations around the Lake, including the swim beach. Nearby communities located above the lake can play a signifi... Read more

Striped Skunk

Look for the striped skunk along your path. It's an adaptable watershed resident that does well in human environments. Though they eat a variety of plants and animals, their diet consists mostly of insects. Lawns and landscaped areas provi... Read more

Sign: Protecting an Urban Oasis

Informational sign about protecting an urban oasis — organisms and plants that thrive at Lake Temescal.

California Blackberry

California blackberry bushes have grown around the lake for hundreds of years. Native Americans mixed the ripe berries with meat to form cakes. Unripe berries were soaked to make drinks, and roots were boiled for medicinal purposes.

Rainbow Trout

Temescal Creek was once home to steelhead trout, a migratory fish that journeys to the ocean and then returns to its birth creek to spawn. The introduction of underground culverts and dam created barriers to the steelhead’s upstream migra... Read more

Sign: Go Fishing in the Regional Parks

Information sign about fishing at East Bay Regional Park District, and where fishing is available in the park system.

Green Heron

The green heron (Butorides virescens) prefers streams, freshwater ponds, and lakes with nearby trees. You’ll often spot them perched in trees or standing still near the water's edge, waiting for prey. Sometimes they'll even drop “bait�... Read more

Sierran Tree Frog

The native Sierran tree frog or Pacific chorus frog is famous for its “ribbit” sound, which became known as the classic frog sound used in movies and cartoons. Conservation groups have been working to raise the frog's numbers in the San... Read more

East Shore Trail: Big Rock Picnic Area

A nice picnic area suitable for barbecues, located at the south side of Lake Temescal, next to a streamside picnic area. Big Rock picnic area features a large boulder from the Franciscan Formation (established 200-80 million years ago). ... Read more

East Shore Trail: Parkview Picnic Area

A picnic area with a hot coal receptacle located along East Shore Trail.

Lake Temescal Seismic Activity

Lake Temescal sits right on top of the Hayward fault. There is a vertical crack under the lake, caused by the movement of the earth's plates. The Temescal Dam has survived two major earthquakes; however, those were caused by movement along ... Read more

Coast Redwood

Redwood conifers are the tallest trees in the world. They can grow as high as 320 feet or nearly 30 stories, and as wide as 27 feet. These large, fast-growing trees once covered the coast of California from Big Sur to the Oregon border. Mos... Read more

Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, is natural in Lake Temescal but usually remains in balance. However, large blooms can be credited to periodic sewer overflow, and, more frequently, stormwater flows into the lake. Stormwater pou... Read more

East Shore Trail: Streamside Picnic Area

This picnic area is on the bank of the stream and very shady. It has a large grassy area. Located on the southern end of the Lake Temescal it is 200 yards from the Broadway Terrace parking lot.

Bull Thistle

Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), or common thistle, is an important plant to pollinators, but it can also be invasive in some areas. It attracts butterflies, including monarchs, because of its large flower size. The thistle grows well in bar... Read more

Sage Brush

The California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) is an aromatic plant often used for teas. It is native to western and southwestern California and endemic in some parts of the state. It is an important part of the transition between chaparr... Read more

Sign: The "Faulty History of Lake Temescal"

Informational sign about the creation of Lake Temescal as a result of the active Hayward Fault that runs through Temescal Creek. The cracks in this sidewalk were made by the ground shifting during the 1989 Loma Prieta 6.9 earthquake on the ... Read more

Oak Bay Trail

Oak Bay Trail is one of two trails along the west side of Lake Temescal, this one slightly elevated. It is much used by dog walkers, runners, and hikers.

North American River Otter

For a number of years, people thought the river otter (Lontra canadensis) no longer lived in the Temescal area, but it's starting to make a comeback. River otters have been spotted in Lake Temescal and along the upper branch of Temescal Cr... Read more

Detention Pond

This detention pond, built as part of a restoration plan in 1979, does heavy-duty work to keep the lake clean. As the water entering the lake here comes largely from nearby neighborhoods and the stormwater they produce, it does not receive ... Read more

Temescal Park Sign

Information about Lake Temescal and Temescal Creek can be found here. There is a map of Lake Temescal which shows pathways and hiking trails that can be taken. The East Bay Regional Park District created this to help people get more informa... Read more

Red Valerian

In the spring and summer, red valerian (Centranthus ruber) blossoms cover the landscape. They were introduced to the Bay Area by European settlers in the 1700 and 1800's. Though they are not native plants, they have been naturalized, and ar... Read more

Land and Water Conservation Fund Sign

The Land and Water Conservation Fund was established in 1964 and made into a permanent funding source in 2019. This fund has provided over $16.7 billion to local and state governments to invest in the protection of natural resources and out... Read more

Temescal Regional Recreation Area South Entrance Sign

The entrance sign for Temescal Regional Recreation Area's southern entrance.

Bridge

This bridge goes over Temescal Creek which enabled the two sides of the park to have a secured connection. It is made out of wood which helps blend it into the natural environment.

Exit of Large Pipe

There are many areas in which Temescal Creek flows underground. This large pipe is the exit point of one part of the creek that was forced to run below the surface by urbanization.

Bridge and Dam

This small bridge has been built over this small dam on Temescal Creek which slows down the rate of how fast the water enters Lake Temescal.

West Shore Trail

West Shore Trail runs along the west side of Lake Temescal next to the water. This trail is not paved but features fishing piers, oak trees, redwoods, berries, insects, birds and more.

Metal Blockage

This metal pipe is a filtration system built during the construction of the Lake Temescal Detention Pond to help reduce the amount of pollutants that enter Lake Temescal through Temescal Creek.

Oak Bay Trail View

Hiking up the Oak Bay Trail, you'll be able to see some beautiful views of Lake Temescal. You can also see the Beach House, Highway 24, and houses in the Oakland hills.

Western Sword Fern

The western sword fern has a wide distribution, ranging from southeast Alaska to southern California. It is prefers to live in the understory (in cool dark places). Western sword fern can be identified by its dark green color and single pi... Read more

Cow Parsnip

Cow parsnip is a common plant in the Temescal Creek Watershed. Native Americans removed the outer skin of cow parsnip and used it as a food source, dermatological aid, straws, and a yellow dye.