Lake Merritt without the full loop: a walk that makes Oakland feel new again
Palms, community care and a 1909 boathouse: take a slower Oakland walk between the gardens and the water, with something new to notice along the way.
Some places become background scenery. We run past, follow our usual route and recognize a bend in the path without noticing what has changed. Lake Merritt can become one of those places.
This weekend, try something smaller than completing a circuit: find a reason to stop. Begin in the gardens at Lakeside Park, spend some time beside the water and, if you feel like going farther, look for the Municipal Boathouse on the western shore.
The outing starts on the north side at 666 Bellevue Avenue and can finish on the western shore, without circling the whole lagoon. Stay in the gardens or add the waterside walk: you choose how far to go.
Start with The Gardens at Lake Merritt in WAONDERFirst stop: look beyond the shade
Enter The Gardens at Lake Merritt, at 666 Bellevue Avenue, and let your pace change. You do not need to visit every collection. Choosing one can be enough.
Before the shade, this was a truck parking lot. Warren Dolby wanted to show that the bay’s climate could support far more palms than local nurseries usually sold. After finding support in Oakland, planting began in 1982, followed by a formal dedication in 1984. Volunteers from the local palm society still care for the Palmetum.
An illustration of the Palmetum’s dense planting and narrow paths.
Try a small exercise: find two leaves with different shapes. One spreads like a fan; another resembles a feather. Then look at the trunk, its markings and the light filtering through the crown. You have turned a general word — palm — into two observations of your own.
Thinking of the trucks that once occupied this ground gives the shade in front of you another dimension.
A garden somebody keeps caring for
The Sensory Garden encourages attention to fragrant plants and textures. Its renewal in 2004–2005 brought together local people, specialists and the city; volunteers continue its care.
Raised beds bring plants within reach of hands and noses. Along their edges are scents and textures: this garden was made for more than looking at from a distance.
An evocative illustration of a volunteer tending aromatic plants.
Try listening for a few seconds before reaching for your phone. Look closely at a leaf without picking it, notice the changing light and follow the garden's guidance. Plants do not all flower together, and every visit will not bring the same scents.
You can return next week and make exactly the same stop. The reward will not be another attraction ticked off, but a difference you can recognize.
Beside the water: this lake belongs to a bay too
Leave the gardens along the park paths towards the water. To add the boathouse, join the western-shore promenade and continue south, keeping to pedestrian routes. Despite its name, Merritt is a tidal lagoon connected to the bay. Its history of wildlife protection goes back to 1870.
Your pause need not become a natural-history lesson. Watch the water move, or follow a bird from a respectful distance without feeding or disturbing it. The city has not vanished: it is still there, in the windows across the water and the other people out walking.
This is an urban ecosystem that needs care. The city provides water-quality information; follow notices on site, and do not mistake an attractive view for an invitation to swim.
A 1909 building you might have walked straight past
To extend your outing, continue towards the Municipal Boathouse on the western shore. This is not the northern Sailboat House: it is worth distinguishing them before setting off.
Designed by John Galen Howard in 1909, it combined functions connected with the water, boating and public safety. Its architectural rehabilitation also renewed its relationship with the public shoreline walk.
An illustration of the historic Municipal Boathouse on the western shore.
Pause to compare the weight of the roof with the windows, the lower arches and the water's edge. The restoration account explains that keeping this place also meant repairing its structure.
The suggested stop is outdoors: you can enjoy the facade and its waterside setting without going in. If you want a meal or an activity there, check the available services separately.
Look up the Municipal Boathouse with WAONDERMake this walk your own
Start with the gardens if you want to go in. Their website lists free entry and weekend hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., checked on October 18, 2026. Confirm any changes and the separate opening hours of individual collections before leaving. Use marked crossings and choose rest stops to suit your group. If you need a step-free outing, check access to the individual collections and the shoreline section you intend to follow.
Stay in the gardens, or add the shoreline and the boathouse. Our selection of places across the Bay Area offers ideas for another day.
Today, you do not need to come home with a completed route. Remembering a leaf, a facade and somebody's work to keep them there might be enough.
Rediscover the gardens with WAONDERSection
Ideas for city walks
