McLaughlin Eastshore State Park

By America's State Parks Editorial TeamFebruary 6, 2026 · Updated October 10, 2026

McLaughlin Eastshore State Park is a California state park on the east shore of San Francisco Bay that the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) has managed since 1997. It runs 8.5 miles from the Bay Bridge to Richmond and takes in 1,854 acres of tidelands and uplands along the waterfronts of Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany and Richmond.

Quick Facts

About the Park

California State Parks describes the park as rich tidal marshes, sub-tidal areas and mudflats along the bay. Much of the upland is fill placed in the bay west of the historic shoreline. The East Bay Regional Park District, acting as agent for the State, used Park District Measure AA funds from 1988 and state park bonds to buy the land and clean up contaminated areas, at a cost of more than $33 million. On October 3, 2012, the California State Park and Recreation Commission renamed the park in honor of Save The Bay co-founder Sylvia McLaughlin.

Things to Do

The park carries a busy part of the San Francisco Bay Trail. Its first segment, opened in 1998, linked Point Isabel Regional Shoreline with the Richmond Marina, and a one-mile connector finished in 2020 closed one of the trail’s critical gaps. You can now walk, bike or roll about ten miles from Berkeley through Albany to Richmond. The 72-acre Berkeley Meadow, a former landfill, was restored in three phases by 2011 and now has seasonal wetlands, coastal prairie and coastal scrub. EBRPD lists biking and hiking as the main activities.

Getting There

There is no single entrance. EBRPD lists parking at several access points off I-80 and I-580: Point Isabel in Richmond (via Central Avenue and Isabel Street), the western end of Buchanan Street in Albany, Gilman Street and University Avenue in Berkeley, a very small lot at Point Emery off Ashby Avenue, and time-limited parking on Powell Street in Emeryville.

Pets

EBRPD’s rules apply here. Dogs must be leashed within 200 feet of any trail or park entrance, in parking lots, picnic areas and developed areas such as lawns and play fields, and on some trails. Everywhere else they must be under voice control, and you may not let them dig.

Visitor Tips

EBRPD lists no entrance fee for the park. It is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. unless otherwise posted. Overnight camping, drones and smoking are not allowed, and bikes stay on designated trails. For questions, call EBRPD toll-free at 888-327-2757, option 3, extension 4528. As of October 2026.

Explore More California State Parks

McLaughlin Eastshore State Park is one of many outstanding state parks in California. Discover more parks in our Best State Parks in California guide, or use our Park Finder to search by activity, location, or features.

Nearby Attractions

Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, also run by EBRPD, adjoins the park in Richmond. The Berkeley Marina lies along the park’s Berkeley shoreline.

Nearby parks: If you have extra time, Berkeley Marina is a short drive away, and Albany State Marine Reserve is a short drive away.

About the Author

America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to state parks and other public lands in the United States. Our editorial team compiles park profiles from official agency and operator sources and other identified references, and follows our published editorial policy and review methodology. Where a profile shows a source-check date, that date applies to the detail it names. We correct errors when we find them or when readers report them.

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