For an Active April: What's on at Lake Chabot

Last month’s rains pounded Lake Chabot Regional Park, but left no lasting damage besides a .

That’s bad news for rangers, whose service vehicles are now banned from the damaged road in favor of lighter golf carts. But it’s a relief for anglers, kayakers, hikers and runners, all of whom can get back to recreation at the park now that the sun is out again.

“The rain filled the lake quite nicely,” said Stan Wong, manager of the Lake Chabot Marina. “It’s still a bit cloudy and muddy from the storm.”

Re-stocking of lake to resume this week

Rangers will resume their weekly fish restocking once the water clears, probably later this week. “In a couple of days, the fishing should be great again,” Wong said.

Despite the storm damage to the paved trail on the east side of the lake that Patch captured in dramatic photos, Lake Chabot has posted no trail or park closures for walkers or hikers, Wong said.

The trail can’t be used by rangers’ automobiles until it is repaired. (The trail is normally closed to visitor vehicles.) There were also a few small mudslides, Wong said, but nothing bad enough to interfere with park use.

So now is a good time to plan to spend time at our beautiful local park. Here’s a rundown of some upcoming activities:

On Saturday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., health and safety educator Peter Pay will bring his popular class on Pet First Aid and CPR to the park. 

The class offers instruction on how to save a dog or cat’s life during an emergency, minimize its trauma after injury and transport it safely to a veterinarian after giving basic first aid. Topics include wounds, fractures, choking, cardiac emergencies and snakebites.

The class is open to people 12 years and up. Pre-registration is required; the fee is $45 for Alameda and Contra Costa County residents and $51 for nonresidents. An instructional booklet can be purchased at extra cost during class.

To register, go to www.ebparksonline.org or phone 1-888-EBPARKS (1-888-327-2757), option 2, then 3.

On Sunday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to noon, the East Bay Regional Park District will hold its free Sunday Stroll at Lake Chabot.

This is a kid-friendly, dog-friendly hike (the latter must be leashed) of 3½ miles along the East Shore Trail to the bridge and back.  A ranger will talk along the way about the area’s history, including sea lions, stallions, monkeys and more.

Participants should meet at the Lake Chabot Marina at 10 a.m. This is a drop-in activity; no registration is required and there is no charge except the park’s usual $5 per car parking fee.

Current Adventures, the Sierra Nevada-based kayaking school, plans to continue its popular monthly kayaking classes at Lake Chabot through the summer. For current (pardon the pun) information, phone 530-333-9115 or 888-452-9254, or email Info@CurrentAdventures.com.

Self-guided hikes in the spotlight this year

Registration has also begun for the East Bay Regional Park District’s 2011 Trails Challenge. Every year, the district offers this free, self-paced and self-guided program to encourage good health through outdoor exercise.

Anyone may participate free of charge. If you complete the Challenge, you get a commemorative pin.  More than 9,000 people took part last year. Participants who live in Alameda or Contra Costa counties or who are Kaiser Permanente employees (Kaiser is a major sponsor of the program) also get a free T-shirt.

Every year, the Challenge spotlights 20 of the park system’s dozens of trails. Participants complete the challenge by walking, hiking or running five of the 20 suggested trails (although East Bay Regional Park District trails not on the list, including Lake Chabot’s, are also okay), or by walking, hiking or running 26.2 miles worth of trails anywhere within the park system.

The honor system prevails, but for many people the act of signing up and keeping a log provides the extra motivation they need to stay active.

Sign up at regionalparksfoundation.org to receive online access to the detailed and informative 2011 trail booklet, instructions for receiving the free Trails Challenge T-shirt, and links to the hike routes on Google Maps.

Suggested trails this year near Castro Valley include Garin/Dry Creek Regional Park and Don CastroAll are rated “easy,” as is the featured bike-friendly trail at brand-new Dublin Hills Regional Park in Dublin. (Mountain bikes are OK on some trails; check the district's trail booklet for details.)

The West Ridge/Tres Sendas/French/Redwood Peak Trail at Redwood Regional Park in Oakland is rated “moderate,” and the featured trail in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park is rated “challenging.”

So there’s plenty of variety for you to get moving!

The Trails Challenge has a limit of two free shirts per household; additional shirts are $5 each. The shirts are not available at Lake Chabot, but can be picked up free at regional parks in Berkeley, Alameda, Sunol, Fremont or Antioch, or mailed to you for a small handling charge.

Half-marathon and 5-K races

If the park district’s Trails Challenge is not challenging enough for you, why not start training for the Castro Valley Track Club’s annual Trail Challenge, a half-marathon and 5K race, to be held Sunday, June 5.

The two races have entirely different routes. The 5K is conducted entirely on paved trails; the half marathon is mostly on dirt trails, hilly and challenging, and with a three-hour limit.

Both start near the marina (but go in opposite directions) at 8 a.m. The course maps are here.

Race organizers offer plenty of aid stations (five for the half, one for the 5K), awards for the top three in each race in each of 11 five-year age divisions, free T-shirts to the first 500 registered runners, refreshments and a post-race prize raffle.

Register by May 31 for a discount. Registration before May 31 is $25 for the 5K and $40 for the half marathon; $30/$45 thereafter.

To register online, go to active.com. By mail, download a registration form from the track club’s website, mailing the check (payable to Castro Valley Track Club) to club Coach Jim Phillips, PO Box 10005, Pleasanton, CA  94588.