Water Dog Bike Park | Photo Tour

Guest Author | Post Tag for CycleCycle
From the park you can see Oakland, Oracle headquarters, and the Bay Bridge (they are hard to see in this photo).
From the park you can see Oakland, Oracle headquarters, and the Bay Bridge (they are hard to see in this photo).

Words by Nick Russell.  Nick is a skier, biker, and on occasion 7th grader who loves to get outdoors.

There is nothing better than a ride after it rains. Its cool out and the dirt is perfect. But what if you can’t go far from the city? Water Dog Park, in Belmont California, is about a 30 minute drive south of San Francisco. This park is filled with greenery and breathtaking views.

You can drive right through the city of Belmont into the parking lot. From there, you can see two valleys and houses above the park. This gives a cool perspective of how the park is truly close to city life.

View of parking lot
View of parking lot

Just because of its location, it does not lack terrain. There are many steep, technical sections of the park which always prove to be fun. There are two in particular that are very steep and challenging

This section of the park is a double drop to a rocky, single track outrun. It has proven to be one of my favorite sections of the park.
This section of the park is a double drop to a rocky, single track outrun. It has proven to be one of my favorite sections of the park.
I’ve never been able to ride up this steep section, so I just ride down it. The roll over looks very menacing going both ways. The outrun is a skinny little bridge that reaches a choke point in the middle, where the biggest drop is.
I’ve never been able to ride up this steep section, so I just ride down it. The roll over looks very menacing going both ways. The outrun is a skinny little bridge that reaches a choke point in the middle, where the biggest drop is.

Some of the most infamous parts of Water Dog are the switchbacks.

There are 18 of these hairpin turns and its a real workout to get up them. However, there's an excellent view of the rest of the park while riding up them and when you finish you feel like a boss!
There are 18 of these hairpin turns and its a real workout to get up them. However, there’s an excellent view of the rest of the park while riding up them and when you finish you feel like a boss!

If you’re into Whistler-type riding, with all those wooden features and such, we have that too! There’s plenty of unnecessary features that we all love to hit. Here’s just a few photos of the wide variety offered at the park.

This steep roll over is made entirely out of bricks and gives you quite a bit of speed
This steep roll over is made entirely out of bricks and gives you quite a bit of speed
Here you can ride over an old car onto a sketchy bridge out into a banking turn.
Here you can ride over an old car onto a sketchy bridge out into a banking turn.
This feature is a fast wooden part of the trail to get over a pipe leading to Water Dog Lake
This feature is a fast wooden part of the trail to get over a pipe leading to Water Dog Lake.

If you do want to see the lake, there is a trail with three stunning bridges to get there.

First of three bridges
First of three bridges
Water Dog Lake
Water Dog Lake

If you are ever in the Bay Area and want to go for a ride, stop by Water Dog Park. It has good features, terrain & scenery. What’s not to love?

Map of ride
Map of ride
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3 thoughts on “Water Dog Bike Park | Photo Tour”

  1. Nick..this is one of the best articles with pics I’ve seen done on Water Dog… You have a great talent with writing and photography… I think this could be your calling..
    Hope to ride with you and your brother and Dad some day soon… its suppose to rain Thursday thru Sunday..so the trails will be nice after the rain clears… Also… if you guys haven’t experience Pogonip in Santa Cruz, let me know … me and my boyfriend can show you guys the trail..very fun and flowy:)
    Cheers…BZ (Benita)

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