Explore Berkeley’s Tilden Regional Park with Toddlers – Trains, Farm Animals, and an Amazing Carousel
Hidden in the Berkeley hillside is a beautiful and huge park that has endless family-friendly activities—a carousel, a steam train, a little farm of animals, a lake, and endless hiking trails with sweeping Bay Area views.
This is a great day-trip option, but give yourself some time to get here; the roads are windy and steep, and it takes about 20 minutes from the freeway to make your way to the park
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Tilden Regional Park falls in Huchiun
Quick Tips
Before You go
What To Pack
- Passports
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Comfortable shoes, clothes, sunscreen, and hats
- Camera
- Ergobaby or soft baby carrier, most of Sintra is cobble stone streets and using a stroller would be difficult
- Princess dresses
Getting There
The trip to Sintra from Lisbon is about 30 minutes by car or one hour by train. Click here for train times and to purchase tickets.
The 434 bus transports visitors from the Sintra train station to the city’s historic center and to the castles beyond for €7.60 round trip. Altogether, budget about 90 minutes to get from Lisbon to Sintra by public transport.
travel
Here are some of our favorite things to do when we make the trip to Tilden
Tilden Little Farm (~30-60 mins, free)
Not a pet-the-animals place but a feed-the-animals place! Bring a bag of romaine lettuce or celery to feed a bunch of very friendly cows, horses, chickens, bunnies, ducks, geese, goats, and sheep. Kids can feed the animals from a friendly distance through the fence.
My daughter was a little spooked by the sheer size of the cows when you first enter, so I would recommend heading towards the smaller-sized furry friends to warm the kiddos up. You make a counterclockwise loop around the farm (some of which is uphill) stopping to feed animals along the way. Come early, because it can get crowded!
If you get a chance, try to arrive around the time of the goose parade and walk behind some big geese as they make their way through the fields. Also, check out the museum you will pass by on your way in/out!
Picnic in the Park
Redwood Valley Railway
- ~30-45 mins, $3.50 per rider over 2 years old
- Less if you purchase a booklet
Merry-Go-Round
- 15-30 mins, $4 per rider or less for a booklet of tickets
Did I say merry-go-round? YES, I DID! Tilden Park has a steam train AND a merry-go-round! And not just any merry-go-round folks, but one with the coolest hand-carved antique ride-on animals like a pig and a cat.
Complete the carnival-in-the-middle-of-the-woods feel with some carnival food sold at the merry-go-round cafe. Fancy a cheap hot dog or some popcorn? Why yes, thank you!
Our daughter loved this so much, we try to do both the little farm and the merry-go-round every time we come. Bring a snack to eat at the picnic tables right outside. There is also plenty of parking too!
If you are looking for something to do over the holidays, the merry-go-round is a great place to stop! They decorate the outside picnic area, the inside with trees, and everything is lit up at night.
Hiking
- 1-2 hours, free
There are miles of trails ranging in difficulty throughout Tilden and linking some of the attractions (if you don’t mind hiking 3-4 miles).
Wildcat Gorge and Lake Anza Loop Trail – We started this hike at the Wildcat Gorge Trailhead and made our way up a slight uphill and very green trail to Lake Anza trail. We made a left and went clockwise around the lake. Beware of the poison oak lining the trail and some rock scrambling which was ok for a 3-year-old but made things a little more nerve-wracking…
Most of the trail is open and easy to walk with a few roots to hop over, but a portion on the Eastern side of the lake was more narrow and challenging for little feet. You get to cross a bridge over a small river and walk by the bathrooms of the Lake Anza beach (closed for us at the time). Keep an eye out for birds and maybe a turtle sunning on a log!
Sample Itineraries
Little Farm
Museum
Playground in the parking lot by Little Farm
Drive to the Merry-Go-Round
Eat lunch at the picnic tables nearby or at the merry-go-round
Ride the merry-go-round
Head home
Another plan –
Hike early and play in the woods (with the reward being the train!)
Drive to the train
Ride the train
Eat lunch at the tables near the train
Drive to other Tilden activities or head home for a nap
Final Thoughts
Tilden Regional Park is a great way to escape from the Bay Area cityscape into nature. It is really a kid’s paradise – farm animals, playgrounds, hiking trails, a train, and a merry-go-round. You could spend a morning, afternoon, or a whole day here!
Most visitors are local families, so you’ll meet many BIPOC families along the trails or in line for the rides.
It always surprises me how windy the roads are and just how long it takes to get to Tilden from the highway. I always forget to budget enough time for the trip to the park into our itinerary. There are almost too many things to do in Tilden for one day. Good thing it is not hard to get to from anywhere in the East Bay.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Tilden? Share in the comments below.
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