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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Quick Tips
Before You go
What To Pack
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Comfortable shoes, clothes, sunscreen, and hats
- Camera
- Ergobaby or soft baby carrier
Getting There
There are various places to visit in Tilden Regional Park, and best accessed by car.
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What to Do in Tilden Regional Park with Kids
Tilden Little Farm
Great for interacting with farm animals
- Free
- 30-60 mins
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
Great for a scenic and open-air train ride through the redwoods
- $3.50 per rider over 2 years old; less if you purchase a booklet
- 30-45 mins
Tilden Park’s little steam train that could! This is such a fun little secret to stumble upon deep in the Berkeley hills. For just $3.50 per person (even less, if you buy a 5-ticket pack for $14), you get a 12-minute train ride through the redwood-studded Berkeley hills, going through tunnels, passing by a mini-train depot, and choo choo chooing the whole way.
There is always a line of people waiting to get on the train but don’t dismay–the train fills up quickly and the line moves faster than you think. Bring a jacket just in case you get cold while the train moves. The little parking lot fills up quickly, but you can find overflow parking just past the entrance and a short walk away. Bring a snack to enjoy pre or post-ride at the picnic benches nearby.
For an extra dose of railroad fun, visit on a Sunday to ride the Golden Gate Miniature Railroad (open 11am-3pm, donation-based). Also, visit during the holiday season to see the trees decorated and all lit up!
In our experience, weekend afternoons were much more chill than weekend mornings.
Merry-Go-Round
Great for toddlers and some magic in the redwoods
- $4 per rider or less for a booklet of tickets
- 15-30 mins
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
Great for walking and experiencing more of the park
- Free
- 1-2 hours
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!
Suggested Itineraries
There are many options to craft your family’s perfect day at Tilden Regional Park—
Hours at Tilden
- Feed the animals at Little Farm
- Enjoy the museum and take the geese for a walk
- Eat lunch
- Ride the Merry-Go-Round
Hours at Tilden
- Hike early and play in the woods
- Ride the Redwood Valley Railway
- Eat lunch in the park
- Ride the Merry-Go-Round
Hours at Tilden
- Hike early and play in the woods
- Eat lunch in the park
- Feed the animals at Little Farm
- Ride the Redwood Valley Railway
- Ride the Merry-Go-Round
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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