Rodeo combines waterfront trails with a history shaped by ranching, ferry service, and earlier leisure activities along the waterfront. When planning an outing, it helps to distinguish between two different trail experiences: the San Pablo Bay Regional Shoreline Trail improves access to the bay’s shoreline, while the Rodeo Creek Trail follows a creek. According to California State Parks, as of September 2026, the Rodeo Marina is currently closed. Check its status again before your trip.

Trails along San Pablo Bay

The completed San Pablo Bay Regional Shoreline Trail is 10 miles long and runs from Point Pinole Regional Shoreline in Richmond to Lone Tree Point in the Town of Rodeo. There are opportunities to see San Pablo Bay along its entire length. Recommended uses include cycling, hiking, jogging, and running. This lets you choose the focus of your outing: a bike ride or a route on foot, at a running or jogging pace.

Parts of the trail are wheelchair-accessible. This does not automatically apply to the entire route. If a particular section matters to your plans, check current access and trail conditions before your trip. Lone Tree Beach in the Town of Rodeo can also be reached from a designated access point: the Lone Tree Staging Area at the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Pacific Avenue. Conditions there may change, so it is a good idea to check for updates before your visit.

The Rodeo Creek Trail and its amenities

The Rodeo Creek Trail offers a different setting from the route along the bay: it is paved and follows a creek. There are benches and picnic tables along the trail. The creekside setting, paved surface, and seating together provide a distinct focus for planning your day. If these amenities are important to your visit, check on them again in advance.

The two trails can therefore be distinguished by their described features without treating them as one continuous route: the regional trail offers bay views and several recommended activities; the creek trail offers a paved route along a creek with benches and picnic tables. Which perspective better suits your stay depends on whether you would rather spend your time along the shoreline or by the creek.

Rodeo’s waterfront and local history

The town’s name also points to its past. Rodeo derives from “rodeos,” the cattle roundups of the era of the Spanish rancheros. Historically, Rodeo was located on San Pablo Bay and had facilities along the waterfront. Before the Carquinez Bridge opened in 1927, Rodeo was a terminus for the Rodeo-Vallejo Ferry Company. The ferry is therefore part of the town’s history from before the bridge opened.

The waterfront also once served as a place for recreation: until the 1980s, it drew visitors to fish for striped bass. This historic use is clearly distinct in time from today’s outing plans. The Parker Avenue Reconstruction Project is also relevant to the town’s more recent development. It was completed before December 2016 and created a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly environment in downtown Rodeo. Take local conditions into account when making specific plans.

If you are considering Rodeo as a place to stay overnight, you can choose your focus based on these differences: the long regional trail along the bay, the paved path by the creek, or the history of the town’s name, ferry connection, and waterfront. This can help you assess the destination according to which of Rodeo’s features you want to shape your stay.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Bethel Island, Oakley, Pleasant Hill, Richmond, San Pablo, Orinda, Antioch, Pinole.

For the broader travel overview: Contra Costa.