Distance: up to you
Elevation gain: up to you

For years I’ve been hesitant to include this ride in Bestrides because it sounds dumb. Riding through a bunch of residential streets is a great cycling experience? Yes, as a matter of fact it is. The Berkeley Hills is one of those uniquely charming urban enclaves that reward exploration, like Sausalito, Venice Beach, Greenwich Village, Pacific Grove’s Seventeen-Mile Drive, Montmartre, or Venice (the Italian one).

The term “Berkeley Hills” can refer to anything on either side of the ridge running east of Berkeley and North Oakland. But we mean it the way Berkeley residents use it, to designate the small, unique streets in a sloppy rectangle bordered by Cedar to the south, Shattuck-to-Solano-to-Colusa to the west, Moeser Ln. to the north, and Grizzly Peak Blvd. to the east.

Most of Berkeley divides neatly into two large areas: the Berkeley Flats and the Berkeley Hills. The Flats aren’t really flat—they start at the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay and run east at a gradual incline. Somewhere east of Shattuck Ave. the land becomes steeper and remains that way to the eastern border of Berkeley at Grizzly Peak Blvd.

The division between Flats and Hills is obvious on a map, because the streets in the Flats are all perfectly straight and the blocks are nearly identical rectangles. Cycling here is boring. In the Hills the streets are crooked, winding tightly and sinuously through constant ups and downs. This profile would make the cycling here pretty nifty all by itself, but there’s more. The housing in the Flats is predominantly middle-class, so the houses are in the main utilitarian. The Hills were primarily settled by rich, arty intellectuals, and it shows. The houses in the Hills have always been the stuff of dreams. They’re all worth millions plural, they’re all unique, they’re all perfectly maintained, and each has charm to peddle. The architecture is wildly varied. The area is famous for its cedar-shingled Arts and Crafts architecture, most notably by Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan, but in fact the Hills show a spectacular variety of styles—from Spanish pueblo to half-timber to glass-and-angled modern to craftsman to Colonial to fairy-tale cottage—and each home has its own precious, distinctive little garden in front. Because everything is on a slope, the district is rich with lichen-covered stone walls, crooked stairways, and terraced front yards. Most of the streets are lined with magnificent old trees, all gnarly and canopied. And if that isn’t enough, there are several little parks and rec areas nestled among the houses, each dreamier than the last, little creeks and riparian woodlands abound, and the area is riddled with divine walking paths if you ever want to do something other than ride. You will ache to live here, I guarantee it.

So why does this post have no photos? Because the richness and variety of the neighborhood can’t be captured in a photo or two. It’s like trying to take one photo to express what Walt Disney World is like. I tried and failed.

There is no best route. Even though I’ve provided a ride map, it’s just a sample, a typical wandering course I improvised one afternoon. For every street on my route, there are twenty others just as good nearby. Instead of following my map slavishly, I encourage you to wander (not all who wonder are lost, after all). When you get to an intersection, head up the smallest street you can see. See what you discover.

Follow these principles:

1. Begin at or near the Circle (also called The Fountain), where several large streets meet: Arlington, Marin, Los Angeles, and Solano, all of which are streets to avoid (too big). Everything north and east of the Circle is good stuff.
2. Nothing is flat in the Berkeley Hills, but streets running north and south tend to be gently rolling and streets running east and west tend to be steep, sometimes steeply so.
3. The windier the street on the map, the better.
4. Minimize your time on the large, straight roads like Arlington and Spruce, but don’t dread them—they’re busy but bike-friendly.
5. The bigger the street, the bigger the houses. The small streets sport cozy cottages, the large streets sport mansions.
6. Ride as slowly as possible. You’re here for the architecture and the landscaping.

Though I want you to wander, one landmark is too good to miss: Indian Rock Park. Make sure it’s on your route.

Favorite streets of mine include Contra Costa Ave., Mendocino Ave., Montrose Rd., and Oxford St. (near Marin Ave.), but again there are dozens of other streets equally good.

Marin Ave. itself is notorious for its lethality. It’s dead straight, very narrow, and very steep. Some foolish cyclists are always trying to prove something by riding it up,, or worse, down. Please don’t.

There is a 450-ft tunnel on Solano Ave., the Northbrae Tunnel, which is a novelty You can’t bike on the roadway through it, but there’s a narrow separated foot/bike path on the south side.

If for some reason our area doesn’t exhaust your interest in Berkeley architecture, the area just south of Claremont Ave. is also rich. Oak Vale Ave. even has a BAHA architectural tour on line giving histories for some of the houses. If you’re interested in sheer expensive grandeur, the area’s most palatial piles are in the area on Claremont Blvd. (not Ave.) and surrounding streets. Don’t miss Avalon Ave., the grandest of the grand.