Sunday, September 2, 2012

Access to Lone Tree Park in Rodeo

The last time I went by Lone Tree a gate had been installed to block off the only parking adjacent to the park.  I suppose this was done after many complaints by the owners of the Joseph's Resort lot about trespassers on their property.  You may be able to park on the bridge at the end of Pacific Ave., or on the end of San Pablo Ave, and maybe in the marina (the gates are locked at 4:30 or 5:00pm).

So--you can probably still launch at Lone Tree, but it's become a bigger hassle.  Portage time (one way) was a few minutes to cart your stuff from the car to the beach; now it's probably five to ten minutes.  I've launched there a couple of times this summer, but I don't think I'm going to bother to launch there again, even tho it's one of the very few places that I know of where it's possible to get a kayak to the water on the east side of San Pablo Bay.  The other spots, incidentally, also suffer from limited access, or long portage times, or from poor access to the water when the tide is low.

A bit of research with Google indicates that development of the the Rodeo Marina area will be delayed indefinitely by legal and financial issues, and it seems likely to me that access to Lone Tree isn't going to improve until a serious effort to redevelop the marina area gets underway.

I've made a Google map with notes about put-ins and access to the water in the marina area and on the east shore of San Pablo Bay between Crockett and Point Pinole.


Edit, May 2013
The following text is from http://rodeomarina.com/:

There is currently a "fair" weather launch ramp that opens directly onto San Pablo Bay. An annual use fee of $100 is required. Launch Ramp access is at the user's own risk.
... 
Rodeo Marina is anticipating phased redevelopment of the site for a series of uses.  These uses include a restaurant, urban winery, wooden boat building shop, marine repair facility, harbor master building, bed and breakfast inn, several mixed-use commercial buildings, boat docks, boat storage, small boat launch ramp, and public access to the San Pablo Bay frontage.
 ...
A Vision for the Marina:  Water-Oriented "Eco" Resort
Rodeo Marina could be a location where the bicyclist, kayaker, paddle boarder, wind surfer, fisherman and other active individuals who enjoy the bay would be able to recreate.  The Rodeo Waterfront currently has excellent access to a variety of outdoor settings.  Its views across the bay toward Mt. Tamalpais are quite beautiful.  It is an excellent starting point for bicycling activities.  In the future both the Water Trail and the Bay Trail could connect to this location.