ABOUT | Bay Water Trail

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail (Water Trail) is a growing network of designated launching and landing sites, or “trailheads,” around San Francisco Bay. Each trailhead enables non-motorized small boat users to enjoy the historic, scenic, cultural, and environmental richness of San Francisco Bay and its nearby tributary waters. The Water Trail promotes safe and responsible use of the Bay while protecting and increasing appreciation of its environmental resources through education and strategic planning. The Water Trail’s network of sites encourages people to explore the Bay in different boat types (such as kayaks, sailboards, dragon boats, and stand up paddleboards) and in a variety of settings through single- and multi-day trips. Potentially, more than 100 existing marinas, waterfront parks, and other publicly accessible sites will become part of the Water Trail.

The vision of the Water Trail Program began with Bay Access, a non-profit group working to ensure future access for non-motorized small boat users on the Bay. This vision became law in 2005 with the passage of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Act by the California Legislature. Today, this regional, nine-county program is being implemented under the leadership of the State Coastal Conservancy in close collaboration with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), and the California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways, plus an advisory committee representing a broad range of interests and expertise.

With the help of our partners at each site, we are building on the Water Trail’s comprehensive plans, programs, and partnerships to achieve a world-class recreational resource for the benefit of local residents and visitors to the Bay Area for decades to come.

Partners

Project Management Team

The Water Trail Project Management Team has representation from four state and regional agencies with mandates to act in the public interest for the entire San Francisco Bay Area: State Coastal Conservancy (Lead Agency); Bay Conservation and Development Commission; Association of Bay Area Governments / Metropolitan Transportation Commission; and, California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways.

The Project Management Team is responsible for trail implementation and governance tasks – developing trail projects; making recommendations on trail design and management; designating trailheads; prioritizing and determining project and program objectives, work plans, and funding; and amending the Water Trail plan and policies as needed.

Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee provides representatives of trail-related interests that provides regular guidance on the trailhead designation. Its membership represents a broad set of interests including:

the needs and interests of human-powered boaters and user of beachable sailcraft;
different types of shoreline managers and owners who provide access to the Bay;
wildlife and habitat protection interests and expertise;
personal and navigational safety and security;
environmental outreach, education, and stewardship expertise;
interests of and expertise on accessibility for persons with disabilities; and,
businesses with trail-related interests.

Stakeholder Group

The Stakeholder Group includes all interested agencies, organizations, and individuals who wish to stay informed about and be involved in Water Trail implementation. Included in this group are any experts on trail-related issues who are not already part of the Advisory Committee and members of the public interested in the implementation of the trail. The stakeholders’ primary role is to participate in trail meetings and discussions, and provide input at their discretion. Water Trail staff maintain an updated mailing list of stakeholders – please contact us if you would like to be put on the Water Trail mailing list.

Bay Area Trails Collaborative

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail is part of the Bay Area Trails Collaborative (BATC) – a group of more than 50 member organizations, businesses, and agencies working together to complete a 2,600-mile trail network linking the region’s nine counties. Explore this interactive map to learn more about the regional trail network and the Bay Area Trails Collaborative.

Contact Us

Shalini Kannan, Project Point of Contact

State Coastal Conservancy
510-286-4167
shalini.kannan@scc.ca.gov

Terms of Use

This World Wide Web site is provided as a public service by the State Coastal Conservancy.

Information Ownership, Use and Distribution:

Information presented on this web site is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. All documents and information may be freely distributed and used for non-commercial, scientific and educational purposes. Commercial use of the documents available from this server may be protected under the U.S. and foreign copyright Laws. Individual documents on this web site may have different copyright conditions that will be noted in those documents. Any communication or material transmitted to this web site by electronic mail or otherwise, including any data, questions, comments, suggestions or the like will be treated as public information.

Criteria for Inclusion

The purpose of the Water Trail website is to encourage non-motorized small boat users to enjoy the historic, scenic, cultural, and environmental richness of San Francisco Bay and its nearby tributary waters. Sites, clubs, vendors, outfitters, and other organizations listed on this website are have the following characteristics:

Located within nine-county Bay Area.
Provide opportunity to access, experience, enjoy, learn about and contribute to a particular Bay-related natural, cultural, historical or recreational resource.
Primary purpose is recreation, conservation, interpretation, and/or education.

If you are aware of a club, vendor, outfitter, or other organization that should be included on our website, please contact us.

Photo Usage Policy

The Coastal Conservancy retains the rights to all images used on www.sfbaywatertrail.org. Some materials have been donated or obtained from individuals or organizations and may be subject to additional restrictions on use. Permission to use images from www.sfbaywatertrail.org should be obtained in writing.

System Monitoring

This system is monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for comparable purposes. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring. Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or circumvent security features, or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution.

Content Accuracy, Completeness, and Usability of Gateways Information

Information served here comes from a wide array of state, federal, regional, local, industrial, academic, and stakeholder partners. The Water Trail partners make every effort to provide and maintain accurate, complete, usable, and timely information on our website.

Copyright

Partner-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain. While the content of most web pages is in the public domain, not all the information on our site is in the public domain. Some images/graphics are used by the Coastal Conservancy with permission. For other use, you may need to obtain permission from the copyright holder under copyright law.

Links to Web Pages

You are welcome to make a link to any of the web pages we have published on the Internet. There is no need to request permission.

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this website contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for the user’s convenience. The Coastal Conservancy does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to particular items in hypertext is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.

Liability

None of the Coastal Conservancy partners nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors make any warranty, expressed or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information or data contained within the website. Reference within this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the Coastal Conservancy.

Caution

Map is not intended for navigation. Mudflats, shipping lanes, and other hazards are subject to change and may not exist as indicated on this map. For official navigation information, refer to official NOAA Navigation Charts.

Tidal, weather, and current conditions can vary substantially. Weather and tide information is provided by third-party data sources and the Water Trail makes no guarantee to their accuracy.

Data Credits

Association of Bay Area Governments: Water Trail Sites, Other Boat Launch Sites, Bay Trail, Other Trails, Ferry Terminals and Route, Shipping Channels, Security Exclusion Zones, Sea Haul-out, Rafting Bird Areas

GreenInfo Network: Protected Areas (CPAD), Camping Sites

SFEI: Baylands (with alterations by GreenInfo Network)

Meetings and Events

Eager to learn and experience more of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail? This page and our Facebook page provide information about upcoming meetings and events to help you explore the Bay Area’s largest open space. If you would like one of your events listed here, please contact us!

Annual Water Trail Implementation Meeting – 2023

This year’s public meeting will be held on Friday, September 29 from 10-1, via Zoom. If you would like to be included on regular listserve updates, please email that request to Shalini Kannan at shalini.kannan@scc.ca.gov. Links to access the meetings and agendas will be posted at least 10 days in advance of each meeting.

Recurring Meetings

Bay Area Sea Kayakers – Events

Western Sea Kayakers – Meetings