Wildcat Canyon
Encyclopedia
Wildcat Canyon is a narrow linear valley just east of the Berkeley Hills
in the San Francisco Bay Area
, situated in Contra Costa County, California
. The canyon is bounded on its east side by the San Pablo Ridge
, and is drained by Wildcat Creek
which runs northwest to its outlet in San Pablo Bay
. Two minor lakes or ponds lie along the creek: Jewel Lake
and Lake Anza
. The latter was enlarged by the construction of a small dam in the mid-20th century. An active tectonic fault
, the Wildcat Fault, runs the length of the canyon. Wildcat Canyon was named for the mountain lions which used to be fairly common in the area. The southern end of the canyon adjacent to the city of Berkeley
was incorporated into Tilden Regional Park
in the 1930s and remains a major recreation area for local residents. Another regional park, Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
, is situated at the northern end of the canyon.
37.91634°N 122.27543°W
Berkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that surrounds San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" , but with the establishment of Berkeley and the University of California, the current usage was...
in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, situated in Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
. The canyon is bounded on its east side by the San Pablo Ridge
San Pablo Ridge
San Pablo Ridge is a small mountain range in western Contra Costa County from Pinole to Orinda between Wildcat Canyon and San Pablo Canyon. The western flank is part of the Wildcat Creek watershed and the eastern flank is part of the San Pablo Creek watershed. It is used by ranches for...
, and is drained by Wildcat Creek
Wildcat Creek (California)
Wildcat Creek is a creek which flows through Wildcat Canyon situated between the Berkeley Hills and the San Pablo Ridge, emptying into San Pablo Bay in northern California. The creek originates in Tilden Regional Park just east of the city of Berkeley. It feeds the artificial Lake Anza as well as...
which runs northwest to its outlet in San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water channel approximately in mid bay, which allows access to Sacramento, Stockton, Benicia, Martinez, and...
. Two minor lakes or ponds lie along the creek: Jewel Lake
Jewel Lake
Jewel Lake is a former reservoir and artificual lake along Wildcat Creek, a small stream in Northern California in Tilden Regional Park. It is located in the Wildcat Canyon between the Berkeley Hills and Sobrante Ridge Hills in an unincorporated area closest to Richmond and Kensington, California...
and Lake Anza
Lake Anza
Lake Anza is a recreational swimming reservoir in Tilden Regional Park, which is located in the Berkeley Hills above Berkeley, California.The lake was developed with the building of a small dam in 1938. It was named by the East Bay Regional Park Board in honor of Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de...
. The latter was enlarged by the construction of a small dam in the mid-20th century. An active tectonic fault
Geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement along the fractures as a result of earth movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of tectonic forces...
, the Wildcat Fault, runs the length of the canyon. Wildcat Canyon was named for the mountain lions which used to be fairly common in the area. The southern end of the canyon adjacent to the city of Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
was incorporated into Tilden Regional Park
Tilden Regional Park
Tilden Regional Park, also known as "Tilden" , is a regional park in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is situated between the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo Ridge....
in the 1930s and remains a major recreation area for local residents. Another regional park, Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park is a East Bay Regional Parks District park located within the city limits of Richmond in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California...
, is situated at the northern end of the canyon.
External links
37.91634°N 122.27543°W