Multiuse paths and linear parks are a great way to connect people to nature and provide space for communities and residents to commute, play, and live. With help from the Richmond community and our partners like the National Park Service, we’re constructing a 4-mile bicycle and pedestrian corridor linking downtown Richmond to the Richmond shoreline—the Richmond Wellness Trail. This trail opens many opportunities for outdoor recreation like walking, running, biking, and roller blading, and encourages residents to spend more time outside. But the Richmond Wellness Trail also offers a practical way for visitors to reduce their reliance on a vehicle by connecting to several nearby amenities such as the Kaiser Medical Facility, Richmond BART/AMTRAK Station, East Bay Center for Performing Arts, several schools, Martin Luther King Jr. Park and the Richmond Wellness Trail Fitness Zone®, the city’s waterfront, and the Richmond Ferry Terminal. Greenways like this are a critical part of the effort to reduce the number of cars on the road, mitigate the effects of climate change like flooding, and help build healthier, more active communities—and TPL is continuing to work with the community to build the green space they envision.

As of October 2022, phase 1 has been completed on the Richmond Wellness Trail, spanning from Richmond BART to Martin Luther King Jr. Park. This transformation turned 1.1 miles of residential streets into a multi-use green corridor with a two-way bicycle trail, sidewalk improvements, and native trees and rain gardens. Subsequent phases of the Richmond Wellness Trail will connect to Richmond’s shoreline, the Richmond Ferry Terminal, and the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historic Park. When complete, the Richmond Wellness Trail will encourage nearly 18,000 residents who live within a 10-minute walk of the trail to be active and experience all the benefits connecting to nature can bring.