Contra Costa County pier: Point Pinole Pier enjoys solitude

Contra Costa County pier

Point Pinole Pier

Overview: The allure is the walk through the grassy parklands of the Point Pinole Regional Shoreline to get to the 1,250-foot concrete pier. The views are not impressive — San Francisco isn’t visible from this vantage point — but the solitude makes it special.

Background: Beginning in the 1880s, several companies used the spot for manufacturing gunpowder and dynamite. The original pier (its pilings can be seen at the foot of the current pier, which was built in 1977) was used to transport explosives. There were no homes or businesses nearby, so when the explosives industry was phased out by 1960 and extensive cleanups were finished, the area was converted into a park.

Parking: It’s a mile walk from the parking to the pier, but a shuttle runs hourly from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays and returns from the pier on the quarter hour starting at 9:15 a.m. through 3 p.m. $1 each way for 12 and older; 50 cents for ages 6 to 11, ages 62 and up ride free.

Directions: From Interstate 80 in Richmond, exit at the Richmond Parkway. From the Richmond Parkway, turn right onto Giant Highway and proceed to the park entrance.

-- Christopher Smith