It's Heavenly at Mountain View Cemetery

Mountain View Cemetery has unfortunately, been closed to the public until further notice. Definitely add this to your post-shelter-in-place bucket list!

One of the best local parks in Oakland is filled with thousands of people 24/7 but hardly feels like it: Mountain View Cemetery.

This cemetery occupies a huge footprint right in the middle of urban Oakland with miles of paved and dirt trails. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who also designed New York City's Central Park and much of UC Berkeley and Stanford University, it is a beautiful respite right down the street. When my family and I moved to Oakland from San Francisco we couldn't believe the local cemetery was the go-to place for outdoor activity. But once we checked it out we realized that this is how cemeteries should be: a part of the community rather than apart from the community. Cemetery goers should definitely respect the rules of staying on pathways and trails and keeping pets on a leash at all times. And of course, maintain social distancing from anyone else you might see (the permanent residents are already 6 feet away, no worries).

There are many ways to explore the grounds. Here's the loop we did:

If you drive there's always plenty of parking. If you bike or run the full loop, it ends up being about 4 miles with 600 feet of climbing. The views at the top are heavenly: