Walk Oakland around the lake and up the hills
Oakland has a lake in the middle, flat neighbourhoods by the bay and hills full of stairways behind. FOG hides the whole map until you walk it, and the contrast between flat grid and hillside tangle shows up clearly.
A lake in the city
Lake Merritt sits right beside downtown, with a loop path of a little over three miles around it that is one of the busiest walks in the Bay Area. Downtown lies to its west: Old Oakland with its restored Victorian commercial blocks, Chinatown, and Uptown around the Fox Theater.
South, Jack London Square is the waterfront on the estuary. North, Telegraph Avenue leads up to Temescal, and College Avenue runs through Rockridge, both strings of small shops and restaurants.
Up into the hills
Behind the flatlands, the Oakland hills climb steeply. Neighbourhoods such as Montclair and the streets above Rockridge are laced with public stairways and footpaths, and Mountain View Cemetery, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, rises up the hill with views over the bay.
Higher up, Redwood Regional Park has trails through second growth redwoods. A strong walking day: lap Lake Merritt, cross downtown to Jack London Square, then take Telegraph north to Temescal and Rockridge.
What you will see
The flatlands are a regular grid and fill in rectangles. The hills are a curly mess of streets and paths that light up as thin, winding lines. Both are satisfying in different ways.
The weather is mild all year. As in any large city, use judgement about routes and times, and keep to lively streets after dark.
The character who walks with you
FOG puts a small explorer called Wander on your position. Pick one of five paths (two are free, three come with FOG Unlimited) and every two levels on a path hands you a new piece of gear, earned only by the ground you cover. Twenty five pieces in all, and none of them can be bought.
Under the character it is a plain, permanent record: every street you walk in Oakland is cleared and stays clear, the app works in the background, and the map is stored only on your phone with no account and no cloud. You can export it as GPX at any time.
Questions people actually ask
How long is the Lake Merritt loop?
A little over three miles around the lake.
Does Oakland have public stairways?
Yes, many, especially in the hill neighbourhoods above Rockridge and Montclair.
Is there a subscription?
No. Exploring is free and FOG Unlimited is a single purchase. There is never a subscription.
Start with a dark map.
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