video by Mary Barnsdale

Point Isabel Dog Owners & Friends (PIDO) has worked hard since 1985 to keep Point Isabel Regional Shoreline clean, safe, and, most importantly, off-leash. We are a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

PIDO volunteers hold routine work parties at Pt. Isabel (photo by Mary Barnsdale)

Without PIDO, there would be no off-leash recreation at Point Isabel. In 1985, East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) revoked off-leash dog walking privileges at Point Isabel. PIDO formed and spent two years negotiating with EBRPD the dog rules — still in use today — that restored off-leash recreation in 1987.

A Schnauzer and owner sit atop a table at Pt. Isabel (photo by Doug Maisel)

Then, when continued off-leash recreation at North Point Isabel (the area of the park north of the bridge) was under attack in the early 2000s, PIDO gathered 20,000 signatures that persuaded the planners of Eastshore State Park to preserve off-leash dog walking.

PIDO helps inform and educate park visitors, and furthers communication between park users and the District. We raise money to help pay for poop bags and park improvements, we are a voice for people who exercise with their dogs, and we work closely with EBRPD and other park user groups. We hold park cleanups, weed pulls, and mulching parties, and host the annual Barktoberfest dog costume contest and parade and Canine Good Citizen test. Our members help us preserve Point Isabel as a place for renewal and recreation, including off-leash dog walking, as well as habitat and refuge for wildlife.

Sunset at Point Isabel (photo by Jessica Longhurst)

photo by Ellen Soohoo

Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, located in Richmond, CA, along the east side of San Francisco Bay, is one of the most popular and largest off-leash parks in the country. It is the single most popular spot in the entire 125,000-acre East Bay Regional Park District and welcomes many types of recreation, including walking, jogging, windsurfing, and bird watching.

EBRPD estimates that more than 1.5 million people visit 50-acre Point Isabel every year. With its breathtaking views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Mount Tamalpais, this former landfill has evolved into a unique urban park.

PLEASE JOIN PIDO NOW
AS A MEMBER

If you’re already a member, please consider making a donation.

PIDO works to ensure that Point Isabel welcomes many kinds of visitors, including people with dogs. Off-leash dog walking is important for recreation and renewal for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities.

For the past 39 years, PIDO’s advocacy has helped keep Point Isabel clean, safe and available for off-leash use. Point Isabel is considered one of the best off-leash parks in the country, and PIDO has worked to keep it that way.

Join us. Our voices together can help ensure an inclusive, healthy Point Isabel.

We need your current email address so we can get urgent news – such as safety alerts, park closures,
special events – to you quickly. We promise not to spam you. And we never share member information.

Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
2701 Isabel St., Richmond, CA 94804 (open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
EBRPD: toll free 888-EBPARKS (888-327-2757), option 3, extension 4550
Emergency/Crime in Progress: Call 911 or (510) 881-1121
Non-Emergency Public Safety Line: (510) 881-1833

 

photo by Dale Anania