Share BARTable on Facebook BARTable on Twitter Email Monarch Butterflies Flutter By Albany Hill Park When: Daily: 5:00am-10:00pm Where: Albany Hill Park El Cerrito, CA 94706 United States Website: Albany Hill Park Phone: (510) 524-9283 BART Station: El Cerrito Plaza Walk Time: 28-minute hike Transfer to: AC Transit 72/72M from El Cerrito Plaza BART to San Pablo Avenue and Castro Street Who said urban areas don’t experience noteworthy wildlife? Here in the Bay Area, there are a few rest stop locations to see generations of migrating Monarch butterflies in clusters like delicate, orange leaves on trees from mid-October to February. The most BARTable of these locations is Albany Hill Park, a peaceful place to observe the beauty of the Monarchs, if you’re up for the hike.From the south exit at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, you face the Ohlone Greenway, a landscaped path frequented by dog walkers, bikers and runners paralleling the BART tracks and leading to Brighton Avenue. A right turn on Brighton will take you to the main street, where a left on San Pablo Avenue and a right on Castro Street will send you into the lovely residential area of the Albany hills. Left on Hillside Avenue and a right turn on Taft Street will introduce you to a shadow cast by Eucalyptus trees, leading you up and into Albany Hill Park. Where the cul de sac ends at the top of the hill, the Monarch forest begins, with lovely views of the Bay Area on the opposite side of the hill, visible through towering tree trunks.The small park has pathways and benches scattered among the grass. Relatively quiet, and not at all crowded, Albany Hill park is a nice place to get away for a relaxing picnic. It might be tempting to pitch a blanket and check out the mushrooms sprouting below or small birds hopping around the bushes, but you should really be looking up, for clusters of Monarch butterflies, fluttering about, on a break from their long journey. The Monarchs go through a four generation migration of 1,800 miles traveling in clusters throughout the West Coast until the third or fourth generation butterflies make it back to California in the winter, where their great-great-grandparents began the journey. They lay eggs under native milkweed leaves and die, leaving their offspring to complete the next leg of the migration. Helpful tips for Monarch spotting: Single out one of the Monarchs fluttering above and follow it until it disappears into the trees. Then wait and watch that spot (binoculars are handy for this). What look like brown leaves will begin to turn orange and flutter when other butterflies approach, showing off the beautiful Monarch cluster you just found. Once you’ve spotted one, they seem to surround you! Just pack a sandwich and watch this annual display of a hidden Albany treasure. Seeing where they all come together on an amazing journey reminds us how remarkable and resilient Monarch butterflies are, just like BART riders, getting from place to place to make our mark for generations to come. by Raquel Crites Raquel is a young food justice advocate pursuing a degree in sustainable agriculture and food systems. Apart from writing, she personalizes scrumptious vegan soup recipes and works on an urban farm in the East Bay. She polishes her Spanish (and her moves) at Latin dance socials and bikes the Bay Trail at sunset. After wet winters you can find Raquel on a forest hike, foraging for apricot-orange chanterelles, her favorite fungus for biscuit baking. Subscribe. Follow. Share. Email Sign Up BARTable on FacebookBARTable on TwitterBARTable on Instagram Leave this field blank More BARTable We found groundhogs in the Bay Area BARTable by bike: Ocean Beach Yes we can-yon: Explore Glen Canyon Park Bay Area urban hikes you can get to by BART Our complete list of urban hikes BARTable Walk: Embarcadero to Presidio Tips for riding BART during COVID-19 Trending Black-owned businesses | Shopping, Eating & Beyond Tips for riding BART during COVID-19 Moscone Convention Center 36 minutes in West Oakland Napoleon Super Bakery Eligible riders get 20% off fare with new Clipper START program NEW! BART merch now available online