January 20, 2026

Fave Campus Walking Paths

Explore Campus, two

By Nolan Zils
8 MINUTE READ
Post Views: 10

|

“Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known!”

Though plenty of students have the same majors, classes, and shared experiences with life on and off campus, walking paths, when you consider all the different combinations of locations students rush to throughout the day, are totally unique to the individual Golden Bear! There is no one way to go around the UC Berkeley campus, and it may change as you find a faster route, or a more aesthetically pleasing one for the ‘gram. 

After living in various locations off campus and studying and taking classes in pretty much every corner of the school, here are some of the walking routes that have emerged as my favorites!

I know a (social sciences) shortcut

I’ve never taken the time to test other routes to prove it, but this one feels like the fastest, most direct way to get to class, going from the southside to the northside. As a media studies major and journalism and creative writing minor, I use this route to get to all but one of my classes, which are all in the same northern area of campus: Evans, Physics Building, Hearst Mining, and North Gate Hall. It’s a nice, relatively quieter walk in terms of walking traffic, and when coming back from classes, it provides some food options that are very close, like Insomnia and Panda Express. Here’s a breakdown of my route:

  • I start out on the Southside by turning onto Bancroft Way from Bowditch Street, and then turn left after crossing the street. 
  • Go past the Hearst Memorial Gymnasium, then turn right and go up the staircase entrance that leads up to the Heart Field Annex on your left. 
  • Go past the Social Sciences building, using the concrete tunnel on the right-hand side. They recently added a mural to this tunnel, so it’s super nice to look at as you’re walking by. 
  • Keep going on Barrow Lane, and past the Philosophy Hall courtyard.
  • Go up the staircase at the end of the courtyard.
  • Go right on South Drive. (Cross the street, in the direction of the Campanile, then turn right once you get to the sidewalk.) 
  • Turn left after the Campanile.
  • Keep going until you reach the lecture hall! Physics will be on your right-hand side. Evans will be straight ahead, and Heart Mining will be at the far end (north) of the Mining Circle, past Evans.

The view from the second floor of the Heart Mining building. This was taken right outside of the classroom for my Media Studies course; I really liked the lights hanging from the railing.

“Go West, young man.” – Oxford Street

I’ve traversed the western entrance of campus many times. Usually, it’s to leave the West Entrance and head towards the Downtown Berkeley BART station, either to go visit back home in San Jose or take a trip to San Francisco, both of which are way more affordable thanks to BayPass! Here are the general directions:

  • Get to the Crescent Lawn, then go to the walking path on the West Entrance. 
  • Take the crosswalk at the Oxford Street and Center Street intersection. 
  • Walk a block, and then take the crosswalk onto Shattuck Avenue. 
  • The BART entrance will be on the right-hand side. Take the escalator down, and then you’re there. 

Last year, when I had class in the big Li Ka Shing lecture hall for both semesters, I would often get lunch before or after those classes. Past Oxford Street, there are a lot of restaurants, and Subway was a go-to for me during that time. Glory to the black forest ham sandwich and footlong pretzel! The grassy area at the entrance is also very nice; sometimes you’ll see people protesting there, and BAMPFA is close by as well. 

“Now I am become…” path – Faculty Glade Bridge near Oppenheimer Way

It’s super cool to walk under the concrete archway on the bridge, and walk the same path Cillian Murphy did while filming the on-site Berkeley scenes for the Oppenheimer film. There’s also a nice, grassy area near the faculty building and Morrison Hall called the Faculty Glade. Compared to the bigger and more popular Memorial Glade, this one is more quaint and quiet, with more nature surrounding it. 

I often use this route to get to my Wednesday DeCal class in Morrison. After getting out of class in Hearst Mining, here is the way I go:

  • Go straight out of Hearst Mining, cross the street, and get onto Oppenheimer Way. 
  • Take a right at the end of the Oppenheimer Way, past the Physics Building. 
  • Soon after, take a left onto the Faculty Glade Bridge. It’s obligatory to have the Oppenheimer theme playing in your head as you pass under this archway. 
  • Stay on the left-hand path, with the Faculty Club on your left. 
  • Keep going straight, and then Morrison Hall will be on your right. 

This bridge is also a favorite of fellow student blog writer Milana:

“One of my favorite walking paths is the staircase/bridge crossing over Strawberry Creek near Oppenheimer Way (around the Physics and Chemistry buildings). I love the greenery in the area, as well as the arch you pass under. I feel very ancient and mathy in the best way.” – Milana Berhe, Class of 2028.

Fun fact: If you look up the room number and do a bit of exploring, you can find Oppenheimer’s old office in a hard-to-reach corner of the Physics Building!

The oldie, but goodie — Telegraph Ave

Ah, Telegraph Ave. It’s a classic. The hub for restaurants, stores, and street merchants. Additionally, it’s near lots of campus housing locations. There’s always so much to see and do here. Sometimes, I go this way to get back home to Martinez Commons from the main campus area, as it’s a bit more direct than taking the Social Sciences route and going down Bancroft, and then Bowditch. In this case, I:

  • Access Telegraph Ave by crossing the street on the corner of Bancroft and Telegraph from the South entrance of Campus (Sproul Plaza), near the Student Union. 
  • Keep going South down Telegraph Ave. Turn left just before the Rasputin Records shop, onto Channing Way. Martinez Commons will be on your right.
  • If you walk up the block and cross the street at Bowditch, you’ll reach Crossroads Dining Commons, the Den cafe, and the brand new Campus Burgers restaurant!

The record stores here are great; I’ve gone to them a few times. Rasputin is nice, but Amoeba is a place I’d highly recommend! Also, the new Campus Burgers restaurant is awesome. It’s just off Telegraph on Channing, and super affordable with yummy three-dollar cheeseburgers. 

These are busy city streets, and Telegraph can have a lot going on, so especially at night, remember to keep safety in mind. Walk with other people when you can, and utilize Safewalk as well as the Bear Transit Night Safety Shuttles!

A stadium, a theatre, and a castle — Gayley Road

I’ve walked this road so much, especially when living at Foothill Residence Hall. It takes you to the dining commons, Greek Theatre, Memorial Stadium, International House, and Bowles Hall, which has been called the Hogwarts of UC Berkeley because of its castle-like structure. I’ve walked this way with friends to catch the bus, and to get to the stadium for my Intramural sports games. When I need to go to the Northside, I go up the road and walk on Hearst Ave. I did that a lot when I was in a musical in which the performances were at a co-op on Northside, Hoyt Hall. 

A photo of Gayley Road at night, taken as I was taking the Dungeon Route back home to Foothill.

Dungeon Route

Dubbed the “Dungeon Route” by my friend Manny last year during rehearsals for a show we were both in, this is the route I would often take back home when I was living at Foothill. It’s named as such because it’s an obscure path that’s not well-lit and not really walked on by other students, but we both liked using this path. It doesn’t save that much time, so by all means, find a better-lit, more populated route if it’s late at night and you’re worried about safety. 

  • Right before Sather Gate, turn left onto Barrow Lane.
  • Stay on the left side, and take the leftmost path into the wooded area. 
  • You’ll see the statue of legendary Cal football Coach Pappy Waldorf on your left. After passing the statue, keep left. 
  • Instead of turning left onto the Faculty Glade Bridge, take a soft right. 
  • Walk behind the Faculty Club, where you’ll take a wooden bridge across Strawberry Creek. 
  • After the bridge, take the stairs on your left. 
  • Go past Hildebrand Hall, and then take the set of stairs right past Lewis Hall to get on Gayley Road. 
  • Go north up Gayley Road until turning right into Foothill, or carrying on to your destination!

The wooded area of the Dungeon Route. If you look closely, you can see the aforementioned statue of Pappy Waldorf.

“This trail is on fireeeee!”

It isn’t exactly on campus, nor is it obscure, but it’s popular for a good reason! I’ve started to do this hike somewhat regularly, and it’s very nice. The morning air is very refreshing, the hike isn’t too bad in terms of distance, and the view at the end always makes it worth it. There are many different ways to traverse the Fire Trails, so I won’t give an exact route, beyond how to get to the entrance:

  • Go left past International House.
  • Take the Memorial Stadium steps on your right. 
  • Keep left up the hill as you reach the student section entrance of the stadium (Entrance 8). 
  • Turn right after Witter Field, where the Rugby team plays. 
  • Go straight, following the path on the side of the street up to the Fire Trails entrance.

A beautiful view at the end of one of the Sunday morning Fire Trails hikes my friend group has started doing this fall.

Get active, and walk like a Berkeleyan!

Sorry, that probably wasn’t the best pun, but the point remains. A lot of us are only living in Berkeley for the time that we attend college, so it’s important to explore the sights around campus as much as possible to get the full Berkeley experience. What are some of your favorite paths to walk at Berkeley? 

 

Nolan Zils, Class of 2027, is majoring in media studies and minoring in journalism and creative writing.

Want More?