Directions to the Dotson Family Marsh
What To Google
You can easily find this specific parking lot using the Dotson Family Mash name.
Directions from Highway 80
This marsh is part of the Point Pinole Regional shoreline, but is accessed from its southernmost parking lot. To get there, take highway 80 to the Richmond Parkway. Once on the Richmond Parkway, take Godrick Ave and drive all the way to the end, past the Richmond Gun and Rod Club. The road becomes better, and you will see a turnabout and a small parking lot at its very end. We will meet there before we walk five minutes to the painting spot on the trail.
Description
This marsh is easy to walk, because it is flat and its paved trail is well-kept. Pickleweed and other marsh vegetation grows in beautiful seasonal patterns, and the mudflats provide endless painting possibilities. You get to see Rheem Creek reach the bay, Mount Tam in all its glory, the hills at the southern end of Point Pinole Regional Park, the community of Parchester Village across a grass expanse, and the Richmond Gun and Rod Club, a shooting range. There is an unpaved path that leads to a jetty which lets you see the mudflats up close during a low tide day. The parking lot features bathrooms, but no shade. There are no trees at the marsh. Bring an umbrella and be prepared for the wind that can pick up after 1:00 pm.
History
The Dotsons were some of the first settlers in what became a predominantly African-American neighborhood, Parchester Village, a community of 400 single-family homes intended to house those who would have otherwise been displaced after temporary war-time housing closed. Rev. Dotson became the activist who organized his neighborhood council and later brought in the Sierra Club as an ally to halt development projects such as a small airport, several versions of housing developments and a light industrial park. In May of 2008, the EBRPD was able to acquire the marsh through the eminent domain process after three years of legal battles. Rev Dotson passed away during the pandemic, but his legacy means we are able to enjoy this marsh thanks to him.
Rheem Creek crosses the marsh and is the first feature you’ll notice as you walk away from the parking lot. It was named after William Rheem a civic figure of early Richmond in addition to being president of the Standard Oil Company. The creek has been altered significantly in the past 50 years. In the 1960s, the Army Corps of Engineers moved and straightened the Creek as a means of flood control. After parts of the creek were culverted, flooding began in the Rollingwood community and the creek became a conduit for pollutants from lawns, driveways, and roads.
