Although multiple archaeological village sites exist within Coyote Hills, the closest one to Dumbarton Quarry is called Tuibun, ostensibly the name of the people who occupied it. Long before backhoes and cranes emitted a sound here, most of the area now known as Dumbarton Quarry was occupied by Indigenous peoples. Map courtesy East Bay Regional Parks District Before There Was a Quarry With its rich geologic makeup and variety of wildlife, this place offers a distinct view of the Bay Area’s natural history-a history, as it turns out, that’s teeming with contrasts. Despite its in-progress status, there is still much to gain by visiting the site, and there’s even more to learn. Even now, the overall campground remains in development, with a phase 2 expected sometime within the next five to 10 years. After it closed, its developers went through countless stages of planning and development trying to decide the quarry’s future. The quarry itself, which is fenced off and adjacent to the campground, faces the Bay and operated for more than 50 years. The site spans 45 acres and contains 63 campsites, a camp store, an amphitheater, a playground, and picnic areas. Located next to Coyote Hills Regional Park and next to the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay in Fremont, it is East Bay Regional Park District’s (EBRPD) first full-service campground near the Bay and the first urban campground in the area in more than 30 years. Only then can I really see everything …ĭumbarton Quarry Campground opened in August 2021. I think of an overhead photo of the campground I came across, and my mind’s eye mimics it my view of the campground starts to elevate slowly, higher and higher, like a drone, until the campground in its entirety comes into perspective.
At face value, from looking around, you wouldn’t know all that’s happened here, wouldn’t suspect how interesting this place really is-how a crater with a depth equivalent to the length of a football field was once here how the Tuibun Ohlone inhabited the surrounding area for at least 2,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. I’m here on assignment and I must admit, the parts of Dumbarton Quarry Campground now open for business are not much to look at: a large, paved area, with concrete islands of grass and tree saplings here and there, and small, narrow spots designated for RV and tent camping, organized into rows and columns. Looking out from my campsite on the southwestern edge of Dumbarton Quarry, I can see everything.
A panorama of images show the Bay, Coyote Hills, and Dumbarton Quarry, shot with a kite-lofted aerial camera.