Hayward highlight
Proximity to San Francisco Bay
Hayward Regional Shoreline offers 1,841 acres of wetlands, marshes, and five miles of trails along the shores of San Francisco Bay, one of the Pacific coast's largest estuaries.
San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary spanning approximately 97 kilometers north to south, ranging three to twelve miles wide. The bay receives water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems and contains the Port of Oakland, one of the busiest cargo ports on the west coast. It is the second-largest estuary on the Pacific coast of the Americas and drains water from approximately 40 percent of California's interior.
At Hayward's shoreline, the East Bay Regional Parks system manages 1,841 acres of restored wetlands and habitat. The park comprises three marsh areas: Cogswell Marsh (250 acres, completed in 1980), Hayward Marsh (145 acres, finished in 1985), and Oro Loma Marsh (364 acres, constructed in 1997). Much of the land was previously used as commercial salt flats before purchase in 1996 and conversion to wildlife habitat. Five miles of graveled public trails run along the bay, and the San Francisco Bay Trail passes through the property, offering walking, biking, and wildlife viewing.
Families make traditions from the places that become familiar: a walk on the bay trail on Sunday morning, children learning to identify birds at the marshes, the settled feeling that comes from knowing your neighborhood through the seasons. These traditions become the context for planning ahead. A household with young children who might grow up with these same walks and watching the bay needs an income protection plan that covers the years those traditions matter most. A term policy sized to the family's needs through those years is both practical and a way of honoring what you want for the people who depend on you.