So, in 2014, Collins founded 510 Hikers, whose mission is to get more Black people out onto trails and in wild places — and critically, to build “community and connection,” he said.
Once Collins started organizing hikes every Saturday all across the Bay Area, what he found wasn’t a financial barrier, but a comfort one, he said. And one key element was allowing folks “to feel like they didn’t have to leave their neighborhood to go on a hike,” he said — because “the neighborhood sometimes isn’t the physical space.”
“Sometimes the neighborhood is the people that are around you,” Collins said. “So I said, ‘Hey, let’s bring the neighborhood to the outdoors. Let’s bring the ‘hood to the woods.’”
‘We’re out here’
After over a decade, 510 Hikers is still going strong today, with outings nearly every single weekend. (“We’ve hiked every trail in the Bay Area,” Collins said.) The group doesn’t just hike, either — they’ve organized community 5K runs, American River floats and trips all across the Bay Area and far beyond, including a recent trek up Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
While their next Saturday event, on June 21 at 8:15 a.m. at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the Oakland Hills, wasn’t originally marked as a Juneteenth hike, it doesn’t have to be, Collins said — because “we’re out here every week.”
Even so, Collins said he plans to take a moment and say a few words to kick off the hike, inviting hikers to reflect on the weight of the last 200 years of history to today that led to them sharing a morning outdoors together.
“Freedom isn’t free,” he said. “And we owe it to our ancestors to love each other and be a community and hike in and enjoy nature.”
“Just a couple of generations ago, we wouldn’t have even been allowed to gather the way we’re gathering now,” he said. “We have to let that sink in.”
Collins frequently begins each hike with a get-to-know-you activity — as it’s so often the people, not the place, that gives these hikes their purpose. If you leave a hike without several new friends and connections, “you missed out,” he said.
He’s well aware of the ripple effect his group has had among hikers of all ages, who tell him they’ve found motivation to lead a more active life and be more in tune with the world and the community around them.
“For a lot of us, this is more than just gathering up and hiking together,” he said. “We understand the impact we’ve had in the Bay Area. We understand the impact we’ve had with each other.”
“It goes beyond safety — there’s a pridefulness,” Collins said.
He’s also committed to promoting the physical and mental health benefits of hiking and being outside, saying that “hiking is kind of like putting vegetables in spaghetti.” He often starts hikes by encouraging participants to close their eyes, put one hand over their heart, and focus on their breath and the sounds of nature around them.
“What nature does so often is it starts to thaw out that frozen sense of ours,” he said. “You want to be a place where a butterfly wants to land and … use nature to tune into the nature within yourself.”
If you’re tempted to join Saturday’s Sibley hike, bring water, shoes with traction and a snack — but rest assured that Collins brings extras of everything, just in case.
And just know: “You’re going to catch a vibe and want to come back,” he said. “That’s who we are.”
More outdoor groups and events to join to mark Juneteenth with
Major Taylor Bay Area Cycling Club
Named for one of the early Black sports icons, world-famous cyclist Major Taylor, this East Bay-based cycling club is hosting a 10 a.m. Juneteenth ride on June 19, leaving from Berkeley Sports Basement.
Now in its fourth year, the event is an all-ages “daytime ride in celebration of Black joy, freedom, and community,” organizers said. “No Lycra necessary — just roll up in something that feels expressive and free.”
On Saturday June 14 at Pacific Pipe Climbing Gym in Oakland, climbing club Black Rock Collective is teaming up with Touchstone Climbing from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. “for an evening of community, creativity and connection.”
The event will not only welcome new and experienced climbers and raise money for the club, but will also feature an artists market and a raffle, featuring Black-owned small businesses, food and drink vendors and artists.
Now in its fifth year, the Liberation Paddle Out at Cowells Beach on Sunday, June 15, hosted by Black Surf Santa Cruz, promises “a joyous day on the beach” to center Black and BIPOC community members and “experience the transformative power of the ocean together, many for their first time.”
The organization also hosts events and pop-up programs centering surf education and recreation all year round.
In addition to free entry at national parks, the East Bay Regional Park District is opening its parks for free all day as well on Juneteenth itself, June 19.
A number of parks are having their own celebrations, including a naturalist-led hike at Coyote Hills Regional Park and a celebration walk at Thurgood Marshall Regional Park.
