Glen Echo Creek flows through the heart of the Piedmont Avenue area--but many residents are unaware of it because most of it has been hidden underground.

Two of the remaining aboveground sections are treasured neighborhood parks:

•  Glen Echo Park , one block east of Piedmont Avenue, is home to a native plant garden providing year-round flower displays and paths for strolling in sun and shade. The garden is located on the north side of Monte Vista Avenue and maintained by community volunteers with support from the City of Oakland's creek program.

The creek flows south under Monte Vista into a more naturalistic section of Glen Echo Park. Here, native oak, redwood and buckeye trees provide a shady corridor while competing with a variety of exotic plants. A construction project to repair bank erosion is planned for this section by the county Flood Control District; PANIL volunteers are working with the city and county to make sure the natural feeling of this section will be retained.

•  Oak Glen Park lies just south of the PANIL area and runs for several blocks along Richmond Boulevard. This section of the creek retains the majestic oak and bay trees that once lined Glen Echo Creek from Lake Merritt to the hills, and is home to wildlife and Oakland's first Urban Creek Reserve.