Congratulations Moraga!!
According to the locals, Moraga is the most walkable town in Lamorinda. Here are the top 10 most walkable neighborhoods ranked by local residents, let's see why they voted for each.
I live in Moraga and we walk everywhere. Our street doesn't have sidewalks (but safe enough where my kids play soccer and basketball out on the streets all the time). Where there aren't sidewalks, the streets are quiet enough for the kids to walk around. We have neighbors that have young kids who walk with their kids everywhere too.
I am in Moraga. I don’t have a sidewalk on my street but the Lafayette/Moraga Regional trail makes up for it. I’m a block away so we walk the dog or takes the kids out for a bike ride frequently. There are a few playgrounds and a library along the way so the kids love it.
Corliss/Sonsara/Moraga Country Club area - Moraga
Corliss and Moraga Country Club area is beautiful with manicured landscaping, sidewalks, and street lights (!!) We walk along Camino Ricardo to Moraga Country Club area all the time. We love riding our bikes with our kid to get bubble tea or ice cream, and then ventured onto the trial near School St. There are bike lanes along the way, the roads are flat and wide and we felt safe letting our kids walk to Los Perales Elementary everyday on their own.
Camino Pablo (aka the Larch) - Moraga
Camino Pablo neighborhood in Moraga is very pedestrian friendly where you can walk/bike to school for k-8. It is where Camino Pablo Elementary and Joaquin Moraga Intermediate Schools located.
Another vote for Moraga if walkability is a priority for you. The Camino Pablo neighborhood in particular, where kids can walk or bike k-8. We love the Rancho Laguna Park. It is a beautiful park deep in the heart of Moraga. Always clean, closes early, and great for the little ones.
Camino Pablo neighborhood in Moraga. You can walk and bike everywhere. Some streets have sidewalks but most bike riders ride on the street. The streets are pretty wide so you don’t feel like you’re competing with cars for road space.
Campolindo - Moraga
Campolindo is close to downtown Lafayette and Highway 24. The neighborhood has sidewalks and we can get more house for the $ than in Lafayette. Plus there are hiking trails to the Reservoir. It has been amazing.
We live in Campolindo! Great family neighborhood with community pool and sidewalks! Great access to the Lafayette rim trail. They have a trick or treating street with Hot cider stations. Great community!
We live across from Campolindo High School. We can walk the Natalie Drive, loop out to Moraga Rd and back. Or we can drive to a different area for a walk. There are many neighborhoods with sidewalks and safe for walking with kids in Moraga. We tend to walk over to Campo HS and explore, go to one of the many wonderful playgrounds, or drive and park at one of many trail entrances. Oh, and my kids love going for walks over on the Saint Mary's campus. There's so much to discover.
Downtown Lafayette
If you live in downtown Lafayette, it can be an easy 5 minute walk to schools k-8, BART, theater, 4 grocery stores (Diablo Food, Trader Joe, Wholefoods, and Safeway), doctor office, library, gyms, and over 50 restaurants.
In downtown Lafayette, we all walk everywhere. I know some people who don't even have a car. You can walk to k-8 schools, restaurants, cafes, 4 grocery stores, theater, kids activities, banks, BART, and more. The busier downtown streets do have sidewalks. The residential trail neighborhoods don't sidewalks but access to the trail and all the kids use it to ride their bikes to school. Halloween on Moraga Blvd./Monroe Ave./Victoria is magical and the streets are blocked off to cars.
I live close to Downtown Lafayette because walkability was my main criterion. The Street connecting my neighborhood to downtown is steep and curved with no sidewalks or street lights and we do walk on it but it is stressful; cars drive like bats out of hell around there. I was disappointed the first year we lived here because I was so looking forward to trick-or-treaters at Halloween and there really are none in my neighborhood because of this.
However once you get over the steep hill and no sidewalk being on my neighborhood main street, walkability is fabulous, and we can walk easily to Bart and downtown restaurants and shopping supermarkets banks and post office basically everything.
Burton Valley - Lafayette
The heart of Burton Valley is filled with families and grade school children. While we have no sidewalks, the streets are flat and generally safe for walking and cycling.
Every morning we see a parade of little cyclists heading the Burton Valley Elementary.
No sidewalks was weird to us at first, as well as no street lights. But even so, my kids are always biking, skating, and walking our neighborhood in Burton Valley. There are bits of sidewalks here and there but it’s not consistent. Bike lanes are great though.
The "Trails" neighborhood - Lafayette
The “Lafayette/Moraga” biking walking trail runs through the streets in this neighborhood, making it easy to walk or bike into downtown Lafayette, Stanley and Lafayette Elementary.
We live in the “Trails” neighborhood of Lafayette. LOVE it so much that I have told my entire family I am never moving.
We live in the Trails area in Lafayette and I have 2 young kids and was adamant that we got a place with sidewalks; however, we fell in love with the house we are now living in, which is on a slight hill with no sidewalks. I will admit that it is stressful to constantly have to make sure my kids don’t run out to the street and to watch out for cars when we go out for walks, but we are super close to the Lafayette-Moraga trail that makes it all worth it. Also, down the street from us is a popular trick-or-treating area with no sidewalks (Moraga Blvd) that closes down during Halloween with tons of families walking around. We went one year when it didn’t close down and it was still totally fine (although it stressed my siblings out). Good luck!!
Del Rey - Orinda
We live in the Del Rey neighborhood of Orinda and love it. My kids walk/ride bikes to school and it’s awesome. I have walked with my kids around, even all the way to Moraga to the Rheem area. There aren't many sidewalks in the residential areas, but there are many kids in this area and many walk to schools (Elementary, Middle and High Schools are within walking distance).
Something to consider is your proximity to K-12 schools. There are neighborhoods in Orinda (Del Rey, Ivy, etc) within walking distance to elementary, middle and high schools. Thats a huge benefit!!
We live in Del Rey, and no sidewalks, but easy to take my 2.5 and 5 years old out walking the dog. We used to live up over OCC and it was too dangerous up in the hills, but the valley is beautiful.
Ivy Drive - Orinda
Not many sidewalks in the Ivy Drive area but kids walk on the streets regularly - especially on their way to the schools in the area. We haven’t found it to be too difficult to move over for traffic, because unless you’re walking on Moraga Way, there’s just not much of it.
Come to Ivy Drive in Orinda!!! I just got back from a scooter ride with my kids. We safely go every day. Wide streets with bike lanes. Ivy drive is crazy fun for Halloween and everyone participates for holiday lights!!!!!
Still wear bike lights and if walking we have a flashlight and/or reflective band. People like to speed on Ivy Drive and everywhere else in Lamorinda area. That's why there's that slogan "Slow Down Lamorinda". And yes my family bikes to school and to work.
Orinda Woods/ Orinda Grove
Orinda Grove is home to 73 units that was built and sold in 2013, it was a brand new neighborhood with close proximity to downtown and a walkable distance to the BART station.
We love Orindawoods. It's walkable to BART and downtown Orinda. Plus, the van shuttle also picks up and drops off at BART in morning and afternoon/evening. As the kids get older, the van picks up the middle school kids & high school kids at the bus stop at BART and brings them right home to your door. There are lots of options here from townhouses to single family homes. The tennis program is fabulous for kids. And the courts are walkable from every house. I really feel like Orindawoods is an unknown gem to many who look in the area.
Saranap - Lafayette/Walnut Creek
We live in the Saranap neighborhood. Kids are outside everywhere all the time! Lots of adults out on their walks too. Wonderful & kid friendly with a neighborhood pool as well (you can join)
I think it depends on the specific area. Our long court in the Saranap area (recommend!!) has no sidewalks and no streetlights which went against what was on my “must have” list when we were house hunting. So glad we toured the area a second time in the late afternoon and saw many neighbors out on the street, kids biking or skating (and a mom yelling CAR!!! and all the kids going to the side), shooting baskets, lounge chairs out front, etc. I think when house hunting be sure to scope out your potential neighborhood at different times of day and see what the reality of the areas activity is. Our street is chock full of neighborhood kids playing in the street and I love it.
Alamo
This is partially how we landed in Alamo. I know kids bike in Lamorinda but in certain areas we were shopping I really felt like if my kid went over the edge of the street we wouldn’t find them for months.
Another vote for west side Alamo. The Iron Horse Trail is so nice-we can ride our bikes into downtown Danville or downtown Walnut Creek. Kids can ride their bikes to school completely from trail access. Flat with no hills.