Our pretty, local park. Beautiful views, good facilities, relaxed community feel. We are blessed to…read morehave it!

This is a very clean park--including the bathrooms and water fountain. The structure area is small…read more(best for ages 3-8), but there is nice space for picnics and frisbee, tennis courts, basketball hoops, and a community center. Plus there is a view. A good place to host a party or meet young families for lunch.

I came here for a birthday party in the redwood picnic area, which was reserved. The picnic tables…read moreare made of engineered wood, so they've held up really well, and were easy to clean. This area is surrounded by redwoods, so you feel like you're picnicking in the forest. There's a little enclosed playground with play structures, climbing structures, and swings for the little ones. It really was a beautiful and serene venue for a picnic. There's a small parking area that fills up quickly on weekends. There's a soccer field right by the park, and tennis/pickleball courts too. Although the park is located right by the freeway, the redwood trees make you feel like you're out in nature.

This park has layers: * a little area of redwoods with bbq…read moreand plenty of picnic tables. *baseball diamond * a rather wet soccer field/ grassy field * an organic community garden. * 2-3 tennis courts/pickleball * a tot playground * a small but mighty parking lot with plenty of street parking *bathrooms It's adjacent to a school resulting in a playground for older kids. My son has soccer here on the weekends resulting in a full parking lot, but as I explored this small but mighty park, it has so much to it. It packs a punch with something for everyone. Downside: * it's located on a very busy thoroughfare, between the highway and San Pablo Ave. * there is indeed no ocean view. I'm assuming this is the neighborhood name. If you cruise up the hill in the residential area, the views are lovely.

Yep, this is one of the almost dozen rock parks that freckle the Berkeley Hills, but this one…read moredidn't necessitate a passion for rock climbing to enjoy it. Patience, however, helped since the location required winding through narrow residential streets. It's definitely an upward trek albeit on pavement, but the end result was worth. It consisted of an ideal patch of green surrounded by a low rock wall which provides climbing opportunities below for the more adventurous. For the rest of us, there's a nice panoramic view of the bay from the covered terrace. There are several picnic tables if you're looking to hold an outdoor party. I was just looking for steps. RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CbVh8u

A tiny little space nestled in the middle of a residential area in the Berkeley Hills, Cragmont…read morePark pretty much serves one purpose, and one purpose only... rock climbing! I was here two weekends ago for the first time on a Living Social Adventures excursion, which consisted of two hours of rock climbing instruction from the team at Castle Rock Climbing School, and a BBQ lunch provided by Looney's Smokehouse (http://bit.ly/iAgzYa). I'll leave the reviews for those two businesses for later, as this is about the park itself. Cragmont can basically be broken down into two parts - the flat, grassy field and picnic area up top (including a dilapidated half court hoop) with spectacular views of UC Berkeley, downtown Oakland, and the Bay; and the cliff area below, which is used almost exclusively for rock climbing. The cliff provides just about enough room for the folks at Castle Rock to put up eight different courses of varying difficulty. Although I'm no formative expert on the art of rock climbing, I would say that there is an adequate variety of terrain to satisfy individuals of all levels. I am quite amazed at how mother nature could have created this topography suitable for a wide skill range within such compact confines, as if it were sprouted up from the earth specifically for rock climbing. On the side closer to the entrance, the wall is less steep, with more jutting ledges for gripping and securing your footing. As you head further down the path, this is where you can tackle some of the more advanced rock formations. Some are even partially upside down! I was kind of bummed at myself for only being able to go halfway up on the eighth and final course, but later on, I noticed that some of the instructors themselves were having a difficult time. Ahh... self vindication. Although the park is far up into the hills, access is pretty easy, and it is just a straight shot up on the main road (which eventually turns into a small road). 3G access is quite spotty though, so if you are using the GPS on your phone, it may cut out a bit. Would I suggest going all the way up to Cragmont for anything other than rock climbing? Probably not. However, the view alone is spectacular enough that if you are having a picnic, or perhaps you are a guy looking for a romantic, scenic spot to take a girl, it's worth a quick detour.

Wish I knew about this garden when I was a student at CAL. This park is part of the landscaping…read moreprogram at CAL. Even the door was inconspicuous and at first glance, we were not sure if the entry was the secret staff entry or an actual entryway. It was my first time here and it was hidden in a quiet Kensington neighborhood. I accidentally found this park on Yelp and didn't think much about it but my hubby and I were surprised how charming this park is. It was like a little fairyland full of ethereal cottage flowers such as wispy cosmos moving with the breeze and happy bees everywhere. There were volunteers planting Benary zinnias and other flowers. There was a clean bathroom inside their office and plants offered for a donation. I saw mothers with their babies talking as if they come here all the time. There was a group of elderly women chatting and enjoying the peaceful garden. I was there for 30 minutes before lunch and only saw about 35 percent of the garden and I look forward to another trip to this secret garden in Kensington.

This garden is a bit off the beaten path, it's part of UC Berkeley but 3.5 miles north in the hills…read moreof Kensington. I was surprised because it was much bigger than I had imagined. At 10 acres it's a pretty decent size with a maze of little trails to explore and over 1,500 plant species. I wish they had more signage of what everything was, there were a few placards but for people that are really into botany it would have been more interesting. My favorite parts were the views of the bay and the redwood forest nestled near a creek. It's very calm here, probably because it's only open on the weekdays so it doesn't get too crowded. It's is ideal for a romantic stroll, or to take a meditative walk and it has many benches around to sit.

I like Cedar Rose Park…read more - Plenty of street parking. - There are bathrooms - I wouldn't say super clean, but they exist. - 2 playgrounds - 1 older structure and 1 pretty big and nice tot/older kid structure with sand pit and swings. Not epic, by any means but suffices. Why you love Cedar Rose Park is for the huge field. On most weekdays, kids are having soccer practice (and it can host multiple teams) and there will be a gaggle of dogs playing - it is most definitely a dog meetup at least at that 6/7pm hour. Weekends are filled with families and birthday parties. Part of the bike route connecting downtown Berkeley and the Ohlone Greenway, so a nice bike route with benches sprinkled amongst it with tennis/pickleball courts across the street. Overall a great, green open space in our little city.

Nice small park in a residential area in Berkeley!!…read more The Ohlone Greenway trail, goes through this park. The large grassy area was filled with people the day I was here. There's also a small community center and playground here, and it seems very popular with the local residents. Nice park!!

Memorial Park doesn't look like much from the Portland St. side. just saw trees, grass, a…read morechildren's playground. there's 2 blocks worth of "park" here. didn't look at the further end which may be hosting all the sports area and assembly area.

Before summer began the city's newsletter bragged about a "refurbishing" of the tennis courts…read more Great idea as it was much needed! At the very least a cleaning was necessary and so was an updating of proper signage for tennis court usage, rules & etiquette. Was looking forward to being able to reserve the court for scheduled matches. Then I wondered how long it would last before it fell into disrepair again. Not too long! Sadly for those of us who love the game and use tennis courts with respect , the Albany Memorial Park courts are now again being used as dog parks; social venues (that include bringing meals & drinks) for pickleballers ; play grounds for soccer/volleyball/skating/etc. Foul language from both young & older people. This park would get a higher rating if facilities were used as intended. Maintenance of the property can only do so much. Park users must learn to be Responsible & Respectful people too.

What a great park! As a new mom, I'm always on the hunt for great parks throughout the East…read moreBay...and Arlington Park has made the list. There's a few things I currently look for in a park before frequenting: is there easy/convenient parking, are there swings for not just the older kiddos, is there an open grass area for play or picnic, are there slides or safe infrastructure, and most importantly, is this a place I can make memories with my little or just unwind a bit. The answer to all of the above for Arlington Park is yes. I'm surprised how many parks don't have swings anymore, so grateful to those that do. Arlington Park has an incredibly large grass area to throw a blanket and bring a book to meet friends/take a break as well. Easy and free street parking, and did I mention there are ducks? Large enough to walk and spend some time, while also a great meeting spot. Would def recommend if looking for a new park or just a resting space and place. Well-kept grounds, perfect for keeping up the well being :)

Cute park with lake of ducks and turtles. Safe and pretty. Only issue is you have to go through…read morehoops to buy a key for the bathroom :-(

What a beautiful park. Are the play structures a little outdated? Yep, but they're there. They have…read moreone for the tots with a cute little train perfect for pretend, and they have a separate one for older kids with a long slide. Then, go down the hill to a big beautiful baseball field with 5 star views of SF. The trees, the cliffs, the flowers, the views. Swoon. Lovely Berkeley park that is so Berkeley.

Glendale La Loma Park is a place I visited a number of times when living in the Berkeley and Albany…read morevicinity from 2015 to 2019. The park had a few different areas, including space to walk, a small parking lot, play area(s), and a place to sit on some bleachers looking out over areas for higher energy activity. Grounds were consistently tidy and vegetation well kept. Each of my times here it was relatively calm and quiet. Other park visitors tended to be both friendly and mindful. Depending on the weather for the day, views looking towards the San Francisco Bay may have caught my attention.