I can't speak for the main pool, but the children's pool was perfect for our little one who is learning to swim. It is an X shaped design with shallow entries on all arms of the pool and no spot deeper than two feet throughout. The fountain can be turned on which also made for a fun experience for the kids and adults. Highly recommend giving this place a shot if you are looking for a summer swim for kids under five years old. read more

Easy to check in as an out of towner, beautiful space, clean locker room and showers!

I grew up around Rinconada Park and the pool. It's wonderful to see that it's all looking good with lots of people attending. There were some times where soccer players tried to take over the lawn areas before the city intervened, and there have been some nice updates to the pool without changing its character and feeling. Great park with lots of adjacent attractions and services. read more

We love this place, it's great for kids of all ages, and my daughter loves the slide. If you get there early enough, you can also pitch a tent or find a nice spot on the lawn. Not sure if it is open yet... Is it open now for the season? read more

Its a nice sized pool for little ones and kids to play in. A few things to mention - there isn't a lot of seating... there are a few lawn chairs scattered about but very limited. There are four picnic tables, only three of which are covered. If you are looking for shade there is a sliver of shade you can sit in by a tree, either on lawn chairs or blankets. But be aware that the shaded areas are mostly mud. Tips- if you want shade get there right at opening. Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets you don't mind getting muddy. Also, the deepest part of the play pool is about 3 feet. read more

Clean and well managed. Really inexpensive considering the facilities. Then there's the playground and the mini zoo. Just great for young kids and for the parents to catch their breath. Love it! read more

Unfortunately, I don't plan to return after being told I was only allowed to breastfeed my 7 month old baby in the locker room. This is not an option for me as I have two other children I need to attend to. What an old-fashioned & anti-family policy. read more

Lovely place for kids under 5 space to sit and have a little snack bathroom showers super

I have a two year old and we are not residence and it was such a wonderful price for all day and my daughter absolutely loved every second of it. The waiting pool is perfect for her size! So many fun things to explore there! read more

I paid about $20 for the three of us (1 adult, 2 kids). Easy street parking (no limits). The restroom is pretty clean with a swimming suit water extractor machine. Bring a towel/blanket. Concrete seating on the floor with not much shade. There were some picnic tables but those were already occupied. Pack a lunch as I didn't see a vending machine? I love the wading area (~1 foot) and great for babies. It is only 3 feet deep so I felt safe letting my child roam around. There is a mini slide. read more

I think I can say that my son officially learned how to swim here! It's perfect for toddlers and little ones because of the Beach -type layout and the depth. I love that there is a small water slide that doesn't look too intimidating for the kiddos. The cute mushroom shade waterfall thing is cool for splashing about too. And the bike things that squirt water are fun (for the kids, that is)! It's cool cause the pool starts really shallow (like the beach) and then gets deeper. 4 year olds can tippy toe the whole time and totally enjoy themselves. It's also deep enough for parents to just sit there and enjoy watching the kids enjoy themselves. And those with older kids (or no kids), don't worry, Rinconada didn't forget about you. On the other side is the adult pool with the diving boards. My 14 year old spends the whole time doing his flips (and flops) into that nice cool water. There is also a park right outside and lots of ice cream vendors. Ahhh the joys of summer! read more

Rinconada Pool - Swimming Pools Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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This pool is great for families with little kids. I have a 3 year old son and the kiddie pool was perfect for him. It goes up to 3 feet and he can walk almost the entire pool. We went on a foggy day but it was still pretty warm so the place wasn't too crowded like the other reviewers mentioned. They charge about $5 per adult and $4 per kid ages 3 and up. There's plenty of street parking if you're here on a day that's not too busy. They accept credit cards so that's great. The lap pool is pretty warm and there wasn't too many people in the pool when we went so my son and I had an entire lane to ourselves. The lifeguards are definitely on alert and it's great to know that the kids are watched very closely. There was a kid who had a little accident when I was there and the lifeguards cleared out the kiddie pool right away and had to close it for approximately 20 minutes to clean up. My son and I just hung out in the lap pool while they cleaned up. The showers are warm and love that they have a little chair that my son can stand on while we clean up. I will definitely be back and will bring all my girlfriends and nieces with me soon. love it here. read more

Great place for kids and adults. Kids pool is huge and fun for them and the regular pool accommodates the older kids and adults. There are some tables in the shade and vending machines. Showers and bathroom very clean considering the traffic that goes thru there. read more

This place is great for people with little kids, especially on a hot summer day. Pool is pretty shallow with a slide and water mushroom. It's $4 per person, and kids under 2 are free. There are also lifeguards on duty. I brought a mat to sit in the grassy area, and of course lunch and snacks which they allow. Definitely a fun day to spend with the little kids, and not too crowded during weekdays read more

Awesome place highly recommend, everything is clean and tidy, 7$ entrance!!! Im only upset there is no deck chair where you can lay your body for sun tan... they have only regular chairs... read more

Love coming here on a hot day, the kiddie pool part that's shallow is great for my toddler and she loves the water spouts that spray water in an arch, she also loves the mushroom waterfall, but it will hurt after a while. I always come as a drop in so I do run the risk of waiting in line, but so far I've never had to, just walked right in :) what's great about this pool is the grass area where you lay out your towel and leave your stuff. I usually leave stuff in the bathroom area, they provide green mesh bags to hold your stuff and then you can hang it. Sometimes it seems chaotic at the pool but they only allow a certain amount of people in at a time and there are always ample life guards on duty! read more

The pool is well maintained. Super baby/toddler/kid friendly. Keep in mind all ages are welcome in the smaller pool. And when the "lap swim" is going on in the large pool, it is closed l, so only the small pool is open. Great water features that keep kids entertained. The depth of the pool ranges from 0ft-3ft. There's great shallow areas of the pool that are on the outer edges. The water features include a small slide, water bikes that pump water out, a larger water fall umbrella, and fountains that shoot out water. Also, food IS permitted in the area, but it must be kept 10ft away from the pool. There is grassy area to sit, as well as shaded table spaces. Great pool! And lots of fun! read more

The facilities are great. They definitely need to get a system out front. An hour or more before opening they should have a chalk line or stanchions outside to let people know where the offical line should be. A riot could have ensued the day I was there as there was chaos and no real line. Everyone was pushing and it could get dangerous for young children. Please figure out an orderly system and instruct people where to line up. LIfeguards came in periodically thru the front but said nothing. At the same time, lifeguards were inside doing nothing, just waiting and watching the chaos ensue. Get some real leadership there. Let people know the cost and tell them to have their money out as well so thing move faster. read more

This pool is a valuable staple in this great family friendly city. The surrounding park is ideal for those more inclined to stay dry. But the pool locker room was SO perfectly warm and cozy. The pool was clean and balanced. Maybe we will visit again in a couple years and bring the toddler niece for the fun looking kiddo pool area (that was closed for the masters swim meet on 3/10). Extra cool points for being able to remain in business since my dad worked here as a life guard in the 60's!!! read more

Rinconada Pool - Swimming Pools Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Checked out this place out last month and quite frankly this place does get packed. Get there early and wait in line as they open at 12pm. You can bring snacks and drinks. Theres not much sitting area so bring extra towels to sit on the grass. My son was having a blast until they had everyone evacuate the pool immediately as someone POOPED in the pool. Not sure if it was a baby, toddler or a kid but POOP in the pool means = mommy getting grossed out. I saw the workers scooping out pieces of small poops but i just DONT get it...? IF...... 1) a baby pooped he/she wasnt wearing a swimming diaper? parents go BUY ONE! 2)if it was a toddler.. please potty train or use diapers. 3)a kid? maybe got too excited and forgot to use the bathroom? (train them!) 4) adult? Your just gross! So although it wasn't the facility fault, they did evacuate everyone immediately. read more

I have loved this pool for years, and my kids think this place is awesome. Unfortunately, after our last visit I won't be coming back. Both of my kids and the other kids we came with all left after playing in the pool last Thursday with chlorine burns on their legs and private parts. Unfortunately, we had to leave early and complained to the pool staff since the kids were all in tears over the fact that they were burning/itching so badly. When I told the lifeguards they said "other people had complained that day, you aren't the only ones", but didn't really give any explanation. It was pretty scary, and we went home and waited a day or two for the burns to go away. Even after a few days (its been 5) both of my kids hair feels like straw, and I'm concerned. Also, the chemicals were so harsh that their swimsuits turned about 10 shades lighter. From ONE visit (and a brand new suit). I don't normally mention one little problem, but with the burning, the bleached swimsuit, and the dried out nasty hair, I was seriously alarmed. Please double check your chlorine levels Rinconada so other kids don't have the same problem! read more

I swim at Rinconada about 3-4 times a week (nights). Now I am not a recreational swimmer and I do not have kids. Therefore, my review is from the perspective of a lap/training swimmer. Good: open year round. If you're like me, and love nothing more than a bracing swim during the sub-40s temps in February (the pool is heated, obviously) with the steam rising out all around you, Rinconada accomodates. They close for thunderstorms but that's pretty much it. Good hours. Open till 8:45 on MWF which is better than most places nearby. Water temp is appropriately cool for lap swimming (warm water in a lap pool is SATAN!!!). It's clean. So-so: 25 meter lanes. I would prefer 50m, but hey... $3 entrance fee is high IMO, but if you live around here you can afford it. I buy the resident ticket books which knocks the price down to $2.50. I thought they were phasing these out in favor of membership cards, but I might be wrong. Lifeguards are HS kids. Most are extremely nice sweet kids. Some are snotty. However, unless you are buying swim tickets or drowning, you don't need to interact with them. Bad: locker room is like an elementary school or day camp. No lockers or lockable storage. It is Palo Alto, though, so you don't need to worry about your shoes walking away by themselves. I lock up my wallet in my car. There are 'gang' showers which is fine, but they are the kind where you need to press a (single) button to turn on the water for a minute or so, keep pressing every minute or 30s or else the water turns off. One star off because the locker room is so spare. Crowds: if you arrive after 7:30 you can usually get your own lane. During the summer high point, it's 2 people in every lane and sometimes 3. This starts in May and tails off after Aug. or Sept. I like to have the whole lane to myself (who doesn't?) so I come a bit later. Can't speak for the morning swims. Social/people aspect: like most places in Silicon Valley, everyone keeps to themselves and chatter is held to a minimum. There are people who do Masters club and other events outside but this is not a place to make new friends. Night swimming is mostly older guys in their late 30's and up, a few women here and there but they do not make eye contact, much less chat. But that's Palo Alto for ya! Overall: great outdoor pool. I used to frequent a pool like this in college. Since then, I have been dreaming of having a good pool in my neighborhood for lap swimming. Thank goodness for this place! read more

Sorry to say...despite the preceding glowing reviews, I have to rate this place a star. The place PISSED ME OFF. One really HOT SUMMER weekend afternoon, we headed to the pools with family, friends and at least half a dozen kids. All ready to have a fun-filled afternoon. When we got there, the little street parking were all taken. We circled around like hungry sharks quite a few times before we found spots to park. Then we all piled out of our vehicles sweaty and anxious to get cooled off. Went up to the gate and found the pools CLOSED !!! They had a power outage we learned....we were bloody close to fainting in disbelief and from the heat !!! HelloooOOO....this is PALO ALTO man....YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO HAVE THAT ON A HOT SUMMER WEEKEND ?!? A 2-bedroom fixer-upper goes for over a cool MILLION $$$....WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS 'HOOD ?!? Anyone in PA ever thought of an auxiliary power source ? Or is there no budget for it ?! read more

Great swim place! Wish they would update the locker rooms but great place to take the kids.

This is *not* your average public pool. It's got: a deep water diving area with two boards a huge kiddie pool with areas ranging from 1-3.5 feet ride-on ducks for spraying your friends a slide all kinds of fountains and splashing for kids of all ages low entry fees of $4 per kid and $5 per adult As a result, it's ridiculously crowded. Or at least it has been the two times I visited on a Saturday. This made watching my little guys rather stressful. It also made the locker rooms rather wet and unpleasant. But the pools are awfully nice, and it's open to the public. Would be 5 stars if they could find a way to thin the crowds a bit more (e.g., reservations, longer open hours?). read more

No pool. No AC. And it's so FREAKING hot your little one keeps taking off all his clothes and laying on the tile floor. Sound familiar? If so read on... I just discovered the Rinconada Pool this past weekend. A friend of ours threw a birthday party for her 3-yo son and we all had a blast!. Now mind you, this place has an adult swimming pool with lanes and a kiddie pool but be warned on a Sat. it felt like the kids dominated the scene. Which was fine by me. I have a rug rat of my own who loved this place! Growing up around pools and the ocean - I never spent much time at public pools. But my preconceived ideas of what a public pool would be like were way off base when it came to this place. Yes, it was: - CLEAN - WELL STAFFED - LIFEGUARDS SEEMED VERY ATTENTIVE - POOL RULES were always enforced - SAFE - though I keep an eye on my lil' bubba always - esp. around a pool They had: - cute little wading pools for babies and infants not ready to venture in to the 1.5 foot pool. (So cute) - cool water toys to spray other kids and unsuspecting adults who need a good shot every now and then... - water fountains that shoot into the pool and a mini slide for more adventurous kids. There is a poolside patio like place you can rent for parties, but our party was out in the park which was actually better for the adults. We barbecued. Had lunch. Those who wanted to go swimming did. Which left the "adults" to watch over everyone's stuff and oh yes.. relax in the park on an absolutely beautiful day. You do need to call in to reserve a BBQ pit if you'd like to fire up the grill there and picnic. While there is a no In-N' OUt rule for the pool facilities we didn't really need it. Once the kids were done. They were done. Did I mention this park was void of any bees or annoying pests? (yes... I know it's their right to be there - we all share this planet etc..) But it was odd that we didn't have any pest problems there. I'm not complaining.. .just thankful. Enjoy! read more

FIRST AND LAST VISIT TO THIS POOL! I would have given this a 5 star only because the pool is really wonderful. But the reason for this one star review is because the head lifeguard there who didn't want to share his name gave my family and I so many problems. #1 women's bathrooms/lockers barely get cleaned and it was so dirty that we had to change at a different location about 500 feet to the pool entrance #2 pools capacity was quickly reached so many people weren't allowed in. They even conducted a wait list. #3 even if you do not step foot into the pool you still have to pay the cover charge. #4 everyone was sneaking in food. They might as well permit it. And also the receptionists don't communicate at all. #4 We were celebrating 2 kids birthdays of about 10-15 people and my father just came in to get keys. The head guard harassed my father telling him he would call the cops because he was there for more than 30 sec. Come on really. My dad was saying okay one second but couldn't even get those words out because the guard interrupted by repeatedly saying "leave now" in a very irritated tone. It was just so uncalled for. They received a lot of profit from my family and it was too bad we had this experience. Hope this helps anyone throwing a party. I will say that the pool design and hours were very fitting. They should tear down all the staff and replace em with fresh faces. read more

Paradise rec center pool in Palo Alto.  Stayed in Palo Alto for the first time and the last day i looked for a public pool.  This place was recommended after making a few phone calls.  Clean, friendly, accommodating.  I only brought $6 and the cost was $7. Instead of humiliating me the staff was forgiving and welcomed me in.  Highly recommend this in the chamber of paradise. read more

Rinconada Pool - Swimming Pools Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Two words for you people: Night-time Hours! Or how about two more: Trees overhead! Or another double: Not overcrowded! Or yet 'nother: Old School.. Ok, i've run out of cleverness. Nonetheless, this is my pool for Sunday night swims, my after the work week Friday night rinse off, my just off the 101 as i come home from the city or head there from the peninsula to make the transition from clinic treating into subdued relaxed weekending.. Its a little run-down in the locker room sense, but that's what i've got Equinox for on other days, this place is for the simple pleasure of floating in deep, clean water, swimming hard under summer skies.. and i love being there 'round sunset as the birds overhead mingle with the trees and I can kickboard myself quietly into contemplation. Check it out! Great deal too at 4 bucks a swim. read more

Sorry, X X, that the power went out and you weren't able to even try out the pool before giving it a single star. Hmmm but if you lived in Palo Alto you might have known that the power was out. So really, you're just mad that you can't live in Palo Alto. Here's a number to call to get a recording of the rec/lap swim schedule: (650) 463-4914. This is a great neighborhood pool. It has a wading pool complete with play things (slide, bikes, fountains etc) and it's shaped like a flower for the little ones and a larger lap pool for the adults. Good pool, clean pool, outdoor pool. The lap pool is not olympic sized. It feels like 25 yards. This means you have to turn around more often. Who cares. Maybe X X would complain about this. The locker rooms are a far walk from the lap pool, but a close walk from the kiddie pool. The little kids don't have to be cold after getting out of their pool, thus reducing the chance of having little kids running to the locker room. But for me, who is not a little kid, I have to be cold for a little bit. How far is far? About 30 feet away for women, less for men. No designated parking lot. There's plenty of parking on the streets around the pool. more than a few spots in front of the tennis courts across the street, plus two parking lots across newell (for the PA art center and one for the library/neighborhood garden). read more

For us young hipsters, this is a great place to stay in shape and work on the hot sexy tan. I've been swimming here for about 2 years now, at least once a week, but I come here more for lap/training swims rather than recreational swims. I love coming here because I would say that for the most part, I get my own lane or share a lane with someone else, which means I never have to circle swim (1 out of every 10 visits) since they have a decent number of available lap lanes. Circle swimming here gets particularly horrible though because swimmers are of such different skill levels, the fast lane really consists of swimmers who swim anywhere between 1:15 to 1:45 on their sets. The only drawback is that this is a 25 yard pools, when I would prefer a 50 yard, or even just a 25 meter pool. Summer lunch swims here are especially awesome/crappy because they open up the kiddie pool. Kiddie pool means that the pool is super crowded with lots of kids running around. Kiddie pool also means some attractive scenery when all of the Palo Alto stay-at-home moms come out. During the winter, the attendance at the pool definitely leans out and you can almost guarantee your own lane whether you come at lunch or at night. Despite the slightly higher places compared to pools like Eagle Park, the pool never gets really crowded unless it is peak hours (12-1 pm) during the warmer months. And even then, you might just have to wait a few minutes to avoid circle swimming. But those hours tend to be easy to avoid. And finally, the shower and locker rooms here are horrible (no lockers and annoying showers that require the user to push a damn button every minute to keep the water running), but they get the job done. read more

Really great place for toddlers and cheap price to pay but line is always super long so go early because it closes at 4:30pm, I'll give it more stars if there's actually some1 that tells ya while waiting in line if its max capacity. I've seen people waiting forever in the blazing sun and just left and somehow the center started to let people in but only a few at a time. read more

My husband and I love taking our son to this pool. A great place for this kiddies. I like the act that its huge and shallow enough for him to stand in it. Oh if you could only see my son's smiles when he rises from the water. He is full of smiles. I love it! read more

This is a review of the kiddie pool only, not the lap pool. This pool is perfect for babies through, I'd say, 5 year olds. The depth starts at 0 feet with a sloping "beach" area and goes to about 3 - 3.5 feet. The pool is large with a clover-like shape and has a waterfall mushroom, a small slide and stationary bikes shaped like ducks that, when functioning, spray water out as the kids pedal. Swim lessons are also offered - group and private. The water is heated. The kiddie pool is public and only open a couple months in the summer, not year round. The best time to come is during the weekday, seriously. I'm taking off a star because on the weekends this place is a public bath, and on those supremely hot days or public holidays, a disgusting public bath. And the water is...salty. But still a nice little pool for young children to wade in. Just not you and me. read more

Very nice pool for a very reasonable price. Lap swim (for walk-in non-resident adults) was 7$. The pool was very clean and the lanes weren't too crowded. Comes with showers / lockers as expected. read more

Great pool to swim laps while waiting for someone or something at Stanford Medical Facilities. Very close by and a clean and easy facility to use to get all the tensions out! read more

The perfect family pool for summer days. It is just right for bringing little ones. I spent the better part of a hot day sitting in the shallow water of the wading pool with my infant. There is even a very small water slide for small children. The fee is really cheap and even cheaper with 10 Card Pass. It is a little more expensive if you are not a Palo Alto resident. The kids on staff are pretty friendly. They are kids though, and lack some level of general professionalism. I had one girl repeatedly ask me if I was a Palo Alto resident, as if she couldn't believe that some WAAYYYY over in Mountain View would travel so far to get to Palo Alto. Then she kept muttering, "not from Palo Alto, not from Palo Alto" while clicking around on her computer. That bugged, but whatever. Be sure to bring your own snacks because there is not snack bar. There are a couple of picnic tables, though. I will be there all summer, so I might just see you around the pool! read more

Great pool. Lots of lanes. Nice kids water play area. Changing rooms not great, but I'm there for the pool, not the changing rooms. Wish they were open more and had lockers. read more

It's great to see that some things never change,...but some things that maybe should? I came to the pool yesterday with my two year old for the first time since working there myself as a lifeguard for a lot of years. The pool is great, the systems in place for lifeguard rotations and swimmer safety is all in place. Those are the great things that have stayed the same! The cashier seemed a bit mopey, but maybe we all were as teenagers? If so, I am so sorry for all the guests that visited the pool in the 90's to whom I may have been a total crab-apple. Sadly, I would have thought that the locker rooms would have gotten a bit of a facelift. That doesn't seem to be the case. They really are in disrepair. I suspect it is only a matter of time that they get an overhaul, but when? It really should have happened years ago. They are dirty and "yucky." Thank you for the extra long wading pool hours in summer! read more

Perfect or the kids but seating kinda sucks only 3 benches maybe 4 you will most likely end up sitting in the dirt. I give 4 stars because it's clean and safe and my daughter loves it! read more