It's a nice and well-run place. We came for a quick dip on our way from Nevada City to the East…read moreBay. It was HOT outside and the kid was complaining about the long car ride. So, a little cool-down was appreciated. They were super friendly and the price was ok. If only we had considered that a.) they have a lot of camp groups during the summer holidays and b.) there is virtually no shade in the entire area and especially in the afternoon, every single little shady spot was already taken. People who come here often know to bring their own umbrella (something that's officially allowed) and come earlier to get the spots they want. But even though we suffered a little, it was worth it. The facility is very nice and clean, has an awesome family changing area and my kid just adored the lazy river.

The staff are amazing. I enjoy the group exercises and the instructors help get you where you need…read moreto be . Pool access is great for low impact movement. Location is perfect walking distance to my neighborhood.

If you have never been to the Lake Natoma Recreation area, you are missing out on a very beautiful…read morelake. It is the place to Paddle board, swim in the water, look at sailboats big & small. There are kids learning to kayak in classes, families setting up day tents and people just enjoying a beautiful lake. The geese just paddle in the water and ducks fly low to the water as you paddle by. Right off of highway 50. This is my first paddle boarding experience. You take out the paddle board out of the bag, Lay it out. Blow it up, put on 3 fins on the bottom and you your paddle are ready to go. Have your life jacket, hat, water and a camera. I met really great people just floating and paddling today. This lake is really big. I stayed close to the main recreational area since I am new. I heard there is a cave you can explore. Natoma recreational park is a place for picnics, families, water sports, paddle boarding, sailing and fun in the sun. I am hooked on paddle boarding now. I love this lake! See you again. Bring the family or just yourself. Have an adventure. Julie A

Love Lake Natoma. Lots of water loving options for fun. Beach, picnic areas, connections to trails,…read moreand shade. No current is family friendly swimming for all. Love to take in a sunset on our stand up boards. You've got to check this place out for yourself. I am eager to return soon. Great place to beat the heat.

Hours: 6 AM-9 PM daily Entrance/Parking Fee: $10…read moreKayak/Paddle Board Rental Hours: 9 AM-6 PM weekends https://www.lakenatomapaddlerentals.com/ Solos: 1st hr $20, each hr after $15 Tandem (2 people): 1st hr $30, each hr after $20 I had a very hard time finding info about this lovely spot, so there you go. Hope it helps! Entrance is accessible from Greenback Ln with $10 fee required per vehicle. 2 Parking lots available - 1 closer to boat launch area and another further lot that's more convenient for picnic areas and tables. Plenty of tables and area for lots of families to enjoy some water festivities! Have a big party or just want to lock down a few tables? Highly advise to come early. If you just need some space to place your mats down, it should be just fine. Incredible trails alongside the water for walking, jogging, and bike riding. Dogs are welcome but just make sure you pick up after them (I noticed a good number of dog poop near the water edge). Want to take a dip? Feel free! Quite cold but more than welcome to. Biggest reason why we came here? To see how the Kayak Rental system worked. Scan the QR code or visit the site to book your rentals and sign waivers. I was told they rented daily by a worker (young ones) but their online reservations just show weekends and random Wednesdays.. so good luck. Honestly Rental prices are higher than another spot we've been to, but this spot was much closer to home and easier to access. Price for convenience! We didn't go kayaking on this particular day but definitely plan to return with our own paddle board/Kayaks since it just makes sense to invest and go whenever we want versus rent a few kayaks with high rental feels. Who wants to return within 1 hr?! No way, you gotta stay out in the midst of nature for at LEAST a few hours! Pathway Tip: Walking or jogging? Stay on your left. Biking? Stay on your right. Standard Placer County rules. Great spot for families whether you want to picnic, swim, paddleboard, kayak, go for a nice walk, jog, or bike along gorgeous river waters scenery. Have fun!!

Went out to Black Miners Ravine to get on the paddleboard and just decompress a little. This time…read moreof year out there is hard to beat... good vibes, calm water, and a chance to shut the brain off for a bit. Nothing super exciting in this review, just one of those peaceful days you appreciate more as you get older lol. Now fair warning... that water is COLD cold when you first step in but once you're out there it's worth it. Even the ducks were just cruising around being friendly and minding their business. Sometimes you don't need much, just a board, some fresh air, and a little quiet.

This park is super spacious and perfect for a long walk, clearing your head, or pretending you're…read morein your "romantic main character reconnecting with nature" era. There's plenty of room to roam, and it's honestly such a peaceful spot to just exist outside for a while. Now... the only downside is the public restroom situation. The lack of doors is a bold architectural choice -- very "trust fall with society." As a woman, it's a little... unsettling. And the inside? Let's just say it gave strong Silent Hill vibes. Not quite the immersive nature experience I was looking for. That said, the park itself is beautiful and totally worth visiting. Just maybe handle your restroom business before you arrive -- or be prepared for a survival horror side quest.

Whenever my family goes to Woodland, we go to this park to walk around. It's a beautiful park with…read morea pond and wildlife.

My father used to come to this park when he is little- when we're growing up, my mom would ride…read morebicycles with us to this park and have a picnic. Many years later, I bring my children here and now a few generations later my grandchildren enjoy this park. My dad volunteered at the library at the park for many years and we ended up holding his celebration of life here (both in the rose garden and inside library). I have years of memories of hanging out here using the swimming pool, climbing trees, playing tennis & I used to run around the park when I lived nearby. We had roses planted in the Rose garden for my grandmother, my aunt and a child who died at birth. However, when they were redoing the rose garden, we had to take the plaques with us and now I have my aunts and grandma's plaque in my backyard with the same rose from the original rose garden. Shortly before my mother passed, we brought her to this park in her wheelchair and sat under a tree, enjoying a picnic with three generations of us. Needless to say this park holds numerous cherished memories.

Adj: Beautiful "Central" park in the heart of (East) Sacramento…read more McKinley Park is a historical city park in East Sacramento, but I've never looked into its history. Interestingly, the Sacramento Street Railway Company built the park in 1871 to attract people to take its trains. Then the park became a recreational area around the train line and continued to serve as a gathering spot for the residents in this neighborhood and the greater Sacramento community. Recently, we visited again to hang out with friends who wanted to meet up and have our kids play together and get out their wiggles while we chat and catch up. After the kids played for some time at the (new to us) playground, we walked over to enjoy the pond and to take a walk over to the Rose Garden. There's a path that surrounds the pond so you can get exercise with a view. We saw a lot of ducks and geese that day. Please don't feed them. They were friendly and very used to humans. After hanging out w/said friends of the fowl flavor for a few minutes, we walked towards the Rose Garden to enjoy the beauty of the roses and to people watch as they get their pictures taken and to hang out some more. Overall, I enjoyed visiting McKinley Park again, I really should come down here more often as it's a pretty great park, so big it takes up a whole city block and there's just so much nicely landscaped grounds, plant life, wildlife. It also offers a bunch of facilities to include a community pool, basketball court, a community center, picnic areas w/tables, several sports fields, plus tennis and volleyball courts. A lot offered here in one location!

Great multi use park!…read more Location: Located in Carmichael off cozy side streets is this great little park with connections to the American River Bike Trail. For the longest time I did realize how extensive the roads and parking is into this area as generally my entrance into this park is off the Bike Trail. It makes a great stop for picnics or for a quick restroom breaks. Activities: There are a lot of open fields, picnic areas, and water areas to explore off the river. One thing is that I would caution exploring the waterways around here as they can be deceptively fast and dangerous. There is also a great handicap accessible fishing areas off the farthest parking lot. Great for working and watching the waterway from the Harold Richy memorial bridge. Cons: It is a self-pay park so important to keep in mind. Can be a little hard to find but is straight down Arden Way.

I recently started biking and had been researching long paved trails to try out. The American River…read moretrail runs from Sacramento to Folsom and William B Pond seemed like a convenient and safe place to embark from and park (I had hitched my bike to my car & drove out here from the East Bay.) The kiosk was staffed on a Saturday and the entry fee is $7 (cash only.) Lots of parking and the trail is easy to spot from the various lots they had available, There were a variety of picnic areas, bathroom facilities and walking trails. It's close to neighborhoods in Carmichael, which is nice for people who live nearby and can walk right over. Access to the bike trail was my main reason for visiting and the trail itself warrants its own review. Minus one star, as having an option to pay entry by credit card would be nice. I mean, who has $7 exact change that they carry with them these days? Anyway, I would likely use this park again for a jumping off point for trail rides. Nice, clean, scenic suburban park.

I came here on Valentine's Day because my friend said he could get me in on his membership for the…read moreday. I've gone climbing only once before, but never at this facility. When I first walked in, I immediately noticed all of the natural light coming into the room. It really added to the outdoorsy ambiance. The employee at the front desk was super friendly and was quick to get me set up. As for equipment, grabbing shoes was easy (pulled them out of the storage cubes to the left of the front desk), and they provided a harness as well. I'm not sure if the staff normally does the walkthrough on tying a proper knot, since my friend and his friend did it for me. Nonetheless, I do like that they have that area separate from the main climbing area. Helps to take the pressure off a little bit if you're new. There seemed to be dozens of different climbing paths to choose from, with signs at the bottom indicating the level of difficulty. I found that particularly helpful since, as a newbie, everything looked hard. Also, the people I observed and interacted with on the floor were extremely friendly. Really great vibes coming from the community here. The pricing, based on information from my friend, seemed reasonable, since it included the gym and classes. However, I live in Elk Grove, so I probably will stick to visiting this place only now and then. Recommend giving it a try, though!

had a really good workout class here. My roommate and I went to do their strength class, but it got…read morecanceled last minute, so we pivoted to yoga. It ended up being sort of like a hot yoga since it was upstairs, but the instructor was really good. I was definitely sore the next day from it, which doesn't always happen with yoga classes.

Came by for a little day trip with the kids. Located down at…read morethe end of northgate blvd meets 16th street in a way... You know you found it by the big welcome to camp pollack sign. It does travel down the dirt road, drive slow no dust signs around too. Becareful has its loaded with walkers/homeless around there. They have a big conservation/office. But do to covid not sure when open or what it offers. Was gonna go to he front door but it had a few peacocks around and Dilantin to bother them. They will walk Farley close to you if you let them. They also have a few native gardens around and some seating. They did have a sign up to help take care of the gardens. If you follow the trail it will land you on a small beach like setting around the American River. Around the office they have a big yard and its well kept up too. Park ranger were around and employees keeping up the place. Over all pretty good spot for a quick trip to let the kids run around or a spot to fish. Ans you can see some local WILD LIFE. There was a spot to leave a requested donation for $5 parking/visiting, not sure if someone took it or of it was removed. But not fully required too.

Upon the reviews I decided to take a visit because my children's school picked this place for a…read morefield trip day. As I drove in, there were two park ranger cars leaving, I didn't see any homeless camps and there aren't any garbage in, out, or around the entire area. And as you drive further into the camp site, you do see wild peacocks along side the road. I didn't get out to venture on but it seems like a good easy hiking place. They do have picnic tables right out front. It's nature so of course there's a lot of trees and bushes and I think there might be pathway for a nice walk. I'm just not sure if it's a good place for younger kids to hike because if they go off the path, there could be prickly grass etc that could be unsafe. I wanted to leave an updated review for those that are considering a visit. From the pictures on yelp to what I saw, the park has changed drastically and also patrolled by park rangers more. If I do get to chaperone, I'll update this review more with photos.

It's taken me an insanely long time to write this because I don't want to believe that it's over…read more I spent last weekend living on a dive boat with Dolphin and it was genuinely one of the top experiences of my life. As a greener diver, I went into this trip thinking I'd just take my time, see what it was like, and figure out what I could handle. Instead, it changed my perspective on diving and, to a much larger degree, the way I see myself. Steve Ramirez and Rich DeWitt made me feel so comfortable. They gave great tips and instruction without ever making me feel like I didn't belong there. I credit both of them for being able to do the dives and be fully present for them, knowing that they were nearby if needed with answers. Tell me why I live in Los Angeles and I'm considering driving up to Sacramento to further my dive education these two guys are the reason. The boat's crew was kind, helpful and incredibly aware. They anchored at beautiful dive sites, making it extremely easy to explore and look for whatever interested you on each dive. Their briefings were informative and helpful, there was always something available to refuel or hydrate, and they answered every question I had. They provided a type of hospitality I didn't even know existed. One of the crew caught a halibut while spearfishing and they cooked it right on the boat for us to try. I'll admit, I was scared to sleep in a bunk room with 21 strangers, with basically no privacy, on a little boat rocking to whatever degree the ocean decided was appropriate that day. But waking up first thing in the morning and getting into the water helped me achieve something I hadn't even realized I'd been looking for, to quiet the noise. I've always liked diving since I got certified. Now I love diving. I love the ocean. I love myself. There are places out there on this great planet where beauty and joy outweigh personality, follower count and financial class. Moments where you feel like you're on the moon. Underwater shapes of rock and rubble where you can almost see exactly where the earth crumbled, and just how resilient the creatures living there have become, willing to adjust to something new. There are little animals. Big animals. Kelp growing from rock. Silence. Awe. Moments laughing at dinner, wondering what the people on the other boats are doing, with people who were strangers a day ago and somehow already feel like friends. There's kindness. True hospitality. And this general sense of togetherness because everybody on board has the same goal: have a safe dive. Be able to go on the next one. Witness. Observe. Engage to whatever degree we're allowed, and leave the ocean as we found it. I thought what I was looking for out there would be something else. A shark. A ray. A seal. A dolphin. Turns out, it was me. I can't wait to go on the next one. Thank you, Dolphin, for giving me an experience I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

I had the pleasure of attending a liveaboard trip in the Channel Islands this past weekend that was…read moreorganized by Dolphin Scuba Center. My wife and I are relatively new to diving so three days of nonstop scuba was both something we were excited for but also a little scared to do. Dolphin Scuba instructors Rich D. and Steve Ramirez were such an incredible pair that both taught us so much about scuba diving and allowed us to tag along with them on all of our dives. They made us feel very at ease in the water, gave us tips to improve our form and they both had endless stories to tell about diving while we hung out in the galley at night. This was our favorite scuba experience we have had thus far and I would 100% recommend joining them on one of the many trips they organize throughout the year. We can't wait to attend another trip with them in the future! Thanks again!

I attended this weekends tournament and well parents were up in arms...dare I say...literally…read more The staff was so attentive and did a great job aiding in separating brawling parents and ensuring the safety of others and the kids. Although there isn't a lot of shade, they are very accommodating to bringing some in!

I go to a lot of parks. My sons play baseball almost every weekend. So every weekend I'm traveling…read moreto park after park. This is my first time attending this one . I know that they do charge at certain ones, but this was my first time getting charged five dollars to attend my son's baseball game. Inside they had three beautiful fields. There's like a middle part where there was a snack stand and a few tables. It gets very crowded in that area. I feel like the fields are pretty connected together. I was in fear of getting hit by the ball like every second I was there. I am not joking ! The only seats there are literally behind the plate and the fields are pretty connected to each other. The snack bar menu looked really good. The bathrooms were clean and had enough toilet paper. The parking could be a little rough. I did have to park pretty far away. Overall, I just think it's a little crowded in the fields are really close together and getting hit by the ball is pretty possible here. Not my favorite sports complex..