It's crowded and patrons are rude. On the regular you have to deal with the following: -towels stolen when left on lounge chairs -belongings thrown off lounge chair and chair taken over while you're in the water -grown adults will get in the lane, won't notify you, begin swimming, crashing head on into you (a bit traumatizing and dangerous) -circle swim w/ 3 people: certain types of people are impatient and angry for whatever reason, demanding you hurry up and push off the wall, are too slow, or try other tactics to bully you out the lane. (I continue swimming at my own pace, refuse to leave the lane) -communal shower, low water pressure. -swimsuit spinner always out of order -the director who sends out weekly newsletters is pretty efficient and has been there for years after previous high turnover. read more

It's outdoor pool check! A lot of lanes which i love especially when you are doing laps swimming. It's open to the public from Monday till Saturday just check on their website which is accurate and always updated everyday. They got a punch card (10) passes for $64, not bad, if you want to swim for a day, they offer a 1 day pass for only $8 . Parking is free, just on the other side of the road but if you have a handicapped placard you can park near the vicinity. The pool is almost near the post entrance, it's just kinda tricky. I go by my Waze app and type the Trefethen Aquatic Center by Mills college. read more

The hot tub was dirty and filthy and not clean. It was a lot of people in there would not be going there again

This is a GORGEOUS pool, perfectly maintained. If you're a serious swimmer, this is YOUR pool!

Trying to check out the lap hours, however the link for 9/15/24 doesn't work. No phone to call, so posting here.

Yeah, my new favorite pool! And so close to home! Been there three times within the last week and feel the need to pack my bag right now and schlepp over there for a refreshing swim in the morning. Considering how lazy I usually am, this is quite something. So, about the pool: clear, clean, fresh, very little chemicals (I actually thought it was salt water when I first came, but the lady at the front desk told me that it's just a very subtle chemical which doesn't irritate your skin so much and is gentler to your hair). Enough room to swim without distrubance. There seem to be a lot of regulars who established special "rules". So don't be clueless like me :-) For example, if the place opens at noon after the morning break, people are already lining up outside. When they get in, they first leave their shoes or whatever at the lane they want to swim in and then go change. DON'T use these "pre-marked" lanes. They will hold your head under water until you give up! (no they won't, everybody is really nice and understanding with newbies). Lockers inside the changing rooms can be rented, the outside lockers are free and you need to provide your own lock. Frankly, I leave everything remotely valuable at home and just bring the necessities and leave them on the grass or in the eating area. This crowd does not seem to be interested in my undies. Love the spa after the swim. You can put the dial on the wall behind it on the number of minutes you want the jacuzzi to whirl. Better choose a low number, otherwise you get dizzy. 5-10 minutes is usually enough for my muscles to relax. Price: $7 per visit seems a bit steep (especially since I pay $10 for the whole month at my gym), but if you buy a punch card for 10 visits, you only pay $5.60 for each visit. The parking pass for the summer is $25, which is quite reasonable. You can park in the commuter spots along the main campus road with it. read more

Trefethen Aquatic Center - Swimming Pools Near Me - Oakland, California

Wonderful staff, great pool and jacuzzi. Have been swimming here for years. The hours are more limited since Northeastern takeover but appreciative that they still kept the pool open to the public. Lap swim most weekday mornings until 1p.m., kids and family swim as well as lap on the weekends, too. So appreciative of this pool! read more

Great pool with well-maintained facilities and a friendly staff. I advise people to keep an eye on the schedule if you're looking for good times to go. I'm a lap swimmer, and there are times when the high school teams or water polo teams take up a lot of space, so there are fewer lanes available. The jacuzzi is a real plus! In my experience, lap swimmers can be a cantankerous bunch--self-centered and antisocial. We've tried out all the pools in the Oakland area, and I would put Trefethen behind only Lion's Pool in terms of friendliness. read more

I take my boys, age 5 and 7, here for swim lessons. They are incredibly accommodating and have great customer service. In addition, my boys have improved more than I expected from taking lessons here. The teachers are great-- my younger son who can be fearful of water participates with no fear-- I attribute this to the gentle approach of the instructors. Price is very reasonable and quality is superb. I'm actually hesitant to leave such a positive review because I'm worried the lessons will fill ip before I can register in the future. Began our second session today with no regrets. Money well spent. read more

Our first time here was okay but not as good because when my kids were having fun they wanted to try the hot tub and when they got in only for a couple of seconds then they came and said get out of the hot tub and their staff need to be nicer, after I told my kids to stay in the small kids area and I went to the hot Tub then when I was just going they told me I couldn't go in the hot tub and I said why not and they said that I have to watch my kids but I told them my kids can take care of them selfs and I even told my kids to stay in the small kids are but they still told me to watch them and they also said my kids were disturbing my others in the pool how rude in my opinion I do not recommend this place. read more

Better than average community pool. Nice swim lanes, great instructors for young swimmers. My twin sons are learning to swim here. They are 8. Very safe environment for learning to swim. My sons rave about their instructors and they have obviously taken to swimming because of them. Administratively things are a little disorganized. I signed up for winter lessons but then they were cancelled. Also I asked for a parking pass several days in a row and am still waiting. Manager was apologetic but also said if I got a ticket she would handle it. She handled the situation well which is why I'm not deducting a star. Also, it's a community pool not a spa or some resort. It's amazing service here from staff for what I'm sure are not great wages. A community pool doing what it is supposed to do. No need to complain as some have about the plastic chairs. This is not club med - it's a community college. The main thing is I've been here with several families all waiting for their kids to finish lessons, and there was always a chair available. Nice shade provided too. Doing everything right on a budget is nothing to be ashamed of and no reason to give fewer than 5 stars. read more

I come here when my daughter gets sick of the beach and wants to swim in a pool. It's a good place for a swim. 7 bucks per person even if your only going to watch your kid swim.. Cool whatever, but they also hold your ID until your done swimming... apparently some people take too long in the locker room at clothing time. I hate handing over my ID bc sometimes I forget things. Overall not to crowded there's No swim test, and the lifeguards aren't at all overbearing. It's 5 minutes from my house and Mills College Campus where it's located is really pretty. read more

Trefethen Aquatic Center - It's behind a parking lot you'll see these stairs leading to the pool - Swimming Pools Near Me - Oakland, California

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The pool itself is nice, but it's extremely difficult to find time to swim here. The pool is usually open to the public from 8am-1pm on weekdays. So if you have a job, good luck. They also very poorly communicate changes to this schedule. They neglect to update the physical schedule they have posted outside the pool, so it's often inaccurate. And even online, they frequently don't update when necessary. I've lost count of the amount of times I've gone to the pool during a time where by all accounts it should be open, and it's not. read more

I haven't had the leisure to swim here, for fun. Instead I come here for mere competition, for USA swimming swim meets. The blocks are really nice and the pool is big and quite relaxing. I also swam here for a high school meet too against our rivals. I just don't like the lawn, I'm allergic to grass. And every time my team is there we are ON the grass. The hot tub is good too, team bonding moment in high school. Until our coach screamed at us and told us to get out of the hot tub. read more

i have been swimming in a pool at Mills College for over 30 years. The current pool is pristine and a joy to swim in. When built, there was an agreement with the community that it would be available to the community and it was well used and enjoyed. However, the current administration of the pool under Northeastern University considers the use of the pool as " a privilege " and has made it very difficult to utilize. Lap swim now has very limited hours, inconsistent staffing and on weekends, with many people waiting to enter, the swim time is cancelled after the pool is scheduled to open, due to lack of staff. Often this cancellation is known only by checking the website when pool doesn't open. The woman in charge of the pool cannot gracefully respond to the frustration of many of us who dare to question and challenge this current situation. Many of us have swim cards that have been prepaid that we eagerly wish to use. Swimming is beneficial for overall health and well being and our community in not well served with the current situation. Hopefully, there will be effort by Northeastern University to address the lack of pool access. read more

This is a wonderful facility if you are in the E. Oakland area. You just drive though the gate at the entrance to Mills College, and if they stop you, and can say you are going to swim at the pool- the public is allowed, technically I think you are signing in at the pool gate as 'A friend of Mills' or something, and you have to give them your I.D. Parking hasn't been too much of a hassle so far, I just park in the entry drive, but there is an overflow lot that's further away from the pool. The pool has great attentive lifeguards who are very safety oriented and seem to take their jobs quite seriously. Actually, a little too seriously. The front desk people seem a little power-trippy, and they never have change for $7 from a $20, so bring exact change. Yes, it's $7 to swim if you are not a student, alumni, or next of kin to a staff or faculty member. The pool itself is truly lovely, it has this great ledge all the way around the edge so you can hang out on your toes while you hold onto the gutter- it's like a little shelf you can stand on. The tile at the edge is also really smooth and clean, it's just lovey. Deep, good temp, and all that. One thing that bothers me about this pool is it's aspect. The lanes are situated so you're facing East West, so when I swim in the evening, in the summer, the sun is just BLINDING. Complete lack of visibility as you swim West. It's also *Gasp* slightly pretentious pool-culture wise. I mean damn. You see people refusing to get into a lane unless they can split the lane. People hate to circle swim here. So, you have to hang around and initiate the 'can I split a lane with you' conversation with people, and it's kind of lame. You must also determine the speed of the people in a give lane by watching them, as they don't have a method of indicating lane speed unless it's a certain time of day. It seems to ruffle the regulars' feathers when the pool is crowded. Sometimes they do have Slow, Medium, and Fast lanes marked, but lately when I go the water polo practice starts, and everyone gets shifted. Kinda messes with your workout. The hot tub is of course very nice. It's pretty chlorinated, but enjoyable. The locker rooms are small, unremarkable, and have a suit dryer. No hand dryers or blow dryers or way to dry your hair. read more

I love the Mills Pool. It's definitely the nicest pool in East Oakland. It's huge, surrounded by trees, has plenty of deep end, there's an adjacent hottub, and the place is crawling with dykes -- both the lifeguards and the swimmers. There's a lawn on both ends where people hang out (mostly it's sunbathers and parents watching their kids). There are often lots of kids there during recreational swim hours. Sometimes the pool is a bit crowded, but the lanes are wide enough that sharing isn't generally problematic. Now that the sun is more toxic than ever, I shy away from outdoor pools in the daytime. But it does have early morning and some early evening hours. In general, the hours are limited, and the pool hours revolve around the semester schedule, so it's frequently closed for semester breaks and swim meets and the like. I always call first to check if it's open, regardless of the posted hours. Even then, sometimes I get there and it's closed. I find the locker room a bit gross. Most locker rooms are gross, but this one feels a little extra gross. Something about the long hair all over the tile floor. Ick. But they get points for having one of those centrifugal suit dryers next to the shower. The pool has shallow stairs at the shallow end, so for those who have trouble with ladders, it's great. There is no wheelchair lift. Parking can be a problem. If you haven't purchased a parking pass ($35), sometimes they don't want to let you drive onto campus. And even if you have, some parking attendants will make you park in the far lot and walk quite a distance to the pool. If you have a handicap placard or a nice or lazy parking attendant, you can park in the closer lot, and walk up the stairs to the pool. $5 for non alums to swim, and that gives access to the hottub, too. read more

Oh Mills pool, how I miss you. I started swimming here towards the end of last semester. *Reality Check* Bay Area folks, after swimming all summer at the Sacramento YMCA, just trust that what you consider "a little crowded, a little dirty, a little too..." isn't. I'm so ready to get back to Mills! The Pool: Clean and deep and blue, the water is warm, but not too warm. There are plenty of lanes, and I have only occasionally had to share. If you can get here durring office/class hours (9-5) it's basically empty. Weekends mean more kids and families, come later in the day for more lane availability. The Schedule: Available on the website, and is generally kept up to date. http://www.mills.edu/campus_life/athletics_and_recreation/aquatics_pool_schedule.php The Women's locker room: Bring shower shoes! They could be cleaner but I don't think it's fair to blame the facility/employees. People just need to clean up after themselves! The water extractor for your swimsuit is handy. It can get cozy, but hey, we're all here right? Those seeking privacy can find it in one of the many bathroom stalls. The Parking: As a student at Mills I would tell "Friends of Mills" (le public) that parking is a limited commodity on campus. Mills has many commuter students and adjunct faculty, which means lots of cars! I know it sucks to pay for parking, but the majority of cars on campus pay to be there. Generally you can park along the lane as you come in, the pool is on your left, through a patch of trees/parking lot and up some wide stairs. The Hot Tub: Awesome. Please come discover this gem of a pool! read more

Trefethen Aquatic Center on Mills College's Oakland campus is a wonderful outdoor pool. It is the best lap swim outdoor pool I have enjoyed here in the East Bay so far. It is very clean and organized, there are plenty of lanes, there is equipment for public use, and plenty of lifeguards to watch over us swimmers. I saw a shallow area for children to play and swim in, the deck is long and wide an open to the full warmth of the sun, and also a grassy lawn. I haven't seen grass within the space of a pool since UCLA. If you want to read or tan your body, lawn chair recliners are provided. One of the highlights of this pool, for me and possibly for most people, is the hot jacuzzi spa located at the far end of the pool. After my workout, to be able to heat my body up again was special and unique. I sat and simmered under a bright afternoon sun for 15 minutes, and loved it. The men's locker room is not very big, I noticed, and the lockers inside are for rent. Lockers for walk in use are located on the pool deck. Don't forget your lock. The cost is $7 for the day. You will be asked to leave your photo ID while you enjoy the facilities. I'm so glad I decided to check out Trefethen this afternoon. I've been looking for a nearby pool and had been swimming at King pool in N. Berkeley as well as the Richmond Plunge. Oakland is much more convenient for me, so I shall be frequenting this pool from now on. It's a good one! read more

It is nice pool when you are not there for swim meet :) Hot Tub is big + especially col days. If it is crowded you will have a hard time to find a parking spot. Lifeguards are nice and friendly. Pool is clean and water doesn't taste yucky. Go try it you will love it I guarantee oh don't forget to try the hot tub :) read more

The best. Salt water instead of chlorine/bromine = happy pregnant lady. Great spa (hot tub). Outdoors, and pretty warm at 83 degrees. Currently $7/swim or 10 swims for $56. Free parking. Totally worth it. read more

I had a very bad experience with the preschool swim lessons. They are pretty disorganized, did not give me the right parking pass and I ended up with a $100 ticket for parking during a swim class during a session I had registered for. The instructors themselves were sweet, the coordinator/organizer was frankly pretty rude. They need to get a little more organized and/or maybe hire a coordinator who is not a student. read more

This is one of those places that I hesitate to write a good review of, worrying that suddenly the place will be filled with a crush of people and ruin it for those of us that were cool enough to find it in the first place. Alas, though, Mills College could use the extra income and since I'm about to have my baby (I started swimming here during my third trimester as a good pregnancy workout) I doubt I'll be coming here very frequently for much longer, so it's all good. The water is a little cool for me, but you get used to it, and the place is not very busy (at least it wasn't when I've gone at midday). It's clean, the showers are big and there are outdoor lockers near the pool if you're not a student (I'm not) and want to have your things out of sight of sticky fingers. Also, the staff are friendly and the campus of course is peaceful and gorgeous. What better way to workout? I even got my own lane when I went (unlike Lions pool where major traffic jams in the slow lane make it a bit stressful at times). This is truly one of those hidden East Oakland gems. Share only with people who can appreciate it please! read more

I take swimming lessons here over the summer for $90, you get eight 30 minutes lessions. Although short, it will teach you how to swim at a cheap price. I love love love how the water is not chlorine. For a beginner like me, the wide steps down to the shallow area was comforting and the staff there are super nice and helpful, some a bit young and inexperience though since they did mess up with my application. But that's something small. Cons - dirty locker rooms, crappy plastic white small lawn chairs, and the lessions are cut shorter than 30 minutes. But that's different depending on who's your instructor. And oh, the price to swim as a guest is $7 which is much more expensive than other pools. Overall, I recommend this place not to go swim everyday, but relax at the hottub or swim laps. Lessions are much cheaper than other places. read more

Trefethen Aquatic Center - Trefethen pool. The area right in the front you see is the shallow part and the hot tub is all the way in the back. - Swimming Pools Near Me - Oakland, California

One of the nicest pools I've used! The pool is clean, has a large deep end and lots of lanes. It is regulation width, 25 meters, for those who like to track their distance. Their semester schedule tends to have time set aside for lap swim three times a day, on weekdays. Summer has been great with all day lap swim. I have been several times over the past few months and have only had to share a lane once (on a weekend visit). All but one of my visits have been on weekday mornings and there had been only a few swimmers. I get my own lane and have the locker room practically to myself. The pool is warm, but not so much that I feel overheated during my workout. The locker room is also warm, although it is a bit small. The shower area is roomy with lots or shower-heads, each with a spot to put your shampoo, and there are soap dispensers between shower-heads. I love the swimsuit spinner, when it is working. Complaints - The guest lockers are a pain to use and inconveniently located outside. Renting an inside locker is $35 per semester, which seems quite steep to me. At $7 a swim, or 10 for $56, the price is moderate, but it adds up. All in all, it beats any of the public pools near me, and at least I'm not paying for a gym for a membership that I may or may not use regularly. read more

Clear, deep outdoor pool, little grassy knoll, hot tub, uncrowded lanes and decent deal *IF you buy the 10-pack passes, otherwise pricey, but hey, it's their college and they're letting us in. Free parking. the hot tub is closed a lot. sometimes i talk myself into working out in the winter with the promise of a tubbin', so this can be a bummer. read more

THIS IS NOT A SALT WATER POOL (I asked the staff). HOWEVER, it is a great pool with few guests during opening hours. I arrived at about 6:45am on a Tuesday and had the shallow end all to myself. In the deep end, advanced swimmers placidly lapped, each in their own lane. There were maybe ten of us total. The comfortably mild water was perfect for Oakland's typical overcast 60° summer morning. I'll be getting a summer pass. read more

Very clean, huge outdoor pool. Hot tub, couple of outdoor showers, plastic chairs that only fit 1x butts, plastic chaise lounges a few round tables with benches in the eating area. Drawbacks: often tons of kids in the shallow side, often dirty women's locker room and it is also way too small in there for the capacity of the pool. Overall a fantastic community resource. Could be better if they did something with the locker room and switched away from chlorine in the pool and hot tub. read more

This is a great outdoor pool - as others have said, it's clean and deep and not as crowded as other area pools. I've almost always had to share my lane, but I've never had to circle-swim. Bonus for the chlorine - whatever they do, it doesn't make you smell nearly as bad as other pools. read more

I hate to write a review because this pool is so awesome that I want to keep it under wraps to prevent it from getting overrun with humanity. read more

This place is great and absolutely beautiful. I took a water aerobics class here with Tanya. She's great and was very helpful in my first experience with water exercise. The setting is wonderful and full of trees. There is a hot tub, grass, great locker rooms, easy parking and is fairly inexpensive for class. The pool is heated and classes are year round even in the outdoor setting. All in all, the Mills campus is gorgeous and easy to get to. The pool is huge and well used by many folks. read more

Love their hot tub! I swam my workout...one lap, and then sat in the hot tub for what seemed like an hour (I'm guessing it was 2-5 minutes). Put a neck floaty on and quickly fell asleep. Someone (a lifeguard) came and woke me up, said it wasn't safe to doze in the hot tub, and suggested I hit the shower. Good idea. I asked if I could bring wine the next time, and they said no. I appreciate the nonjudgmental reception I received. Good recommendation from a a former Padded Lily. I recommend. Not sure about swimming multiple laps though...too much work to go back and forth. read more

I swam here for the first time last Friday, and it was great. It's really nice that they have equipment that you can use for free - kickboards, flippers, buoy things, etc. It's $7 to get in, which is pretty steep for me (and compared to other pools I've seen online) - if I went once a week it'd be more than my 24 Hour Fitness membership used to be. But it's so nice! The desk staff person was nice, the lifeguard was nice. I got there right after 5:30, which is when they open for lap swim, and it wasn't too crowded. Even as I was leaving just after 6, nobody was having to share a lane. The lanes were all full though, so if you didn't want to share you'd have to wait. I'll definitely go back. I like that I can walk to it from my house, and the campus is so beautiful it's just kind of nice to be in that world for a little bit. Also, nice that I felt totally safe leaving my bag on a table and not having to pay to store it in a locker. The only reason I'm giving it four stars instead of 5 is because of the price. read more

Relaxing, fabulous, lots of lanes. Swim classes and water classes too! I'm slowly learning how to swim but doing so in this atmosphere is making it easy. read more

GREAT POOL, if you think you want to start swimming and need a place to go, check them out, 10 visits for $40 dollars or $5 per visit. The water is warm, so on those cold, cold, cold days, the water is really nice to get into. And after your laps you can go in the hot tub-which is so nice to do after a hard work out. They also have lockers and showers. Don't forget your flip flops! read more

This one is definitely a great find. It's an outdoor, heated pool, on a sunny, but cold day though I could get cold very easily. Glad that I brought a coat that I can wear over a wet swimsuit and also jacuzzi helped! The pool was clean, much cleaner than public pools. Yes, it s more expensive than the public pool, but it's worth it and still cheaper than paying for the gym membership! I'll come back. read more

Lexi and the others are right! This is the nicest aquatic facility in Oakland. The pool is outstanding, the hot tub is soothing, and the (men's) locker room is pathetic. Prices are reasonable for lap swim sessions. I like this place for either simple solo lap-swimming because one most often gets their own lane. It's too bad that Mills didn't renew with the Manatees Swim Team as the coaches are some of the best for adults in the East Bay. Apparently Mills had other ideas for the pool, and did not renew the Manatees' contract. Too bad. I will say that the staff at the pool is outstanding, friendly, welcoming, and skilled at teaching...best place to take your kids to learn. read more

This pool is fabulous. They keep the pool very clean, and slightly heated so it's pleasant to use even on a cold winter evening. (I'm a junky for plunging into water that has steam coming off of it!) The hot tub is a great reward for a good workout. The locker rooms are also kept very clean. Lockers are available for a semester fee, which makes them easy to use. The pool hours change a lot, and there are a lot of closures for holidays or swim meets. But they do keep their website up-to-date (including hours when kids are allowed), so it's easy to check ahead of going. read more

This place is very clean and quiet and open the staff is very friendly and the general people that come to swim be it from outside of the college or inside are very friendly. read more

This is quite possibly my favorite pool ever. There's a big kiddie play area so there's no conflict between the gallavanters and the lap swimmers. I'm not sure why, but the chlorine here bothers me less than in other pools. It's also a great place to lounge away a sunny day (there are umbrellas to sit under for the sun sensitive). I agree that the the locker rooms are, like most, icky. Oh, and bring your own towel, 'cause they'll charge you to use theirs. read more