Cesar Chavez Park

Was just chillen in Berkeley and decided to stop and go for a run. I love that parking is free. There are hella dogs and easy nice jog around the park. I would come here again as they got some hills for training. I was running sprints like Marshawn Lynch. Come here again and run with your boy. I wish I lived in Berkeley but I live in Monterey. Beautiful view of the water and bay.

This is a great park but be prepared for wind! It’s got picnic tables for parties, but you have to get there early. Also, make sure if you are having a party that you specify exactly where in the park it is since the picnic tables are scattered. Parking is an issue during events like 5K runs, but not too bad.

I have loved this park for a long time now. Used to bring our dog Shadow here all the time. It was his favorite place. I now have a new dog named Lola which I brought for the first time. On a clear day it has an awesome view of both the city and Golden Gate Bridge. Sunsets here are the best especially in September and October.

Views,
Nature,
Home of Kite
Fest and just a
Great way to take advantage of the bay.

I always feel overly judgmental when giving ratings to parks and public spaces. I mean, everyone is definitely going to get something different as their experience there, so count my review «star-​less.»
Cesar Chavez is located SUPER West of West Berkeley. Came here on a windy day and snacked on some Acme bread while we watched this dude fly his kite with the strong winds. It wasn’t too cold on a weekday early evening around 4PM. Definitely wear layers though, because even though that week was 80’s weather, we were glad we had sweaters and long pants on.
There’s not much «drop-​dead gorgeous» scenery here, because most people just come here to do their runs or go on quick hikes. A lot of people go fishing on the other side of the marina, but other than that I’d just come here to see Berkeley from a different perspective. Berk and SF are super congested and tightly-​packed, it’s always refreshing to look at it from another point of view.

Beautiful panoramic view of the Bay Area. Clean, scenic, on and off leash area for dogs with access to drinking water. Nice, wide trail to follow. A five star area.

This may just be our favorite place to let the dogs run free. At dog parks they tend to stick with us, but here they run up and down the hills chasing one another, and completely exhaust themselves. It is such a treat for them — and for us!

This review is for dog people
A little weary of off leash dog areas but still went here. Wonderful. I was surprised to see only people who are dog knowledgeable with extremely reasonably behaved dogs.
Bring your WELL BEHAVED dog here (I have 6 and only take the good ones to places like these). Loved taking my dogs here. It’s not fenced in so dogs with little to no recall is a bad idea. There is also a on leash dog area for the non dog people to explore without being bothered by dogs .
As always I would say it’s a bad idea to bring small children to the off leash dog area .
It is also beautiful here.

Amazing! I had never seen the bay from the east side before. You can see all the bridges on a clear day with the Golden Bidge front and center. We went near sunset and were not disappointed. Perfect place to walk with your love. We had our dog on leash. Nice benches, spaced far apart. Lady doing yoga, couples strolling. Very safe and wonderful.

Beautiful park and a nice place to take the dogs for a sunset walk. Lots of parking available, but mind the signs to make sure you won’t get a ticket.

I can’t believe I’ve never been to this side of the Marina before. I was Unilocaling for a good place to take my doggie and this was exactly what I wanted. It’s off lease and safe for her to roam. We were both in heaven. Beautiful panoramic views of the bay and lots of places to walk. I loved it and will probably go back this weekend.

The views from the park are pretty spectacular. If you climb to the top of the kite hill, you can see the Berkeley Hills, the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate, the Richmond Bridge and all points between them not to mentioning the water. There is a good breeze if you plan to try the kite flying. I took full advantage of that as well as the people watching. The park seems to be really popular with dog walkers. There are picnic tables and a grill. There seems to be ample parking, at least if you go on a weekday. The only downside is the only restrooms available are portables. Oh well. It’s definitely still worth a visit.

While the park is nice, unfortunately I must write a negative review.
The crime rate in this area of California is rather high. I recently had expensive items stolen from my motorcycle while I was off visiting the park and taking a walk along the waterfront, and the same day saw at least 1 telltale pile of broken safety glass indicating that a vehicle had been broken into very recently.
Go here for the sun, the kites etc — just expect to be ripped off while there. :(I’d suggest carrying legal pepper spray with you while there.
Oh, and for anyone who finds this humorous — hope your car or bike gets something ripped off from it, or maybe they’ll steal your whole ride from you. Have a nice day.

One of my favorite parks for kite flying! Every year they hold the kite festival here & I’m still amazed looking at the giant squids. Fun for the whole family. I can’t believe how much it is for parking this year though! $ 15! Oh we’ll, what can you do.

love this place!
large park, clean. lots of families.
kite festival around July or during the weekends.
has a good amount of parking (unless there are events happening).
windy most of the time so bring jacket.
good for walks, dog walks, watching kites, enjoying the ocean breeze, watching the sailboats, picnics and family time.
it was our first time bringing our dog here few weeks ago. good place for off leash dogs. not much plastic for dog poops so make sure to bring your own.
this place is huge, got lots of things so check it out.

Cesar Chavez, the belle of the East Bay… in that it is beautiful now, and once was a garbage dump. See that offgas from the smoke stack? Yeah…
But it’s really a beautiful park. Wildflowers pop up, kites abound, dogs run free, there’s that salty sea breeze, and of course, _​that_​view to the bridge and SF.
Great for an easy walk, dog petting, and picnics. Hard to beat.
The good: awesome park and parking usually isn’t bad.
The bad: pretty breezy, just make sure you pack a jacket. Or another human to keep you warm.

A beautiful park near the marina.
Many people were out during the day after Thanksgiving with their families, flying kites, walking their dogs, jogging or walking, or just sitting on a bench admiring the view and sunny day.
My family walked on the path along the shoreline at a leisurely pace, enjoying the views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge from our vantage point. We encountered several friendly people along the way who either smiled warmly or gave a friendly «hello.»
Besides the serenity of the environment, I think what made me smile was all the families enjoying the park with their dogs, throwing a frisbee, or laughing amongst themselves. It certainly wasn’t a surprise to find the park full of people as it was a beautiful day to take advantage of outdoor activities.
BOTTOM LINE: This park is great for walking/​jogging, spending time with family, walking your dog, or perhaps enjoying a solitary moment.

What a gorgeous spot right on the bay next to the Berkeley marina with an amazing view of SF, Angel Island, & Marin. It is much larger than I expected, even larger than Point Isabel (which is only a few miles to the north). This is a great place to go if other outdoor areas are muddy since there is a nice paved trail all the way around the park. There is a huge off leash dog area at the top of the hill where the doggies can frolic & not bother the non-​doggie owners. It also seems to be a great place to fly kites, if that’s your thing.
The only issue for me is accessibility. It’s great if you live in the Berkeley area, but anyone else has to come down the Highway 80 near the dreaded 80÷580÷880 interchange, which seems to be a nightmare at any hour of the day or night. I will definitely come back with my doggies some day but I’ll probably drive through Berkeley to avoid the freeway chaos.
Clean bathrooms are available at the marina.

Welcome to my favorite park in the east bay. Yeah there are some idiosyncrasies here but so what it is frigging awesome overall. Where else have you ever gone in the entire world where you can see a couple of house sized kites flying all day long every day?
Yeah I have never seen one of these kits anywhere else ever. I used to bring my daughter here all the time and she was always super excited and happy to see the kites run around the hills play in the grass… do somersaults down the hills… you know all the awesome things that kids love to do.
Pro Tip: You need to park on Shorebird but make sure you are in the legal parking area. If you are not, instaticket! They patrol this place more than any other part of Berkeley I think.
There are a lot of hiking/​cycling paths throughout this park. It is an awesome place to hike around and take pictures or just enjoy the outside and nature. Bring a picnic. Bring a couple of drinks and a special someone to enjoy the sunset. Bring a kid or ten. Bring yourself by yourself to just enjoy something special. This is the perfect place to go. I personally preferred to bike here and just pop out a bit of cheese and crackers or a sammie. Talk about a relaxed fun time.
Essentially just come and enjoy this lil slice of heaven. I also realized I never knew the name till now. I always called it kite park.
Dont forget you get to see Alcatraz, Angel Island, SF, Treasure Island, the GGB, The entrance to the bay. It is just awesome to go and see what all is out there. I cant more highly suggest a way to spend a peaceful afternoon.

I really like this park, and maybe the reason why I didn’t give it five stars is because my dog is not yet trained off the leash.
This is a great place for dogs who are trained to go off leash because they have the freedom to enjoy the park… However, my dog is still learning the ropes of being domesticated, so this isn’t the best place for him to run around.
It does look like most dogs who are trained to go off leash love it here. I even saw one dog chasing a rabbit for 10 minutes across the way, and there is something so beautiful to see a dog be able to run free in that way.
Main concern:
The one thing that is missing is a gated area for dogs like mine to run free, And I hope one day they plan to construct something for dogs in training.
What I love:
The view is beautiful. Especially by the water. It seems like something that most people should just go to. And, watching dogs do their thing in nature is one of the most beautiful things, and I think this is what makes the park so special.
Renee from the Bay