John Hinkel Park

it’s a park lost in time, which I like. nice air quality, beautiful trees, not overly landscaped, lost in time in that mysterious cool way, however, due to this…
I would say there is sometimes a bad element that shows up in the back parking lot area near the old amphitheater.
a creep with his pit bull OFF THE LEASH would not control it, the thing tried to jump into our car and we are Senior citizens with disabilities.
other than that, it’s mostly quiet and mellow. like the vibe a lot and near Indian rock park. no bathrooms at either park. Berkeley really needs to get some bathrooms around town!

Oh wow. This is a terrible park. Perhaps it was once a jewel nestled in the North Berkeley hills, but today it is a turd nestled in the North Berkeley hills.
I admit, having a 2-​year-​old, I am looking for some specific park features. According to the City of Berkeley website, John Hinkel Park has «play area featuring swings, slides, teeter-​totters». This is a stretch as the only feature this park has is a slide (singular) that appears to have been constructed during the Industrial Revolution then subjected to several severe hailstorms.
Honestly, I suppose if you’ve never seen a park before, you might marvel at the «range of recreational opportunities». But even then, I imagine the luster would fade upon the briefest of moment conceptualizing what a park could be.
If you’re headed there, I’d suggest taking the extra two minutes to go to Dorothy Bolte Park, up the hill. It skews a little on the anitseptic side, but has the benefit of attracting more than teenage pot-​smokers (not a metaphor — that was the only other person at John Hinkel).

GREAT park. Lots of trails, wooded stairways, and plenty of room for roaming around & under a lovely canopy of native Oaks. Just down the way, maybe a 5 minute walk, from Indian Rock.
1^st time we went, my kids couldn’t get enough of the old school see-​saw. What a delight! Hadn’t seen one of those in years. However, when we went back with friends recently, it was gone. Hope it was just taken down for repair and will be back soon…
We’ll be visiting again. This place is a find. Don’t forget to pack a table cloth for the picnic tables ;)

A gem… like straight from out of some old Greek tragedy… remnants of an amphitheater; and is that door for… the lions?! Gulp:)
Wonderful hidden local secrets up in the hills

I love this hidden jewel of a park. SF Shakes was holding its yearly summer camp there and it is a shady, cool, beautiful place to cultivate creativity.

John Hinkel Park is located on a steep wooded hillside off Arlington Avenue in north Berkeley. A small creek cascades through it, and paths meander under native oak, bay, and buckeye trees. The land, comprising 4.9 acres, was given to the city in 1918 by John Hinkel, a downtown property owner. The park area was used by the Boy Scouts, and a Boy Scout clubhouse still stands in the park.
Before giving the property to the city, Hinkel made some notable improvements: he built a rustic redwood clubhouse, a stone fireplace and playground, and also created the network of pathways. The outdoor amphitheater was built later and is located on a steep slope of the canyon overlooking the outdoor fireplace, which has served as a backdrop for the stage. The theater was built by the Civil Works Administration (Project Number 5) and was dedicated on 22 April 1934.
I have lived in the Berkeley area for years and places like John Hinkel park remind me that there’s always a surprise here. It’s a wonderful park and I have many pleasant memories of hiking around and watching my stepdaughter perform as part of a local theater activity. And various performances continue to this day.

Now that it’s cold and rainy, I am nostalgic for visiting parks like John Hinkel Park when the weather is nicer. The park portion of John Hinkel is nice, as its smallish space is full of rolling hills and areas to relax. What really makes John Hinkel Park stand out, though, is the fabulous outdoor amphitheater. I don’ t know why I didn’t review this six months ago when I went to see The Taming of the Shrew at this location, as it deserves major accolades! The amphitheater is somewhat intimate and casual, with plenty of room to bring folding chairs and blankets to the performance. The majority of the seating area is covered by trees and shade, making it easy to avoid getting burnt while sitting outside on a sunny day.
The area is really quiet and secluded, thanks to being in quiet North Berkeley, making performances feel very intimate despite being in the city. I would definitely come back here again for another performance next summer!

Berkeley is filled with little unexpected, charming places like this tucked into corners. i went with a group for an opera in the park that we had heard about, and this place was perfect for that. there is stadium-​like seating creating a little theater set in between trees, and it was perfect picnic outing for the day! a professional group performed a mozart opera, yet in the park setting, it remained a surprisingly casual event. bring your blanket and enjoy watching a live performance for the day next time this comes around.
** a fairly large venue yet limited seating for such a popular event so come early so you dont have to sit in the bushes!