Strawberry Canyon Recreation Area

It’s a chill spot. Water not too cold. Too many people when i went but still a cool spot to chill with friends. Only down side, and it’s not directly related to the business, but someone stole my bikini from the girl’s locker room/​shower room. Who does that?! Sad.

This is my happy place! The pool is beautiful, clean and heated to just the right temperature for distance swimming. There is plenty of parking and the staff are very nice.
True to it’s name, the pool is in a canyon surrounded by lush greenery. Last time I visited, a wild turkey wandered out into the pool area, it was so much fun. A piece of natural heaven close to San Francisco.

Went to the SCRA today with the family! It’s definitely a little gem up in the hill. We got to enjoy the sun and the pool. There were a lot of camps there, but it was still enjoyable.
We will definitely be visiting again!

Sweeeet jeeezus, who is running this place? When you call the number listed here, it’s not Strawberry Canyon, it’s one of their other pools, but the rep who answers, doesn’t say «this is pool x, may I help you?» she instead just gives you the wrong information, so she has dozens of cars out polluting the environment as they make a pointless journey to Strawberry Canyon to find out it’s not the ‘magic’ hour when they’re actually open.

Not for lap-​swimmers!!! I made the mistake of hiking up to SCRA to lap swim one day. The sides of the pool are slanted/​not flat, so flip turning is so hard.

Great outdoor pool with plenty of grassy areas to enjoy the rare sunny day — it seems like it’s less windy here, too — which makes it all the more enjoyable. I love our East Regional Parks!

Sunshine pool with a nice grass area for hanging out.

Love this pool, it’s probably one of the nicest pools in Berkeley. It does get pretty crowded during open rec swim though, so be wary! The parking is also kind of limited.

The Strawberry Canyon Recreation Area (SCRA) is a hidden gem located above the Cal Campus and on the road up the hill on the way up to the Lawrence Hall of Science. It features an outdoor swimming pool, a ropes course, locker rooms, fitness center, barbecue/​picnic area, and the Haas Clubhouse.
I’ve been here for a few private parties at the Clubhouse. But what I really enjoy is bringing the family here for a swim and a chance to hang out poolside or on the grass. It’s quiet, peaceful and in lush surroundings. And it’s only a short drive from the urban grittiness of my Albany home.

Great place to spend a nice day outdoors with the swimming and the chillaxing on the grass afterwards. It was one of the hotter days in the bay area the day I went so the pool got a bit packed and there was no where to sit on the grass after a while but luckily we came early and staked out a spot before everyone else showed up. From what I remember, the pool is in somewhat of a secluded area on campus because we drove up some windy roads to get to it but someone else drove so I can’t remember for sure. $ 5 entrance fee and a couple bucks to park but well worth it.

Summary based on many visits over years:
–Ok pools, but idiot parents let their kids use the pools as toilets, so who knows the health issues
–Parking has become progressively more difficult and is now close to impossible
–small fitness center
–too bad the big upper pool was closed

Natural. Sunny. Open.
I like this pool on a deceivingly nice day. If its too nice, it’s basically sorority girls talking about «Project Runway» or dudes glaring around for an asscrack.
BUT…the meditation class at SCRA is fantastic.

This is a great place to laze around in the sun and then do a couple laps when you need to cool off.
I swim here because it’s not as crowded as some of the other pools I’ve seen, it’s nestled in the hills, not overrun with children, and the water temperature is pleasant. Plus, parking is easy to find (although you have to pay).

Oh how I can’t wait for the weather to get warm so I can start biking up there to jump in the pool! If you can handle some of the painful conversations surrounding you, you can really, REALLY enjoy the sun, the beautiful trees surrounding you, and a fantastic day. I think it’s only about 5 bucks to get in, but well worth it.

To arrive here, you go up a steep hill and arrive at this canyon hidden in the hills.
The entrance is outdoors, so you don’t have to go through a gross locker room. There’s a big grassy area and concrete deck and you can just dump all your stuff there if you prefer. But if you do use the locker room, it’s very clean and modern. Just beautiful.
The pool leaves something to be desired. They have the lanes set up the opposite way and the pool is not quite rectangular so I kept going crookedly, plus there wasn’t anything on the bottom to follow nor were there targets on the wall. The water seemed a little murky too.
But oh, the atmosphere. When you take a breath, you see tall, verdant trees towering around you. When you get tired, sit on the expansive deck or on the lawn, and watch the sun shine over the hills. Hawks soar high above.
It’s relaxed. It’s not a pool of speedos and, well, girl speedos. Guys were trunks and a lot of the girls have bikinis. But you can still concentrate on your swimming, and if you were that hardcore you wouldn’t be here. People are polite and there are a lot of families with kids.
There is also a very nice exercise room in the upstairs deck. The attendant was studying but he fell asleep.
In one corner of the deck sat a young couple facing each other. They gazed quietly into each other eyes and held hands. Maybe they had come to swim but were tantalized by the trees and ended up just sitting, deeply in love. They shyly touched each other’s legs, and slowly moved closer together as the people swam on.

I just went to SCRA for the first time and I loved it. I admit that all I did was lay on the grass and tan, but still the place was great.
The day I went it was fairly peaceful. There were probably 20 cal students, a couple of lane swimmers, and a group of small kids. SCRA is tucked a little bit into the Hills, so although it is close to the bustle of campus, it feels like you are in a forest.

Please note that the parking lot is not free, and you must bring exact change – the pool-​admission office will not provide it. The machines will accept bills, but they do not take credit cards, and they will not give change. If you only have a $ 5 bill, you pay five dollars. Parking rates start at $ 3.00 for one hour, $ 4.00 for two hours, etc.
I just went to Strawberry Canyon Rec. pool for the first time. It’s a particularly hot day today, so the pool was busy, but there was still a lot of room in the lap-​swim lanes. The wading pool was closed (5÷16÷08) — looks like it needs some repair — but a shallow area was blocked off and was full of moms bouncing their little kids. I think this is the only pool in Berkeley that is open for lap swim during the afternoon – the others tend to be morning, lunch, and early eve only.
My only complaint was that the college kids in the free-​swim area kept sitting on the lane dividers and letting their floaty pool noodles drift over into the lap-​swim areas. Otherwise, I thought this place was pretty good. There are lockers, but I believe you have to provide your own lock. It also looked like everyone brought their own towel. Note that the cement around the pool gets flaming hot on a really sunny day – ouch!

Best pool in Berkeley, and it even has ample parking. On one of my favorite things about Berkeley is that so many of the beautiful spots in the hills are devoted to things like museums and recreation areas, not just houses. Without even taking sunbathers into account, the view is quite nice.
This is a great place to swim laps, though I caution that if you are a college-​age male, there will invariably be a Masters swimmer in his fifties who wants to show you up. You may not think you’re racing, but you’re racing, buddy. Six lane pool, 25 yards, four lanes for lap swim. Day passes are $ 5, and it’s free with a Cal Rec Club membership.

Perfect place to while away a sunny day!
There is a large, clean outdoor pool surrounded by the verdant hills of Strawberry Canyon. I love floating in the water or swimming on my back while I admire the numerous shades of green and how they go so well with the deep violet blue of a clear spring sky.
Yesterday we spread out a blanket on the lush grass (currently speckled with little clover flowers) near the bottom of the wooded hillside and played scramble in between dips in the pool. Ahhhhh

Strawberry Canyon Recreational Area offers a small slice of paradise. $ 5 gives you all-​day access to their large, deep, and clean pool that is neither dominated by militant lap swimmers nor dirty-​diapered infants. There is also a well-​kept grass expanse that is great for lounging.
Summertime brings out the healthy, tanned, and civilized Euros who seem to be able to instinctually locate convergences of sun and water.