Don Castro Regional Recreation Area

Good fishin nice and quaint. A great regional park for sure.

I absolutely love this place great for family great for fun great for friends great for walking it doesn’t even seem like it should be in Hayward it seems like you’re in another place when you’re there but it is an excellent place to go with the family you won’t regret it

Loved this park! Nice time with my honey and our dog. Loved the trails and the overall upkeep. I wish more people put their dogs on leases but that’s not a reflection of the park. We went sunday and parking and dog fee was free. Will be having plenty summer events here !

I enjoy hiking here because of the solitude. The trails are scenic, personal and private. If you want to hike and be with your thoughts this is the place to do it.

ok park close to home, went over the holiday weekend tones of picnic areas only downside they charge 5.00 no re-​entry, other than that great place to have a good time

Great place for locals to fish, run, walk dogs, and picnic. I walk here nearly everyday when I’m in town. As a young woman, there have been times when I didn’t feel completely safe, but I had my pit bull dog to protect me, so no one has ever messed with me. I’ve never run into or heard anyone who has had a dangerous experience here. It’s usually not crowded if your hiking around the pond/​swimming hole (it’s a little over 2 miles, I’ve mapped it). You’ll run into maybe 3 dogs when it’s late afternoon. Maybe 10+ on a busy weekend evening when many locals walk dogs. Mornings are very nice. It’s very pretty and a nice nature walk for young kids who can’t handle real hikes yet.
From the main trail, you can get to Cull Canyon and then from there to Chabot. Haven’t done that yet, but I’ve heard it’s a strange and sometimes not so safe trek (many homeless live along the trail I’ve heard). I have also heard you can get to Garin, but I am very skeptical of this. If you make some wrong turns you will literally end up in someone’s back yard and you’ll probably get yelled out. I have before and it was shocking.
I usually let my dog off leash and he’s always excited to explore. He’ll chase bunnies and deer and run in the water, chasing tadpole or squirrels. He always enjoys going here and running into new dogs. I’ve noticed that he has gotten a few ticks from walking here, so make sure you check your dog after, regardless of running on or off leash. It’s clean and you don’t run into dog poo that often because locals are responsible.

I ran around the lake today and according to Nike+ it is 1.8 miles. Although I don’t really trust it. I run lake Merritt all the time and it gives me different mileage every time.
This place has different trails for you to run or hike. I stuck by the lake since its my first time and didn’t want to get lost. It’s was 85 degrees today so it was a nice short run and there’s certain areas on the trial where it’s shaded so it was nice.
It was a little difficult trying to find the trail. I parked my car in their lot and walked back out of the park. There’s a little steep downhill you can take to the lake. Some area is a little narrow and steep so watch your step! :)

The swimming lagoon is fantastic!
~several shade umbrellas available, first come first serve
~friendly and attentive lifeguards
~cheap: $ 2 kids/​$ 3adults
~clean
~free life jackets are available
~lots of grass and picnic tables (away from the water)
~you can bring floaties, rafts, water guns, balls, basically anything for water play
We had a great day!
TIP: Pack a cooler as there are only vending machines for food.

Overall, Don Castro Regional Recreation Area is a nice place to walk or jog around, have a picnic or go swimming in the lagoon (during the summer). Short trails aren’t too bad and it’s nice to see the marsh and small lake.

Short trails, but great variation. Good for dog walks, or for short hikes. They have a huge pool, but it is only opened on weekends. Their facilities were pretty clean as well. I would go back :)

There is More to this place than you think.
Other than the pretty trail around the water, there are some hidden back trails. You can end up behind Castro Valley near 5 Canyons. There always a couple of people walking by you, but never busy on the weekdays when I go for a quick run. I always feel safe here too, particularly because it’s nestled next to a neighborhood.
People chill out and fish here apparently? It’s something I had never noticed before but it was amusing and looked peaceful.

This park is very nice, I went here for a bar b q with the in-​laws and the weather was nice because the park sits up on a hill, they had a lot of spaces for cooking and the bar b q pits are already installed there, so you won’t have to bring your own. There is a lot of parking spaces available unlike some parks and best of all they have a swimming area for adults and kids, it is not a swimming pool it is an area that makes you feel like you are on a beach with sand and everything. I truly recommend this park to anybody looking to do a family reunion, birthday party, etc.

Don Castro is a decent lagoon… provided you’re a kid.
The designated swimming area with overly protective lifeguards is perfect for those looking to wade around all day in a giant floaty mat, but those looking to do some lap swimming or diving in the deeper end better keep looking; you’ll just feel boxed in.

I just found this place and I love it! It is great! The lifeguards enforce a lot of rules but at least they make it safe for you to take you kids. It is a great place to go for a picnic in the sand or the grass and definitely a great place to swim. The water is low for kids and in the middle it is 5ft high for older people to enjoy.

I used to come here when I was little!
Then it went downhill… :(
But now it’s uphill again!
It might just be the nostalgia talking, but I dont think so. mainly I come here with my friends that have kids, or just my girlfriends to lay out in the sun, swim, play volleyball, chillax.
It’s kept very clean and the lagoon is only what, 2 years old at this point? So the sand and water is still very fresh! Which is a break from the norm! Places like this used to be around a lot when I was a kiddo (ie Lake Elizabeth’s swimming lagoon in Fremont) but they must be hard to maintain these days. I think Don Castro does a great job though! It’s surrounded by eucalyptus and has easy parking! I love coming here on summer days!
The ONLY negative is people that come here, in large HUGE quantities, and are loud, rude, and swim with their clothes on. Someone tell me WTF is that about? This is not a water park! This is not marine world! Dont be cheap! If you got a family of 35 take them to a bigger place that can accomodate you!
But for realzzz this place is for smaller groups of people, keep it classy :)

Very small regional park focused around a small reservoir. People are always fishing along the south side of the lake, but I’ve never seen anyone catch anything there. Trails around the lake are about 2 miles with few people away from the parking lots. Good for walks. Running. There’s a pool open seasonally that would be fun on a rare hot day.

We live walking distance from here, but not close enough to give them an extra star.
The lake is small, but cute when not too algae-​y. The freeway noises are loud when you’re near the upper part (parking lot), but gets much quieter as you move away from there.
I like the trail that goes around the lake; it’s a nice 45 minute hike that even our 3 year old does with us.
The swim lagoon is pretty good. It’s a good concept, not too expensive to get in, but it can be crowded, and the worst feature: the sand is super-​abrasive. Beach sand that is not. So, I guess wear shoes and you’ll be fine.

A few years ago, I lived right by this park and never bothered going to check it out for whatever reasons. Boy, was I disappointed to find out that once I moved away, I moved away from such an amazing park to take the child to.
This park which is typically free during the week has great trails, a clean and cool lagoon and free fishing every once in awhile. Here’s a few things to know before you go:
cash only
$ 5 to park during the weekends and no re-​entry :/​bummer
(an hour or so before the lagoon closes, the ticket attendant leaves for the day, so for the cheapskates you guys can go in for free)
M-​F free parking except for holidays
To enter the swimming lagoon and receive a wristband for re-​entry:
$ 2 for ages 2 – 15
$ 3 for age 16+
under 2 years is free
The park is surrounded by a very residential area, to the point that you’re not sure if you’re going the right way. Just keep following the street down till you see the park sign and you’ll be crossing the bridge to the park area in no time.
As far as the lagoon, it’s the best part of this park. The whole facility is well maintained — the picnic areas, the surrounding landscape, the sandy beach, the water, even the bathrooms — were surprisingly clean. It’s an added benefit that they provide beach umbrellas on a first come first serve basis. They also have a section, but a large section, roped off for the young ones to swim in at 2 feet deep. A parent or guardian has to be on the beach or in the water before the young ones venture off into the water (that should be common sense but lifeguards still had to make that announcement regularly.) Even though they are all pretty much teenagers, there are a dozen or so lifeguards watching at all times, which is good to know when it’s littered with children.
Anyways, the boy and I pack a lunch and several snacks and head down here for a relaxing day at the «beach» without driving too far out of the east bay and without 50 degree water like you’d find in SF. But check out their website for any changes or park closures that may happen. I know they close after the last weekend of September.

I often go to this park for a short 1.5−2 hour hike, and to relax. I recommend this park to anyone who wants to enjoy the park or trails for running, hiking, picnics, or swimming in the beach lagoon area. The lake itself is fed from the San Lorenzo Creek, and fishing is allowed in the lake for anyone who has a permit. Regarding fishing, this park has a floating pier to fish from, and one can fish from the surrounding lake side trails. The running/​hiking trails total from 5 – 6 ½ miles around the lake, and deppending on your pace, may take you 1 – 2 hours to complete the circumference of the park/​lake, im not certain but… elevation change is less than 500ft (great for beginners who want to get into hiking or trail running).
Although the park is small (compared to Tilden or Chabot), there are decent trails that are perfect for both hikers and runners. I found that there is no need for a map to hike/​run on the trails at this park, however, the starting point might be difficult to find for those who are visiting this park for the first time. The trails start past the upper level parking lot, once in the parking lot, walk up the dirt/​gravel path (up the hill), then… the fun begins! There is another entrance, located in front of the lake (before entering the park, it’s off of Woodroe Avenue). It’s my opinion that there’s no worry about getting lost if one doesn’t have a map, the trails, which are unmarked, are easy to navigate. Even if a person tries purposely to get lost, it will be nearly impossible to become lost on the trails.
One fun thing about running/​hiking from June-​August is that the trails which veer off closer to the lake are less water logged. For example, the east portion of the lake, (which is a marshy flooded area normally) is dried out in the summer time… forming a sandy vegetated place (where on can get closer to animals and the lake). From June-​August hikers can walk on out into this area and explore (see uploaded pictures).
In short this park is:
— Great for picnics
— Great for groups
— Nice for laid back runs/​hikes
— Good for supervised swimming in the lagoon area
— Great to chill in

We came here to go swimming. Driving up we weren’t really sure where to go. Just followed the people walking with towels. The swimming area was surprisingly clean. No garbage in the sand or water.
The water is filtered so that made me feel a little better swimming in there with my kids. There is only 1 bathroom way by the entrance so I didn’t see too many kids leaving the waters to walk up there. Yuck!
There wasn’t too much shade so take an umbrella. I liked the fact that the lifeguards made the kids take a 15 minute break every hour or so.
We will be going back to explore the trails as the other commenter suggested.