East Bay Could Get New Regional Park At Site Of Golden Gate Fields

CBS Bay Area

April 1, 2026

A deal was struck by a nonprofit to purchase the old Golden Gate Fields racetrack on the Berkeley/Albany shoreline, and it said it plans to give the land to the East Bay Regional Parks District, so it can be turned into a regional park.

The parking lot at Golden Gate Fields is massive, evidence of a bygone era when thousands of people turned out each week to watch the horse races. The facility was built right before WWII, and famed jockey Willie Shoemaker won his first race there. But over the years, the popularity of horse racing dwindled, and in 2024, the track closed. But there is still a reason to go there, as Albany resident Joy Kawaguchi well knows. She was taking one of her frequent walks along the Bay Trail behind the racetrack.

"You can see most of the Bay," Kawaguchi said. "You can see the Golden Gate Bridge. You can see the San Francisco skyline. It's just a beautiful place to walk."

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