5 Parks, Summer Activities To Enjoy In Castro Valley This Summer

CASTRO VALLEY, CA — The East Bay area is lush with places to get a breath of fresh air and reap the benefits of nature with its swaths of green parks, beaches, trails, lagoons, farms and lakes.

Whether you love swimming, hiking, horseback riding or setting up a picnic — there’s a place for it in this eco-friendly corner of Northern California. In and around Castro Valley, there are a handful of dog and family-friendly parks that are just a short drive away. Some offer areas for boating, camping and even archery.

The East Bay Regional Park district helps maintain dozens of historic and storied parks across the region.

Visit this page to find resources to travel to these parks by public transit.

According to research from the University of Tokyo published this month, the connection between human well-being and nature is much stronger than the academic community previously thought.

"Aside from clean water, food and useful raw materials, nature provides many other benefits that we might overlook or find it hard to grasp and quantify," according to a news release from the university.

The research, published Friday, demonstrates that spending time in nature can be vital to a person's mental and physical health.

Here are 5 parks and beaches to soak up all that nature has to offer in and around Castro Valley this summer.

1. Don Castro Regional Recreation Area

This kid-friendly 101-acre urban oasis lies on the boundary between Hayward and Castro Valley. It offers fishing, hiking, horseback riding, picnic tables and a swimming lagoon.

2. Five Canyons Open Space

This park offers more than 300 acres of open space and five miles of trails. There's also a nine-county Ridgeline trail that circles the San Francisco Bay Region. It is open to bikes, families and hikers.

3. Cull Canyon Regional Recreational Area

This popular swimming destination is a short drive north of I-580 on Cull Canyon Road in Castro Valley. It is family and dog friendly and offers hiking trails, picnic tables and of course, a swimming hole.

4. Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks

These two parks are former 19th century ranches. The Park District has worked to preserve the historic value of these parks, which have been opened to the public to enjoy historically significant ridges, trials and opens spaces.

The parks spans over 5,800 acres with 35 miles of trails that offer panoramic views of the Bay Area.

5. Lake Chabot Regional Park

The Lake Chabot Reservoir was built in 1874 as a primary source of water for the region. It was previously closed to swimmers and recreation for 91 years, but legislation passed in the 1960s opened the area to the public.

The lake currently serves as a standby emergency water supply, but there are areas that are open to boating, fishing, golfing, hiking, horseback riding, biking and picknicking.

Find more parks to visit through the East Bay Park District's search here.