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Heather Farm Park & Community Center
Rating Details »
Categories: Parks, Playgrounds, Swimming Pools, Botanical Gardens, Beaches [Edit]
301 N San Carlos DrWalnut Creek, CA 94598
(925) 943-5858
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
44 reviews for Heather Farm Park & Community Center
Heather Farms is a large and nice park. The pro's are it's got open fields of grass, it has new clean baseball fields and dog park split for large/small breeds. It has an older street basketball court, gym, huge swimming pool, several tennis courts and even a golf course and a garden, even a bar The Greenery where you can karaoke. I know what you're thinking wow that's a lot. Which is why i think WC has several festivals and community events held here. All in all a good solid park, cleaner than most.
The con's are a little nit picky but just taking my dog here yesterday from the trail which leads right to the backside of the park,I would have to say the dog park area was pretty tore up, nice fenced in area and some grass and even buckets spread around for water. With that being great, there were tons of people,(which can be good and bad) sometimes overcrowded dog parks can be a pain, i know it's not the parks fault for being a destination. But back to my biggest con which is to be expected, is the lawn was all trashed within the dog park. I know thats from constant usage and it's a dog park, of course the grass isn't going to be perfect but huge patches of dirt and mud do make you think twice especially when it starts raining.
Overall good place if you're in the area and looking for a place to do something outside.
Spent the good part of the morning and afternoon here with Wyatt. This park brings back so many memories. Despite living in Antioch, I went to school in Concord/Walnut Creek. A bunch of my friends held birthday parties here. Went to cross country meets here. Took prom pics here. So many good memories...
I completely forgot how beautiful the garden is. Setting my eyes on it today, I instantly remembered. Beautiful roses of many colors. Benches to sit. Perfect spot.
The lagoon is absolutely beautiful as well...lots of geese and ducks! They were a treat to see. Just watch where you step -- the bird poop is as big as my dog's poop, which is kinda unnerving.
People thought this was:
- Useful (13)
- Funny (11)
- Cool (11)
Great Community Park! I use to live right behind the park so I would walk my dog to the dog park every weekend. I moved to pleasant hill but I still come here every so often and take my dog here to play. My dog is only 3 lbs, so we stay in the little dog park. There are a lot of friendly regulars here. Everyone is nice and takes responsibility of their pets.
Tennis courts: I've taken a few lessons here and the instructors are very nice and informative. The courts light up during the night, so there's plenty of after work play time.
I know there's a swimming pool, skate park, and baseball fields, but I can't comment on those since I've never used them.
The park is pretty nice. It has a decent size playground, a sandy volleyball court, basketball courts, and a decent picnic area. The park also has a small pond and rose garden where many ducks hang out. You can definitely go there and feed the ducks.
Overall, this is a pretty nice community park with a lot of ammenities. One stop park place. =)
OK, so my review is based solely on the Dog Park, which I loved. There are 2 areas, one for smaller breeds, under 30IBS and the other for larger dogs. There are an assortment of toys available, plenty of poppy bags and lots of dogs for your pooch to play with. The people there seem friendly enough, some talkative. but most kept to their selves. This is definitely one of the best off leash dog parks in Contra Costa County.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (3)
Great Olympic-sized pool, plus a separate diving pool. Lap-swim/entrance fee is only $4 (a steal in the bay area). Nice water temperature, always clean water, and a friendly atmosphere. In high school I swam on the USS team here. Now, on occasion, I'll make the trek out here just for a nice outdoor swim in the sunshine.
Home to excellent swim teams (both USS and Masters' teams), in a really beautiful setting, this pool is a gem in Contra Costa County. (With the added bonus being that the presence of stellar swim teams means that there are a serious lot of hot bods around.)
Minus a star for the open showers with luke-warm water in a locker-room that is sorely in need of updating. Plus back a star for the rest of the gorgeously landscaped surrounding parks and greenery.
People thought this was:
- Useful (13)
- Funny (11)
- Cool (12)
Right around the corner from me and it's one of the best pools in the Bay Area...that is if you don't count the locker room.
People, PUH-LEASE, PLEASE, PLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSEEEE pick up after your dog, most people do (THANK YOU), but there's a lazy woman who comes and looks directly at her 3 dogs while they go number 2 and she doesn't pick it up. Listen, people run around with their dogs, play catch etc. I'm sure NONE of us want to step in YOUR dogs crap because you are too lazy to pick it up. It's an awesome dog park that provides great baggies and trash cans for you so that you may pick up after your dogs, they make it EASY for you! The moral of the story is, if you come here, please pick up after yours dogs to keep this park a nice place for us all and to keep the bottom of our shoe free of doggie poop.
Sincerely,
Me, the one who isn't a fan of picking up poop, but does it because it's the right thing to do.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
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- Cool (1)
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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5/22/2009
Finally got to check out the dog park here, it reopened on the 15th. My lil guy was in doggie… Read more »
After our nice walk at the Lafayette Reservoir the day before, Gayle, my son, and I decided to visit Heather Farm Park for some more exercise on another warm sunny day in paradise. My son was happy with the playground (that included a small climbing wall), while Gayle and I took a long loop around this fairly large park.
I have been to Heather Farm before for the occasional arts festival and a retirement party in the community centre. I have always had a nice time, especially if I remembered to bring a hat and sun screen. The only thing negative I can say about this park are the Canada geese and significant quantities of "guano" that you sometimes have to walk through.
Heather Farm also offers an impressive array of activities and services including a swimming pool, tennis courts, walking paths, a dog park, a central pond, and of course a very pretty garden area (including gazebo) that might be perfect for a wedding.
People thought this was:
- Useful (11)
- Funny (7)
- Cool (7)
I love the Olympic size swimming pool! It's perfect for doing laps. When it gets crowded people tend to be very polite about sharing the lanes and I even learned about circle swimming. The buoyancy is higher in this water.
The fee for lap-swim/entrance is $4.50 right now which is a good price but can get expensive over time. The swim pass is totally i's $60 for 15 times whenever you want which comes out to $4 each time and saves you $7.50. The pass expires in one year.
I can't say if other public pools locker/bathrooms are better or worse but I dread stepping into it. Especially today when it looks like someone trailed a bit of mud inside.
I am in love with this park. When my family moved to Concord in the early nineties my mom would take my sister and I here during the day to feed the ducks.
My now husband then boyfriend, took me here once as a little early evening date to take a stroll and feed the ducks. He was shocked that I would let the wild geese eat right out of the palm of my hand. My husband really didn't get out much as a child I guess.
Today was an amazing day and we took the opportunity to take the wiener out and check out the dog park that we have never been to before. This place rocks your socks off! My wiener dog is pretty shy and it was really cool to see her walk around without a leash on and sniff butts and other things.
My company also rents out the community center for a events. It can accommodate a trade show and serve food to quite a few people. The beautiful surroundings help to make a fine event as well.
I am coming back every chance I get. Now thanks to my fellow yelpers I know they close the dog park in the rain.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (5)
- Cool (6)
**This is only a review of the dog park.**
The Heather Farms Dog Park is OK. It does its job, and is large enough that our border collie can play fetch. It's usually pretty crowded, being the only dog park in the Walnut Creek area, and the little dog park is ALWAYS crowded. The people are usually friendly, but I will not deny the fact that there are occasionally some dog owners in desperate need of Dog Park Etiquette 101.
There is ample seating (4-5 benches, one picnic table) and the sidewalk around the grass is a nice touch for those interested in walking/exercising while their dog plays. The grass is usually pretty good too, although with the water rationing planned I expect to see a lot more brown than green.
My main issue with this dog park is the water. The only place to fill up the communal buckets is in the entrance area, and it's not easy to do. There also could be more buckets. Personally, I'd recommend a spigot or hose on the other side of the park, helping spread the water out and away from the entrance, where there is already a lot going on.
I'll definitely continue to go here, but I'm not going to say this is the best dog park in the area, especially after spending an hour in the Shell Ridge Open Space with our dog this morning.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Five straight days of rain means my dog is behaving like a crack-crazed lunatic cooped up indoors. Seriously. He pissed in the middle of the floor during a dinner all while staring right at me. He knows better. Not to mention, he chewed up my bluetooth headset used for playing Call of Duty on the PS3. He's never been a chewer. That almost had him turned into a rug.
Anyways, after the crap weather broke, he NEEDED a trip to the dog park. Two fenced in areas, one for big dogs and one for little dogs makes off leash simple. After his customary mach 4 sprints in the big dogs' area to wear him out, I'll drop him in the small dog park so he can mingle with other little guys.
Great spot to relax, unless you are one of the dog owners who can't seem to break their dogs of their aggressive behavior and are therefore breaking up fights the whole time. Then it could be aggravating. Not Baxter, though. He is a little gentleman. Good people, good pups and great park. I meet someone new each time and there are some great regulars. There are even patio tables if you have the courage to bring in food! On a beautiful day you really can't beat this place. Take a book and let your pup exercise!
Bax gives it 5 stars.
People thought this was:
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Cute park, lots to do. The dog park is good but on the smaller side. Not much shade. I've also noticed they tend to close the park when it rains or the day after it rains. The fountain is cute, but tons of duck poop, I wouldn't want to picnic on the grass here. Overall, its a cute park!
This is for the Dog Park mostly.
First off, just FYI, today is 18Mar09 and the recording on the hotline for the dog park says it will be closed for maintenance until the middle of May.
Now, the review. Decent sized large dog section, Alright sized small dog section. Paved path around both parks, nice for when you dont want to chance stepping on a land mine. The parks are well maintained and have drinking fountains for people as well as dogs. Very nice dog park.
The rest of the park I havent much explored, but from what I have seen, its super nice. Heather Farm Park is definately worth a look if your in the area or if you want to try something new, and the dog park is worth coming out to also. I bet once I explore the park more, its gonna get bumped up to five stars.
FYI- This dog park is where the PUG meetup goes down every second sunday of the month. Come out and Pug it up.
This is a nice place to bring the little ones and let them run free for a couple hours. We mostly stick with the playground area which has an adjacent picnic area - so I can relax with some tasty deli and still keep a keen eye on them.
Bring yourself a nice picnic or bbq lunch and enjoy the WC sun. Parking can be a bit much, but we've never had too much of a problem.
People thought this was:
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Heather Farms. The place I don't come often enough.
I almost fell into the big lake as kid. And I had my third date ever in front of those fountains.
I've been geocaching here, and there's a great trail on the other side of the road. They also have the walnut festival here every year, but as much as I love squirting the water in the clowns mouth, I hate trying to park when those things are going on.
The cops drive around at dark and oust people parked or hanging out. It's actually kinda funny to watch if you're ever bored.
People thought this was:
- Useful (7)
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Really nice community park. Wide open green spaces. Playground for kids with many things for them to play on. Swings and climbing structures, etx. Lots of picnic tables. There is a swim center there also.
Nice small lake to walk around. Plenty of free parking. Clean public restrooms.
Nice way to spend an afternoon. Lovely scenery of the hills.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
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This relates ONLY to the dog park.
I am an avid fan of dog parks. Before moving to Walnut Creek, I took my two dogs to the Lake County, Illinois, dog parks. The parks I visited were in the 50-to-80-acre range with forests, ponds, and very large open spaces for running or cross-country skiing. The dog park at Heather Farm doesn't compare. But it does have some nice features.
1- The layout and maintenance. I've never been to a dog park and NOT gotten muddy. The park here has a paved ambit and the center is well maintained grass. Around the outside, numerous benches and a picnic table allow for rest while dogs continue to tire themselves. My only concern about this is that the east side of the park is a bit rocky and craggy and one of my dogs gashed her lip open chasing a ball down there.
2- There are some toys there already, which is nice because I hate carrying my own toys.
3- The small dogs have a separate area to play in. I've never had an issue with large dogs and my dogs, but small dogs sometimes think it's a great idea to pick a fight with a 90-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. The nice thing about the small-dog pen is that they can bother other small dogs. The not-nice part about it is that the small-dog pen was like amateur hour at Michael Vick's house. There were a number of small dogs that got into fights and owners who decided that it would be appropriate to continue that fight.
My biggest issue with this park was not size (my dogs can still sprint there), nor how crowded it was, but how immensely catty some of the patrons were. The vast majority of the people there were good people just interested in getting some exercise with their pets, but in both the small- and large-dog pens a number of owners ignored their dogs' waste and got into shouting matches with other owners. In general, there is a lack of dog park etiquette among enough of the patrons that it does diminish the quality of the experience somewhat.
However, I am still going to go there regularly because it's walking distance from my house and free (a very nice change over the $180/year I had to pay in Illinois.) Hopefully, I can find times to go when there will be fewer people there.
I came here for my law school picnic over the weekend, and we couldn't have had better weather, not too hot and not too cold. Especially since my friends and I were a tad hungover from our previous night's debauchary!
This park did not seem to have a problem with alcohol, and the restrooms here were actually pretty darn clean, they had all the major necessities a girl could ask for: tp, seat covers, doors, soap and cleanliness!
Also there was plent of nearby parking close to our spot.
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Still a great park. Just don't come here around the holidays. People bring their backcountry relatives with their untrained dogs. They don't pay attention to their dogs and they don't pick up after them. Plus these relatives from out in the sticks use and promote the use of "correction collars" a.k.a. choke chains on their dogs. I don't know what swamp they're from, but it's cruel to use choke chains on your furry friends and it promotes aggressive behavior.
Hey A and Mrs. A, you stupid bumpkins, that's probably why your unsocialized dogs keep starting fights!!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/27/2008
Nice dogs and clean grass.
My roommie and I just got a new best friend; Sera. We live in Emeryville,… Read more »
calee was a painfully shy puppy and I have made a point to socialize her.
I have been to over a dozen parks so far.
Heather Farm is the best park I have seen yet.
Dual fenced area for large breeds and smaller breeds.
Well maintained lush grassy area with super freindly owners.
Handy water and parking.
Huge prideful community park and the centerpiece of Walnut Creek.
A plus is the handy location with all the nearby stores for me to run my day to day errands.
This review is mainly for the dog park section.
Bongo has been with us for about 4 months, and we've been taking him to the small dog park (there's a big dog park right beside it) ever since. Although he is a little shy when it comes to big social groups, he's slowly coming around. When an outgoing pup eggs him on, he leaves the cement sidewalk and starts playing in the deliciously fresh grass. And in case he decides he wants to take a good poop, the park provides everyone with pooper scoopers. Very nice! There's also community water and community dog toys.
Heather farms is a great place to socialize your dog, and socialize with other dog owners. :D
Oh and if you or your dog get bored, you can always leaved the fenced in dog park and go for a little walk on one of the many trails at Heather farms.
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I love this place. Especially the first weekend of June when the WC Art and Wine Festival is happening. It's my second favorite Holiday. (Its a Holiday to me!!) I love strolling through the grass, sipping wine, looking at art. What could beat that? It's an awesome way to get the summer rolling. They also have a dog park tucked in the back that is terrific. My pug loved going here when we lived down the street from it. I live in San Ramon now so we don't make it up here often anymore. But the park is grass so you don't have pee pee dust flying in your face every time the wind blows like the San Ramon Dog Park.
They have large grounds with playground equipment on it that makes it perfect for outings and picnics. I really miss coming here...tears...
See my review for Walnut Creek Racquet Club, which makes its home at Heather Farm:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Large -no HUGE - inner suburbia park that has:
-large Olympic pool (admission charged only for this area)
-large children's play area
-large grass areas
-lots of walk/jog trails
-volleyball courts
-basketball courts
-tennis courts (fee for use)
-bbq/picnic areas for small and large parties (reservations available)
-2 ponds, one natural and one man made
-equestrian arena/area
-2 community centers for renting out
-rose/flower garden with walking paths, gazebo and little waterfall
-soccer fields
-baseball fields
-several large parking areas
-access to canal trails
I have always loved this place for peaceful walks and things to do with friends. They keep adding to it and making it better all the time.
The only thing I hope is that they never get rid of the equestrian area - the city has threatened to do so in the past and it narrowly escaped the chopping block. However the history of this place is that it used to be a horse farm and race track and was even the site for shooting a 1931 movie with Clark Gable called "Sporting Blood". Today there are many avid equestrians who use this arena for practice and shows. If you'd like to keep up on the Walnut Creek Equestrian Center, here is their web site:
http://www.horsenpony....
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Heather Farm is a beautiful piece of land and home to a great many historical, natural and recreational resources for the City of Walnut Creek. The community center has many recreation classes throughout the year (my husband and I took ballroom dancing here and it was a fantastic class!). My only qualm is that the building is pretty out of date, but I realize the City has a lot of maintenance projects higher on their list. For the time being there is still a place to ride horses at Heather Farm, but I heard that operation is moving out. Two other highlights are the new skate park and even new dog park which are both heavily used. Then of course there's the swimming pool (also needs an update) and tons of fields for various sports.
Heather Farm is a comfortable BIG ASS PARK in the East Bay 'burb of Walnut Creek. We walk our dog here when we can't decide to go anywhere else or when it rains. By summer '07 there's supposed to be a nice dog park built on the north side. Our boy won't be interested. Dude's not into fenced-in mosh pits now that he's older and thinks most dogparkdawgs get too HYPHY... he wags his tail to a different drummer.
This 102-acre park pretty much has it all: picnic areas with BBQ grills, walking trails, kids play area, sports fields, tennis courts, hoops, pool, skate park, community center, equestrian center, ponds, the "Gardens at Heather Farm", lots of cool ducks, birds and geese. As the signs say, PLEASE DON'T FEED THE WILDLIFE, especially with that stale processed bread shit. Watch out for the goose poop! Not a problem if you do a little cross-steppin'... HEY, there's some NATURE here... deal with it. U all Netflixed "Winged Migration" yah?
We try to avoid this place when the popular Walnut Creek Art & Wine Fest rolls around --- not our scene. But if you like that sorta thing, look for it at the beginning of June. Overall, a well-maintained park with something for everyone. Worth the haul eastbound through the Caldecott if the summer fog has got you bummed and you need to get reacquainted with Mr. Sol.
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A recent family outing to Heather Farm reminded me what a terrific suburban park this is.
Given that I was in the company of pre-schoolers, I was most focused on the large playground area that's modern, well maintained and conveniently sub-divided by age/difficulty. There are no fences between the different climbing areas, but since they are all set well back from the roads, I found it reasonable to watch my 4 year old on one climbing structure while my two year old played in the sand area on the other side. Large clean picnic tables surround the playground area, and heck, there's even a decently-sized climbing wall for the older kids like me.
In addition to the playground fun, Heather Farm offers a host of other assets including a duck pond, community center & gardens, tennis courts and public swimming pool. I can't speak directly to all of these, but I will close by noting that this is one impressive lineup of public space just outside of downtown Walnut Creek.
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Suburban delight! The fact that I can reach it by bike path is an extra bonus.
Picnic tables, BBQ grilles, swings, slides, even a rock climbing wall.
Tennis courts, swimming pools. Heck, I think there's even an equestrian center back there somewhere.
I could do without all the goose turds, but that's my only complaint about this lovely park.
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A beautiful park in the neighbourhood and the best place to rejuvenate. It was a treat to take a walk amidst the rose garden with roses of all colors blossomed in full. We also stopped by the pond to watch the ducks feed on bread and waddle across the pool with their little ones in a line! I am going to ask my husband to take me there often and explore the place further.
There is a lot of activity area like the swimming pool, tennis court, playground and the garden area is available for rentals for functions too. Its a great place for everyone to have fun. Dont miss out on this park!
Heather Farms is a beautiful park, with plenty of picnic tables, grills, swings and slides for the kids, and a beautiful pond and an incredible rose garden as well.
A good time to come here is for the Walnut Creek Art and Wine Festival, which typically takes place early June. They have music, food, beer, and wine, all in this beautiful park. Who could ask for a better Saturday or Sunday?
For some reason... when I was in high school.. this place had a weird mysticism around it.
It was a public pool, and none of my friends had their own pool... .but more along the lines that it was part of a community center that had alot of grass area, and my friends and I had this notion that we couple play vball at the time. Its somewhat amusing because, as so often when so many things, I look back and say.... "wow... but I sucked then!"
pretty good atmosphere, friendly people.... and lots of place... and used to get pretty busy during the summer..
If I recall correctly, they did use to charge for admittance.
Great dog park! I like the lake for walking and just the great trails through the park. It's a great place to take a walk or take the kids for a picnic and park.
This is a great place to run! When I was training for the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon with the American Stroke Association, we would run this path many times. At first I hated it, but then I came to enjoy it. The only thing is.............it gets HOT here. So run early or pass out.
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Nice picnic park. Equipment is run down. The sandbox doesn't drain properly leaving a huge puddle in the middle of a drought near the house. Weekend BBQ'n is popular from local residents and not. Pond ducks and geese foul the whole park with droppings.
Same o' me, wifey, Boston Biggie decided to check out the FARM. arrived at the dog park that is towards the back of the park. D-park (small dog/big dog field) was excellent if you like the real grass, a little smelly because hey I guess its a popular place for the locals. Boston Biggie like meeting a few friends for an afternoon of scratch and sniff. Owners seem to pick up after themselves so no "POOP and RUNS" here. People once again I guess it's a East Bay thing but nice and friendly. Real nice park has a few baseball diamonds that are filled with young kids that are learning to play stick ball. I guess I'm jealous because i wish i had that where i grew up. Nice well kept place a must go for afternoon fun. The overall park is kind of big for a recreational park but for hikers, bikers, and off roadies it's kind of small. I'm used to Lake Chabot size regional parks. But the day watching Biggie run around and have fun, kids learning stick ball and team concepts with their little Giants, Pirates, Cubs, and Yankee uniforms, and the well kept field made up for the small park no where to explore feeling...
Yay for Heather Farms because I've had many many MANY great barbeques here. You have to come really early to grab a table and grill during the summer because the tables fill up fast. The park is big and it has a nice pond too. There's basketball courts, tennis courts, swimming, volleyball sandbox, rock climbing wall and a playground. There's something for everyone! :)
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I absolutely love Heather Farm! I walk my dog here every single day and we always have a blast. Whether chasing some of the many geese that live in the man-made lake or sniffing the flowers in the garden, there's always something fun to do there. Only draw-back is the prevalence of goose #2 on the ground...it's really hard to avoid it in some places, but a visit is always worthwhile nonetheless.
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I go here to compete for swimming, after all WCAB practices here. (Crap, there's this guy I don't like on the team) as great as the pool is (all my best times are in that pool) and how big it is, the showers such (hence the one star taken away) there is one setting and the setting is... lukewarm. 6 shower stalls and crowding with about 30 swimmers trying to shower and go home.
Heather Farms was just made even better with the addition of the DOG PARK. It's a great park for big and small alike. Great place for our pups to burn off some energy and socialize with other dogs.
