A beautiful spot!…read more The Berkeley Marina quickly became one of my favorite weekend spots while going to school in the city. There is something here for quite literally everyone of all ages and physical capabilities. I visited on a warm Saturday afternoon and was pleased to see there were people literally everywhere. On the land, there were dozens of children playing on the playgrounds. My friends and I were walking by the Adventure Playground (a wooden, quite industrial-looking play area), where we heard what sounded like the hammering of wood. I jokingly asked, "what is that noise? Are the kids in there building the playground themselves?" To my surprise, they literally were. This playground offers the unique opportunity for children to build and design the play area themselves. There are forts, towers, and even a zipline. This is a great way for kids to build community and work with their hands. Right next to this is a more "traditional" playground with slides, swing sets, and all the works. There are also many walking/running trails around the whole marina. Along these paths there are benches and tables where you can have a picnic and enjoy the beautiful view of the bay. You'll see people being active throughout the whole area. The main paths are paved so they are accessible to those with mobility issues. There are public restrooms available that are relatively clean. The water activities are endless here. There are kayak rentals, sail boats, and just plain swimmers. There are multiple docks to launch small crafts and to take a dip. In the shallower beachy areas, there were children swimming. If you look off to the distance, you'll see the strong open water swimmers practicing in their wetsuits. You may even see people learning how to use a hydrofoil board. People are often flying their kites off the bay's breeze too. I believe this is truly a spot for everyone who enjoys the outdoors. But, must I warn you...beware of the squirrels because they WILL run up to you and they sure aren't shy.

I was in the area with my husband and we cruised along the Berkeley Marina. Beautiful day! I…read morewould drive by this area anytime. Didn't have time to go down, but next time! Worth cruising and driving by if you have out of town visitors that don't want to walk, but cruise along side.

Had an amazing time at the San Pablo Reservoir on Easter! Our reserved site was beautiful, clean,…read moreand staff the staff was helpful and kind! We had such a great time!

No longer a prime trout fishing lake like it once was. Only been planting about half what they used…read moreto in previous years. Rarely post so the public knows when and how much they've planted. $14 for fishing and parking is just too much when they've only been stocking approximately half as much as they have in years past. Oh well guess it was a good run. I'll start spending my fishing money at all the lakes that actually reinvest some of the money into restocking.

Very beautiful location and venue , enjoyed celebrating a friends birthday . Nice kitchen and space…read morefor special events, plenty of parking. Location can be tricky for Uber and Lyfts .

If you're looking for a cheap and fun thing to do with a group of friends, Boating at Lake Merritt…read moreis it! My friends and I decided to come here and rent two rowboats for a nice day out on the lake. There is a deposit for each boat and we paid the non resident fee to boat. We grabbed our life jackets and we were off! We enjoyed sights all over the lake... the bird sanctuary was super cool and you can see the birds take off. We broke our paddle on the rowboat by rowing a little too hard, but the staff was so nice and gave us a new paddle. We all had so much fun learning to row and being in the water. I would definitely recommend this place!

Matt has been keeping our Shameless bottom clean and fast for many years. He is dependable and…read morethorough. I give him our expected race schedule at the beginning of the year and the bottom is magically clean when we arrive. He has also been accommodating when special needs arise. Spent zincs that find their way to the cockpit tells us that the zincs have been changed. He even did a special dive to recover the $$$$ TackTick display that my boat partner decided to store below the boat (on the bottom) for safekeeping.... Bottom Busters is as good as it gets. Use him and use him often...I want to keep him in business!

Excellent service, very friendly and super fast honest work. Definitely recommend and will use…read moreagain. Called Matt about a possible line caught in my prop at 7 pm. Needed boat operational for service at dawn. He quoted a very fair price, arrived in 20 minutes and was in the water and removed the line in under 10 minutes. He also took extra time at no extra charge to inspect the entire haul and zincs. Very impressed. Thank you Matt!

We love Marty and his crew!! They really take the time to…read moremake sure that we were happy and would enjoy our day on the lake. They made sure we had everything we needed and really made us feel special. They are easy to use as they make it easy to book, register, and get onto the lake - way better than any other place to rent boats! Josh and Jeremy were GREAT! We highly recommend and will definitely be returning next summer!!!!

*Great & Amazing Experience, I will come again sometime*…read more This was my first time choosing to rent from this company. I was worried that I had to rent a U-Haul pickup truck to tow their equipment. No Worries!! After making a reservation online, you show up on time. Time is important, it was quite a drive and I was 30 minutes late to my reservation. It was all good, I made it on time to enjoy the jet skis! Upon arrival, a person will brief you everything. Once completed, you follow the person towing your rental to the launch gate. Parking is $20, cash only! From there, you will enjoy your rental! Despite my experience, I did ran through a problem during my rental. I followed their rules and yet I got a warning light. Called the phone number they have given me, luckily I was with a buddy. They sent guys out to tow the jet ski, thank you! After we got back, no problems or damages were found on both jet skis. Small issue was oil overfill during the time the jet ski went through maintenance. It was understandable but I was given $25 for my next rental and refund back. We've taken it with care and hope someday to return to have fun!! S/O to the staff, thank you once again :)

The best place to learn sailing windsurfing in the Bay area. Great people great spot very cheap…read morejust perfect in every way

unbelievable.. Good place to learn to windsurf, sail, boats,…read more the price is like !20/ 3 months,, includes boats and lessons and paddle boards and kayaks, in the Summer there are Fast tracks lots of helpful teachers, volunteers,

The Lake Temescal loop is a beautiful easy-medium short walk that's a little over a mile…read more As you walk the only partially paved trail you'll see a ton of wildlife (ducks and fish) and quite a few dogs being walked as well as a waterfall water feature. The views are picturesque and it's quite serene for how busy it is. The second half of the trail (after you loop around near the fallen tree) isn't paved and in poor weather would be likely too muddy to be particularly safe, so I would probably walk elsewhere after a good rain or while it's drizzling. All in all, we had nevr been to this lake before and it was gorgeous so we fully intend to return!

Great place for fishing or a walk if you live in the area. Its a scenic place for not being all…read morethat large. Parking lot, kids play structure BBQ areas and picnic tables along with a clean walking path around the edge make for a good day with friends or family. I think it had been 35 years since I was last here since a few days ago. I barely remember a company picnic with my parents as a little kid. Obligatory company Christmas parties and picnics I'm sure everybody knows what those are about - and as a little kid it wasn't so bad. I think just now as we get older its the type of thing we look to gracefully exclude ourselves from. Too cool for school, too cool for Lake Temescal - yeah, maybe I think so.

We've rafted twice more with All-Outdoors since my last review - Goodwin Canyon in October 2022,…read moreand then Middle Fork American River again this past month (both 1-day trips). The last time we rafted Middle Fork American was on a cold, gloomy, drizzling day in October 2019 - so we had to give it another go in warmer weather. This time around was just as memorable. Two of us in the boat ended up falling out in the water at Tunnel Chute, which happened so fast that I barely knew what had happened - thankfully, there was a nice calmer stretch of water right after through the river tunnel, so we were easily able to get back into the raft. (Thank you to our guide, Troy, for hauling me back in, and for being an awesome guide in general!) Plus this was one of the photographer spots, so the action was all captured for us to laugh about later. Later, after our tasty sandwich picnic lunch, we had a few unexpected events happen, starting from the portage down Ruck-a-Chucky Falls. Shout-out to all three guides in our group - Troy, Shea, and AJ - for handling things so calmly and getting us all back where we were supposed to be! We had plenty of calm stretches floating down the river as well. The canyon is beautiful and quite peaceful. We saw a ton of dragonflies flying above our heads, masked ducks chilling on rocks and diving underwater, and wild grapes and blackberries growing alongside the river. We'll be back again for another trip with All-Outdoors! Maybe we'll try a 2-day or 3-day trip next time.

This rafting company is the best! We did the South Fork of the American River and had a blast. I…read morehighly recommend this trip and company. Ask for Markus to be your guide. You won't be disappointed.

We bought a boat about a year ago. We knew it needed some work and we got to it. We have needed…read moreadvice and guidance the entire way and still. Captain Dan is not only our go to person for repairs and updates, he is teaching us to sail, the right way. Just an A+ experience I highly recommend Captain Dan to anyone interested in Sailing or needing work on your boat.

The bay views are gorgeous, the sailboat is roomy (at least compared to the only other ones I've…read morebeen on), and the captain's a hoot. Dan took good care of our bachelorette party and made sure everyone had a fun and safe time. This is a solid option for an outing leaving from Berkeley ⁠-- I would go again if I needed an activity for a small group.

We enjoyed our second sail on The Schooner Freda B out of Sausalito tonight. It was a perfectly…read morewonderful sunset sail on SF Bay. Previously, we took the Freda B on the Wildlife Morning Sail in 2024, which was also fantastic. What makes the Freda B special is the crew. The vessel itself is gorgeous--even the "head" is great! From the moment you board and are greeted by the crew, you know you're in good hands. The safety instructions are thorough, and the crew immediately puts you at ease before setting off. Whether you have a clear night or a little fog (like tonight), the skies are beautiful, the Golden Gate Bridge is magical, and San Francisco twinkles in the distance. The crew meets your every need with kindness, excellent service, and genuine interest in you as a passenger. They're also an interesting bunch--just ask them about themselves! Hot (chocolate!) and cold beverages are available for purchase, including adult beverages. For out of towners...Wear and bring layers. Jacket + sweater/fleece, long pants, beanie hat, gloves if you have them. Blankets available onboard. This is SF Bay 12 months a year - always chilly and the sail is worth every layer of clothing. We celebrated my birthday tonight, and it was perfect. Thank you!

The Freda B and its crew took our dream of a wedding on a sailboat and made it into a reality. The…read morecaptain was prepared, thoughtful, and ready to help us with all of our needs. The crew was all smiles, good cheer, and skillful work. They carefully crafted an amazing experience, allowing us to get married with the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay as our backdrop. We could not have asked for a more magical wedding.