First time checking out the park with my little! It's so cute and a pretty good size! Lots of…read morelittle families and kiddos running around! It's also nice they have swings for little ones! More than one slide monkey bars and more! Bathrooms Slides Monkey bars Swings Teeter totter (single) Grassy area Picnic tables Sand Def will be back Dog friendly as well as long as you have them in a leash

Such a beautiful park. Lots of shaded areas and very clean! A wonderful surprise- Bring your kids,…read morehave a picnic, and enjoy the scenery

We finally made it to this park. It's cute, parking is difficult with the street work. But…read moredefinitely better for babies and younger toddlers. My 3 year old ended up playing with "everything" and was done in about 10 minutes.

We stopped by here with a family friend for our 5 year old, almost 2 year old and 1.5 year old to…read moreplay one Wednesday evening. It's a cute little park on the corner of a nice residential area in Lafayette. One of the nicest parts of it, is it feels like the kids are contained inside of the park. There's a fence around the whole park. I think while we were there, someone sort of "lost" their kid and found them immediately and there wasn't that fear of the kid running off or getting hit by a car because of that gate/fence. The play areas are super cute, there's tons of options for different aged kids. They have this great swing where the kids can go on it at the same time (attached). I love innovative playgrounds like this! It keeps things interesting for kids and challenges them. I would love to come back to this park and if I'm in the Lafayette area, I definitely will!

I've lived near Howe Homestead Park for many years but only recently discovered it when driving…read moredown Walnut. While in and of itself it's a small park, it's a convenient and less crowded jumping off point to the Kovar trail leading in to Shell Ridge Open space and endless hiking loops. There is a small lot and water fountains and restroom facilities (fountains and bathroom currently closed due to COVID precautions.) The park itself is rather small but features a few pieces of old farming equipment, some benches to sit and relax on and a nice large lawn for dogs and kids to run around on. Adjoining it is also a community garden which was fun to walk around and see what neighbors are planting. It's a cute little neighborhood park perfect for coming to relax and read a book or to find an easy parking spot for hikes in to Shell Ridge. Love that I can walk here and spend some time enjoying this small, local green space. Review #16 of 100 goal review in 2021

Love has struck me yet again... and it's right here at this adorable park. A hidden discovery that…read moreI will now bask in until my darkest days... or at least until it becomes unbearably overcrowded. Howe Homestead Park is a small recreational park tucked right behind the streets of downtown Walnut Creek. I would have never guessed that a little park like this would be hidden only a few miles from the downtown area that I so often frequent. Coming down Ygnacio Valley Rd from Concord, you can reach this park by simply turning left on Walnut Blvd and keeping straight until you reach a small parking lot on the left hand side. I first came here on a warm Saturday afternoon, and there was virtually no cars parked in the lot. Parking is free and there is a little path that will lead you to the park. The park itself is small with many preserved antiques set along its' path like an old farming wagon and beekeeper boxes. There are a few benches where people can relax and have a nice picnic. The bathroom is immaculately clean, and there's also a beautiful community garden along the path behind the park. Perhaps, what is the most compelling aspect of this park for me is the Kovar hiking trail that leads you to the back of Shell Ridge open space. Once you pass the garden, you will see a badly degrading sign that will faintly read "Kovar Trail". You can follow this trail all the way up until you reach the top of a hill with a three-way trail intersection. I veered to the right and ended up going up some mini steep inclines. There's a beautiful viewpoint where you can see all of Walnut Creek, the beautiful rolling hills, and the highway 24 and 680 freeway. I kept going up until I reached a point where I could see tons of trails! It's a peak where you can see all of the various trails centered on Shell Ridge open space. At this point you'll begin to descend downward, however it can be quite dangerous. I'm not really into rock climbing, but I actually found myself doing this while trying to make my way down. Unfortunately, I got too afraid of slipping and took my ass back up the rock and back down the hills to the park. It's a great workout but I advise that you go early or bring LOTS of water because it gets HOT! I was drenched and extra tired because of the heat. This trail is one that is less traveled, making it more enjoyable for you to really soak up the views. I'm so happy that I discovered this amazing little hidden gem, and I can't wait to go back to hike a new trail next time around!

Are you looking for a short half-hour hike to spectacular views of Mount Diablo? Then Acalanes…read moreRidge may be for you! I hiked the South Trail one sunny afternoon to see what I could see. Once I made it up the hill and emerged from the trees, I found myself on top of the ridge. At first, I could only see the mansions in the surrounding hills, but I was soon rewarded with beautiful views of the whole area as I continued on. From the ridge, I could see from Pleasant Hill all the way down to the Martinez refinery eight miles away on one side, and from Walnut Creek up to Mount Diablo on the other side. The biggest challenge with Acalanes Ridge is finding it (I used Google Maps to get there). The trailhead is tucked away in the hills above Walnut Creek, and there's very limited parking there. Put on sunscreen and bring water--the hills are a good workout and the trail is sunny once you leave the trees. Don't forget to stop and take in the views! If you're lucky, you might even sight a red-tailed hawk wheeling above. I enjoyed this hike and will have to try hiking it at sunrise next time. (Did you know? Before the days of radar navigation, airmail arrows used to be lit as beacons to guide pilots along the transcontinental airmail routes at night. The arrows on Acalanes Ridge are among the last remaining airmail arrows in the Bay Area.)

This is a this is one of the smaller wilderness parks in the city of Walnut Creek. This particular…read morepark is in divided into several sections. Some of them are very close to the East Bay Mud water treatment plant. I don't believe there are any facilities in this park, and I did not see any drinking water. The trails are well maintained however. And the signs appear to be correct. While this is not one of my favorite parks, it's a decent place to go hiking. I enjoyed my visit.

Nice, fenced open space. Nothing for children. It's more of a dog park. They have a leash rule but…read moremost owners seem to ignore the rule. That can be disconcerting and it would be nice if someone were on hand to enforce the rule, but that's not the case. The City of Walnut Creek does the minimum when it comes to landscaping in the park. They knock the weeds down, but they've never planted grass and there are lots of stickers. So if you have your dog at the park it's a safe bet you'll spend a fair amount of time pulling out stickers when it's time to go.

Brought me to a house gate entrance.. not sure where to enter at :( !…read more Don't make it too clear on maps just be aware when coming. Was on the way so not too inconvenient but still don't understand why they would tell you can visit at least from this entrance but you cannot get to the destination off what Apple Maps gives you.

Hidden gem - full sun trails…read more This hidden gem as a small car park so it is not the ideal spot for large gatherings that you may want to organize. However it is a great point for some beautiful trials that I recommend you undertake in late fall or winter as they are in full sun and it feels very hot. Epic views from the top worth your while.

"Cute Little Park--just ask for TP"…read more This is a surprising little gem with fun, interesting trails. There are two levels of parking. The lower parking is just a few spaces, near the restroom. The upper area has far more. There are several gorgeous trails, especially in the springtime. The day that I visited I went up to Mulholland Ridge Open Space. It's a bit of a steep hike but completely doable. For those interested in geocaching, there are several geocaches in the park. They have restrooms on the lower level, but they're pretty rustic. They appear to have no toilet paper. Other than that, they're really great restrooms.

Clean, great walking path & beautiful! The are lots of…read moretables & beautiful trees. Very tranquil here. I highly recommend coming here. Plenty of street parking places. Have fun. Chill in nature.

Located in a quiet residential area, this park offers plenty of entertainment. We love fishing for…read morecrawdads, and the two playgrounds next to each other are great for kids. There are ample seating areas and a spacious grassy field for relaxing or playing. Plus, the concrete car ramp adds a unique touch. A wonderful spot for family fun!

San Miguel Park doesn't look like much. everything is hidden in plain sight. there's an exercise…read morearea, children's playground, soccer field, grass field, concrete walkways, basketball, tennis courts, and benches. the area i visited only had street parking. unsure about the other side of the park.

I figured I'd comment on here due to the other comments about the "dog park" being so great. Let me…read morebe honest, your dog should not be off-leash if it doesn't have a recall. I can't stress this enough because the owners who seem to come here every morning do NOT watch their dogs like the comments say. I understand everyone does things differently and can have a different opinion here, but my dog and I like to come to the field and train (she's a service/search and rescue dog) and interacting with other dogs we don't know can ruin her training. The morning that we came, we luckily got here early enough. These people don't respect boundaries- it's completely okay to have your dog off-leash if you're around us, but please make sure it's protected under voice control. It's extremely unsafe (speaking as a professional here) to allow your dog to roam off-leash with absolutely no training. If someone is new to the area and brings a dog that's reactive, it'll be very scary if a random dog approaches it. You should be able to train your dog to come to you when asked. I hope these owners learn just a little bit more respect to those who have dogs that don't want to say hi to other dogs, you guys do not own the park, and it should feel safe to everyone.