Half of the park didn't look too bad, but the other half was so putrid that I can't believe I drove…read moreout of my way just to visit a duck pond full of murky waters and nearly deceased turtles.
I don't visit the South Gate area often, so my visits to the City of Bell Gardens will be rare. The only reason I wanted to visit this park was because from an overhead perspective on Google Maps Satellite View, it looked like a nice, serene place to stretch your legs and relax for a little while. With a duck pond in the middle of the park and plenty of walkways around the park, I was starting to feel this could be Bell Garden's equivalent of Wilderness Park in Downey minus the parking fee for visitors who reside in a different city.
Unfortunately, I do not plan to return to this park next time I'm in Bell Gardens.
The park is located adjacent to the Bell Gardens Sports Center, and I almost thought the two were connected to one another, but it would be a really long walk from one end to the other. There appeared to be a gate in the back corner of the park that led to the back corner of the sports complex, but the "No Trespassing" sign deterred me from walking in that direction.
I parked on the east end of the park where there is a playground and a couple of basketball courts by the adult school. The playground and the basketball courts seemed to be in fine condition, but nobody was playing there when I went.
Towards the west, you'll see a myriad of picnic tables scattered about, so it does feel pretty open in that area. However, the grass is definitely greener in other parks, and I should have taken that as a sign of things to come when I was walking towards the duck pond.
As I'm walking about the duck pond, I was literally grossed out by a ton of filth both on the walkways as well as at the pond's edges. No joke, there were so much filth on the corners that it almost looked like you could walk across them, but of course, I would never put my foot in the water just to try. If I did, I'd almost certainly need a new shoe!
In one of those corners, I saw three turtles that appeared they were trying to slowly but surely fight their way towards the surface of the pond so as to not drown. I almost thought they were dead, but I did witness some slight movement in them, a glimmer of hope that they could have been saved if animal control were in the area. But with how filthy and murky these waters were, I didn't want to put my hands in there, and I didn't know what to do to save them. As much as I wanted to, I had to leave them be :(
The ducks swimming in the cleaner parts of the pond or standing on the fringe were in much better spirits, though the ones on land barely exhibited any movement whatsoever, perhaps symbolic of how inactive this park is even in good weather.
There was construction nearby, which necessitated a great deal of fences around the park. Some of the fences blocked the walkway around the pond, so I had to walk in the grass/dirt between the pond and the fence while circumnavigating the pond. I don't know what that construction was about, but I hope something good will come of it. During my visit, it was a bothersome nuisance in my trying to immerse myself in relaxing scenery.
The restrooms weren't in good condition either. The sink I used was barely working, and I didn't want to even bother with the hand dryer.
Lastly, a lot of the parkgoers acted kind of weird that I can understand why the playground and basketball courts were empty on an otherwise beautiful day. I didn't really feel safe in the park, and I was starting to worry that one of those weirdos would heckle me. Luckily, nobody did.
Overall, I regret stopping by this park. It does not appear to be maintained well, and I can't be certain this area is safe if I didn't see that many people there. If I do make a return visit to this area, I would rather stop by the adjacent sports complex next door even though I don't play sports, but I at least could watch some soccer players practicing on the fields there.
