Newly remodeled parts of Refugio Valley Park make it more welcoming especially on hotter days. The newly constructed shade ports offer shaded seating near fire pits. The parking lot has been remodeled with a designated crosswalk and two handicap parking spots closer to the middle of the park. The play structures remain the same with three benches nearest the bigger kids play area and one bench in the vicinity of the little kids play area. The duck pond remains a delight to experience, watching the ducks splash, chase and swim. When ducklings are present it is a treat to see. Today, we saw far more ducks than usual, sunbathing and enjoying cooler weather with constant wind gusts. read more

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A great place to get some steps in. Stopped by for my daily walk and was reminded why this is one of my favorite places to be active. Features: Walking paths Benches Restrooms ( Dog friendly Playground Water views with ducks Shade Parking The park was clean, felt safe, and had plenty of space for walkers, runners, families, and people simply looking to enjoy the outdoors. Still under construction tho Definitely a place I'll continue returning to. read more

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The air smells fresh, the smile on peoples face, the warm sunshine, the deafening sound of birds tweeting.

Very spacious park! This is one of the largest (if not the) parks in Hercules. It is nice for taking strolls, walking dogs, biking, rollerblading- just don't fall in the lake! I've taken some walks there and it's very clean, peaceful and relaxing. There's a wide expanse of grass for events, a fun playground for kids, and lots of surrounding trees. I've passed by their occasional family events and there were market vendors selling handcrafted items, a few food trucks, and an outdoor movie setup. Next time, I'll plan to stay for the movie. There were a lot of people so it seems like a popular event. This park brings community and recreation to the neighborhood and happy that its nearby! read more

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Refugio Valley Park is such a cute park! I love it! I had a paint party scheduled for Black Friday in Hercules so I was looking for a place to do some jogging/running prior to my event. I actually saw a picture of this place on the maps app on my phone when I was checking how far Hercules was from my place, and I was like "Omg what's this place? It looks pretty!" So then I jumped on Yelp to find this place which I did so I bookmarked it to check it out. Parking was easy peasy as there was a parking lot there. There's also a parking lot across the street too next to the tennis courts. The park has a pond with a lot of birds and ducks. There's the dome looking pavilion there that's make the park pretty romantic looking. It reminds me a little of Palace of Fine Arts in SF. There were a great deal of white birds on the grassy meadow area near the parking lot which looks like it would make for a fun picture or video to run into them to have them fly away. I saw a little girl doing it which made me really want to do it, but then again, I don't want to get crapped on by the birds so I didn't do it. Lol I had a wonderful time jogging and walking in this park as it goes in a loop. I love the steep stairs next to the playground area, which is next to the pond. It's good for working out the legs and booty. :D Haha... This park is pretty gorgeous with a good deal of spots awesome for pictures. I wish this park was nearby me. Haha.. I'm happy to add this spot to my list of locations that good for photos. :) read more

Refugio Valley Park - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

The general area is surrounded by beautiful trees and the landscaping is quite nice for a stroll. Hubbers and I decided to come through as a field trip of sort for our 6-month-old pup. There's a nice man-made little lake right in its center and a few beautiful feathered wildlife swimming around it. It was kind cool watching people feed some of them. The grass is well maintained, and the general lush area is well put together. The gazebo adds on to its overall beauty, and the really nice perk I noticed is there is a water fountain designed for both humans and dog use. Looking forward to coming back. I think Hubbers and pup would enjoy a picnic up in here! read more

Refugio Valley Park - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

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Spacious park with plenty of parking and friendly people around. Great for kids and picnic but they don't have much area with shade. The park leads to other bike trails with smooth pathment that's ideal for teaching kids how to bike read more

Refugio Valley Park - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

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NATURE: Beautiful park in Hercules. We have been coming here since my kids started walking :) We love to feed the ducks and the geese and also to walk around the park. There is a paved pathway that makes it easy to get your steps in. There is a lovely kids play structure as well that we used to come to with a slide but no swing. They a nice pond area and an area for weddings and all types of events . Also picnic tables where you can come and barbecues and have a celebration read more

Refugio Valley Park - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

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The bathrooms had urine and feces everywhere with no toilet paper or soap in sight. The toddlers playground is aged and not very safe.

Hidden gems are all around us, especially when they have been around since childhood. Hercules is slowing becoming the city of the future. However, the world will have to grow around Refugio Valley Park. This spacious park is surrounded by huge trees, walking trails , man made duck pond and beautiful structures. The park is well known for the Refugio Valley Creek. The park offers many amenities to the visitors of this park. Multiple fast food choices and grocery needs are within walking distance of the park. There was construction done to the old cement slide. (Memory Lane note): When I was a kid, my mother would bring me to this park for cheer leading practice. At the end of practice, we would find cardboard boxes and slide down this cement slide. Was it dangerous... YES. Did we care... NO lol. Since then, the slide has now been sealed never to be used again. Play structures were built to provide a safer experience. Plenty of green area and picnic tables. Great for parties or family picnics. If you are most interested in any potential cardio or strength exercises, there is a great semi quiet trail surrounded by trees. Fairly old workout equipment are placed in randoms spots of the trail, to provide arm, leg and full body strength training while enjoying your walk or run. I would consider the trail as a flat walking trail with a steep incline only if you decide to walk up Sycamore st hill. Living in Vallejo, it makes it sort of hard to drive there every day. However, with my mother living in the area, any time I visit her, I can add the trail to my cardio workouts. read more

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Just went here and it's very nice and clean and a beautiful open space. There were some friendly ducks and seagulls. Just really beautiful! There are okay structures as well. Perfect for kids and families! read more

I came here when I was little and now I bring Jenbert Jr. It's fun to feed the ducks and there are several play equipment structures. The only downfall is, because there's lots of birds there's also plenty of poop. Other than that, a fun place for young kids to play, and it's near the tennis courts, swim center, and Cabalen (wonderful Filipino food!). read more

I've been coming to Refugio Valley park since I was kid and every time I go new memories are made. The park itself is a huge park were you can have Bbq's, parties, festivals, run/walk, play or a place to chill. The park is a landmark for the city of Hercules. The park consists of two play grounds and a large pond that has ducks and tad pols that live there. Refugio park is really clean, I usually run along the path they have all the way down to the High school or down to Mandalay area. It's only a 3.5 mile run total but great for exercise. Along the path there are also stops and tips for exercise for stretching. The people of Hercules are very active of using the walk way/bike path for walking their dogs or just for a stroll with the kids. This past weekend was the Cultural Festival for the city of Hercules. At the cultural festival, a lot of the community comes from different backgrounds. Perfect weather for the festival as the temperature was in the high 80's. There are several booths set up advertising there own ethnic background. For example the different food stands they have such as Filipino food, Spanish food, BBQ, Thai, Indian and so much more. On the other side of the park there was a petting zoo for the kids and rides. There was entertainment too such as a magician who performed all his tricks/stunts, a karate school who performed martial arts, the high school cheerleaders, live bands, educational information from the police department, demonstrations, and of course my Halau who performs every year. Great way to spend time with the family. read more

Refugio Valley Park - Look what I found at the festival! Hi! - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

This park deserves a legitimate 5 stars. It may not always look nice, but when it DOES get cleaned, it's a really pleasant place to walk around (of course when it's not clean, there's duck/bird poop everywhere). I've lived in Hercules for most of my life. I give this park 5 stars because I know what it's capable of, what it had, what it no longer has, and what it could be in the future. There used to be annual fishing events where a bunch of trout or some other type of fish were dumped into the water and everyone went fishing! At a park! That's pretty amazing. Then there's the cardboard slide that you went down sitting on a piece of cardboard, which was also very fun. There used to be a nice pair of swings as well, but that was taken down and replaced by a kiddie play structure. I also agree with some reviews that there are a lot of spider webs on the play structures, but that's not the park's fault. The place really IS poorly unsupervised and has a lack of staff there to monitor anything or even to pick up trash I believe that if the city had more money, the park would definitely be maintained better. They did pave the pathways in the park so it's smooth, compared to the 90's where it was really rocky and you could only bike or roller blade with it being really bumpy. There were a lot more ducks before than there are now. The pond mainly has seagulls pretending to be ducks..which I find both sad and funny. There's the Hercules Cultural Festival as well, but I think it got canceled too. Despite the incoherence and chronology of my review, I believe that this park is a 5. Sure there are other nice parks out there, but for the city of Hercules, this is pretty good. read more

Review #172 - 2016 I can remember coming to the Refugio Park back in the days when we were younger and this was actually considered as one of the nicest park in these areas. As I got older and moved away from the area, I haven't been back for many years until recently when my little family became addicted to Pokemon Go! Yes, go ahead and judge me, but I have to say that it is nice to actually come out of the house and walk with the kids while we can enjoy some fresh air & do something together as a family. This park has a nice little pond, even though it's pretty smelly with all the ducks around. Definitely worth the trip to come and sit under the shades on a nice summer day. They also have a small children's playground. My only complaint is that they don't actually have any sports field or basketball court for the boys to get in some game time. Other than that, this place is very close to my brother's house so it makes it easier to pick up my nephews and drop them off without making the extra trip to another city. read more

Refugio Valley Park - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

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Used to be a nice park. Lake needs to be dredged. The play equipment is not in good shape. The padding under it is falling apart. In the summer after the geese get there you can't walk around the lake without stepping in poop. Theirs trash in the lake. And last summer the land really smelled. That may be due to the drought so that might be better this year. read more

Love taking our grandsons to Refugio. Playa little , walk a little, look for turtles a little!

Ain't as cool as the Foxboro park but it's laid with a beautiful pond, beautiful structures. Play area for toddlers/kids, lawn for kids and adults, slopes for skaters. Feed the birds if you dare to be loved. No edit. read more

I'm putting Hercules on the Yelp map. This review is dedicated to Scotty D. I don't know him but I read his review of the San Leandro Marina and his memories of feeding ducks stale bread reminded me of my childhood at Refugio Valley Park. Refugio Valley Park is award winning for its landscape. It's got beautiful trees, an awesome pagoda (where people often get married, take their cotillion pics, and bands play), nice playgrounds, and a track for jogging (or walking if you please). The playing field is wide for soccer in the summer and church volleyball madness. Every weekend is filled with jumping castles and birthday parties. Refugio Valley Park is also home to the Hercules Cultural Fair. There is much to do at Refugio and is used by the Hercules residents time and time again. The Refugio Valley Park I knew as a kid was much more simpler. They had these yellow ducks that you could ride on, the playground with the giant slide and hundred steps was one of the best things in the park (now boarded up and closed down), and in the summer they would show movies. Sometimes the city would throw fish in the lake and host fishing days for everyone. Now the lake is just muddy and overtaken by the ducks. The geese are the worse. The crap all over the jogging trail and if you get too close I swear they will peck the living hell out of you. I did enjoy feeding the ducks popcorn and the ends of the bread loaf that noboy liked to eat. Just throw the food into the lake and the ducks flock to you. Fun stuff. In high school, we'd have water wars and picnics. Those were good times. Nowadays I'll usually just walk to the park and do a few laps. It's still a nice park. New generations are now enjoying it with the old. Good ol Hercules. read more

My son loves feeding the ducks and playing on the structures here. Having grown up in good ol' Herc, I remember when my brother and I used to bring cardboard to slide down the big concrete slide which is now boarded up. The park is pretty spacious and is a great place to have bbq's and parties. We had our son's first birthday party here and it was fun. The only drawbacks are: 1. No alcohol allowed (which for my family was really tough) 2. No jumpers allowed I remember having my 12th birthday at this park and there was both alcohol and a jumpy castle. There must have been some kind of accident that caused the city to enforce these new rules. All in all, still a great park. read more

Grew up at this park. Nice place to have your BBQ and picnics. A lot of grassy areas to play football, volleyball or even softball. I just recommend you get their early to claim your spot. Lucky's is right across the way, with subway, McDonalds, and my favorite filipino spot, Cabalen. So grab your grub there and bring it over. Its also more known for the playground, especially the slide where you go down on, on cardboard paper. Good memories there, but the playground is more meant for toddlers to 12 year olds. Other than that, if you have older kids, they may get bored. Make sure to have something fun for them. I do admit, I did play with a few kids that day and literally all the adults looked at me and thought I was whacked. But it was soooo much fun. Come on, crawling thru a hamster tube, dog pile on the slide then hide and seek, I couldn't help letting my inner child out. Plus I got my cardio done for the day. Mucho accomplished. But last but not least, besides a nice walking path around the lake. Watch out for the geese. I feed the ducks there from time to time, but those damn geese. They chased after me and even bit my ass for not feeding them fast enough. Guess they don't know what sharing is. read more

Love the ducks. Not that our City has the money, but the tot lot is in desperate need of updating. The play structure gets such little use there's actually spider webs in certain areas. Crazy! Great place for a walk or an easy bike ride with children. read more

The Lake has become an eye soar. Filthy, Funky and Muddy. Just look in the mud I mean water and see all kinds of debris. Such a Dynamic City, Yea' Right. read more

Refugio Valley Park - Broken pipe creates flood prompts MCAMO to cancel opening Saturday JAM in Tha' PARK - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

I love this park. Very clean, spacious, and has great play structures for the little ones. Watch out for the ducks though! They are evil!! read more

During my visit to the Boyfriend's hometown, we drove by this little park. What caught my attention was the dome shape thing. I guess the Boyfriend saw my reaction when I caught a glance at that dome thing, so the next day he took me to the park. The day was cool and sunny so it set up for our visit quite perfectly =] FYI. There are a lot of ducks and geeses that swim, walk and hang out here. Not sure why, maybe because people tend to feed them when they're there BBQing and having birthday parties. However, that doesn't sour the spot. I like it. I only wish I brought my DSLR to take some high quality photos but I didn't want to bother the Boyfriend to drive back and forth so I just used my phone and my smaller Canon camera. I think the area can clean up the graffiti a bit and a little trash picking upper would suffice the park a bit. Other than that, I think it's a pretty cute park. read more

A good park that I grew up with. Lots of space, good place to have a kid's birthday party with the slide and duck feeding and grassy area. Needs a little updating around the "jungle gym" but other than that it's a nice spot for friends and family. read more

There are good things about this park. It is nice in the morning when folks come to exercise. The updated play structures are great. Things I don't love- The weekends can be crowded. The bird crap is nasty. read more

Great little park for walking the dogs or grilling a Sunday afternoon lunch with the family. Nice lake with a fountain. Restroom facilities are available and a nice playground for the kids. Nice place to park with easy access on to the walking trails that encompass the park and continue down the street. read more

One of my favorite parks!! Very spacious, perfect for bbqs, picnics, duck watching, reading on the grass It's a great place to have a date, bring kids to the playground, or host an event, or bring your pets!! read more

So.... I'd like to find the clean park all these yelpers are talking about. The place was trashed. Really disgusting and had it not been for the amazing weather yesterday I wouldn't have even stopped. This place is way too busy with bits of graffiti here and there and trash all over the place. It's poorly staffed and unsupervised. This place is my last resort as far as parks go. Save yourself a nasty trip and scout around for more parks, which there are plenty of, just need to do some searching. read more

I love bringing my toddler here! There's a large open space that can be used for endless activities! Two playgrounds, one for little tykes and a "big kid" park! There's a large pond with many hungry ducks eager to eat whatever is being thrown over the fence! It's close to McDonald's and other restaurants and Lucky's is right there! Great spot!!!! read more

Refugio Valley Park - Feeding the ducks! - Parks Near Me - Hercules, California

The lake smelled pretty bad this time we came for a visit, but the place is still worthy of walks in the park with the kids or pets. The scenery is still nice... took the time to take some nice pictures of the landscape. read more

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This park is absolutely beautiful. A lot of places to walk or play for kids, as well as a couple of playgrounds. We also took our professional family photos here because there are just so many beautiful spots. read more

Very beautiful park. I've enjoyed every picnic i've attended there. Only downside is, if you stay there too late after sundown, the automatic sprinkler system turns on you and GETS you! Other than that, i definetly recommend the area. read more

This is truly a beautiful place to visit, great area park for children, AMAZING scene & Beautiful trees with lots of places to sit and have s game of chess/checkers or lots of seating for people watching, many types of birds & a very huge pond just a great place to spend the day!!! read more

i have been coming to this park for over 20 years and it is truly one of hercules' biggest assets. this park is clean, has friendly people, and family oriented but also gives the lovers the chance for romance. lol date tip/fun family activity in hercules: go feed the ducks! :) i remember when i would beg my aunts/uncles to take me here to feed the ducks and now my nieces and nephews are the ones who beg me to take them to the park with some day old bread to feed the ducks. plus there are 2 playgrounds one for the toddlers and one for the big kids. i wish they had swings tho! you will find older people walking and enjoying the day, people working out, and kids having fun. if you're looking for chill, family time that is free then come here! luckys, subway, and mcdonalds is across the street if you want to have a quick, simple, impromptu picnic. read more

This park used to be so nice, but now its in need of a lot of work. The lake needs cleaning badly. there is so much debris in it there starting to form little islands here and there. All the garbage cans are broken or missing parts. There are so many geese and ducks there you can't walk around the lake without stepping in bird poop, it just smells bad. Yes they did repave the walkways last year which is a nice start. I hope the city will start taking better of this wonderful park. read more

Nice park but the toddler area is a bit dated. Good place to go for duck feedings and picnic'ing though.

I used to come here everyday with my friend for running and exercise .. this is really a good place to do that job ... big space for parties . This is one of the popular park in the area n has alots of place to sit read more

This park is a great place to bring your kids. There's a big grassy area, playgrounds for both kids (big and small). I also love that there is a parking lot. This is a great place to have a picnic or BBQ with family and friends. I am a fan! read more