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    Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area

    3.3 (151 reviews)

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    The water was calm and clear.
    Navin K.

    Lovely place to get on the water in Pleasanton - we stopped by with our newly purchased paddle boards earlier this month. There is a $5 parking fee and a $7 boat inspection fee (inspections are valid for a month) as they are concerned about mussels getting into the lake. After parking, we inflated our paddle board and lowered it into the water, which was clean and calm. We all took it out for a spin, some of us staying close to shore, others venturing much further. Some of us rowed sitting down, others paddled standing up, till we were all tired and hungry and decided to call it a day. Will be back!

    Pranamee S.

    My first time here and I loved it. There are so many things to do here, equestrian trail, normal trails, boating, fishing, swim (summer time), picnic, kites, just play with the ducks and birds. or just take in the beautiful scenery. It was not too crowded, but this is before 10 am and in the spring time. Will have to go back in the summer which I am sure it will be crowded. And hey, people with dogs, we can continue to clean up after your dogs.. right? Please keep the place as you found it when you walked in It's a great area. Fun for kids!

    Parking lot and park (lakeside)
    Annabelle R.

    They charge $6 for parking here, but they have a humongous lot with different parking areas to reach different parts of the park (note, there's also a free parking lot at the bmx track about 5 minutes away... that's probably where google maps will take you if you don't input "lake" in your search). The park is divided into sections... closest to the parking lot is the beach area with plenty of sand, where swimming is allowed in a roped area of the water and a lifeguard is on duty. Further down is a fishing area of the lake, where snacks and boat rentals are available as well. Here, there's plenty of grass and trees, no sand, and it's less crowded than the beach area. Beyond that, no fishing is allowed. Plenty of signs are posted everywhere, noting these rules and separating these sections. There's ample seating throughout the entire park, and 2-3 restrooms too. When I visited this past Monday, besides geese hanging out on the shoreline, plenty of other creatures could be seen on site including lizards and squirrels. There's also a bit of a trail along the water for jogging but it's only on one side, not wrapping around the lake. You can access trails going in other directions though, like Arroyo trails in the back of the parking lot near the Interpretive Pavilion. The place is lovely, but there are lots of rules and restrictions for different areas of the park, and lots of staff on site making their presence known... and while I appreciate them keeping everything in order, it sorta takes away from the appeal of parks where it just feels peaceful and free. Hence why I didn't give 5 stars.

    Water lilies
    Al L.

    Our walking group decided to do a walk here on a recent Thursday before a lunch in Pleasanton. Shadow Cliffs is a recreational area that encompasses 266 acres where people can swim, fish, picnic, boat, hike and birdwatch. There is a $6 entry fee per a car. We parked under the solar panel sections of the parking lot for shade. There were restroom facilities. The snack stand was not open. Maybe weekends only? The area was originally a Kaiser gravel quarry donated to EBRPD and opened as a park in 1971. The large part of the area is an 80 acre lake where I saw people swimming and playing on the beach and fishermen fishing on a boat and from piers along the shoreline. There are many open areas with picnic tables. We hiked several of the main trails, the Lake, Levee and North and South Arroyo. All the trails were relatively flat and a steeper trail was closed due to maintenance. None of the trails looped around the lake, so you would double back on a couple of them. We hiked about 2 1/2 miles during our trip. A nice recreation area that picnickers, swimmers, fisherman and boaters would enjoy.

    Karrie L.

    It's a big park that you can circle around in a little over a mile. Perfect to walk your dog. Parking is $6 and Dog fee is $2 You can get the East Bay regional annual pass at REI and it's about $60 for a year. Very much worth it if you go to a park with your dog that paid parking is required. The park have very clean bathrooms but ok weekdays I noticed that only one is open. The beach really needs some cleaning up and no water activities resumed yet since COVID. The hike is easy so it's great for me and my small dogs. We saw poppies right in the parking lot on 4/7/2023. Beautiful. Plenty of parking spaces. There is paid chargers. Drinking fountain available so bring a doggie bowl and poop bags for dogs. I wish the water activities would resume and the beach can get some new sand.

    Beach area within park
    Jose J.

    Wife and I always passed this park on our way to work and decided to go for a walk with our dog and it was super nice! They have a designated beach area (no dogs allowed on beach area) and lots of fishing areas and a wrap around trail (we walked about two miles) that had their own smaller lakes. Some parts of the trails are not covered and totally exposed to sun while others are covered in shade but beware if you got allergies lol Parking is $6 and dog fee is $2 but I think we got lucky and didn't have to pay (someone was at the Kiosk waiting)

    Wil L.

    Hello again. Again, my review are for parents considering taking a stroller. My wife and I have been checking out East Bay Regional parks with our one and three year old. We have been using our GT double stroller. Okay, big parking lot so that's a plus. We started our hike behind the big Interpretive Pavilion. The top trail is really really rocky. Take the route to the lower paths as soon as you can. It's still dirt / gravel but 100% better than the top trail. Your kids will thank you. There is a combination of sun and shade from the big trees. May be two inclines but nothing like my other review on the Castle Ridge Trail. This trail is totally doable with a stroller. I'm not sure if we will come back since we have done longer and nicer paved trails. The beach was closed and the park was pretty empty. We saw awesome homes right a long the trail. One home was solid this month for 3.25 million dollars! That's insane but wouldn't it be cool to have a regional park as an extension to your backyard. One could dream... or move out of state.

    Michael N.

    It's been 25 years since I went fishing! My family wanted to celebrate Father's Day by bringing my dad out for fishing. During the COVID, the gates are still closed so no parking available inside. We had to park at the BMX parking lot which was a half a mile away by walking. When we arrived at the large park, there were so many ducks. So you know what that means? Please watch your step! After the whole morning fishing, we didn't catch anything. I guess the park didn't restock the fishes during the pandemic. Oh well. What matters most was our dad having a good time and bonding with the fam.

    Angela T.

    Came with my pups to have a change of scenery. I was excited that there was a local spot with water views, but was very disappointed. There is way too much poop everywhere from geese and negligent people who don't pick up after their animals. Every bit of grass we wanted to walk or play on was covered in poop. Water access was closed with a "do not swim" warning. It gets scorching hot here so bring extra water for you and your dogs. Parking is $6 and supposedly $2 extra per dog. Pay at the machine next to the entrance booth. Credit cards only.

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    2 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    10 months ago

    This place is not transparent about their upfront fee for paddle boarding in their lake. I don't like liars.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

    Had a great time went on two trails and got to getting into the water on the beach side

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    11 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Got bit by something like a flea and kept getting new bites daily for a week. Dirty place and nasty water

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    2 years ago

    Nice spot on the weekends. Lots of trees and usually not too busy. Quite a few activities to be had.

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    It's a nice place to go with family the only bad thing is that they don't let the doggy's get in the water which my dog loves

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    6 years ago

    We still love bringing dogs for mini hikes and swimming here.

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    8 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area

    The park is great for fishing and enjoying a day at the park or even taking the dog for a splash and a hike in the arroyo.

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    Don Biddle Community Park

    Don Biddle Community Park

    4.5(32 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    I found this park on TikTok and I'm so happy I did! While the main park was a little crowded, there…read morewere so many other areas of the park you could explore, that really didn't matter. There's a larger park - with a zip line, a little obstacle play structure + slide, swings, and many more activities. There's also a smaller park on the other side that's suitable for younger children. You can also find shaded areas to sit and eat down at. A large grass field to run around or fly a kite. And a trail that goes around the park - perfect for walking, biking, or roller blading. I mentioned earlier that the main park was crowded, but the green area is very quiet and peaceful. I'm considering having one of my kid's birthday party's here. I truly enjoyed it. And I got to try out Mister Softee for the first time - which was parked out front for the day.

    A very huge park with really clean bathrooms that has soap and dyson air dryers…read more They have a pickleball court and basketball court on one side with a small playground where parking is, and a bigger playground on the other side of the park. There was also an area where there were hammocks, a monument area, and even a community garden. There were also multiple bridges all spread throughout the park. The playground is a great place to bring kids, I loved the amenities they had, such as a jungle playground, zip line, and a giant slide for kids ages 5-12. This is a great place to bring your kids to play, and awesome place to walk your dog. There is a huge field of grass in the center of it all. We also saw cyclists.

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    Don Biddle Community Park
    Don Biddle Community Park
    Don Biddle Community Park

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    Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area - parks - Updated May 2026

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