César E. Chávez Park

César Chávez Park, named after César Chávez, is a 90-acre (36-hectare) city park in Berkeley, California. It is located on the peninsula to the north of the Berkeley Marina in San Francisco Bay, adjacent to Eastshore State Park.

The park’s easterly location in San Francisco Bay affords panoramic views of the city, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, and the East Bay hills. The park’s terrain is distinguished by wide-open grassy hills that have become popular for kite flying. Paved paths run around the park’s perimeter and throughout it, and picnic tables and barbecue grills are available to the public.

Features:

• Grassy areas for kite flying and “Frisbee” play, for example (no officially designated sports fields).
• Hiking on the park’s trails; the 1.25-mile (2.01-kilometer) Dorothy Stegmann trail around the park’s perimeter is fully wheelchair accessible.
• Off-leash dog zone (17 acre).
• BBQ grills on picnic tables (several arranged for large groups).
• Solar Calendar
• Wildlife Sanctuary
• The park’s traditional public restroom closed in 2015, but City Council considered replacing it with a more robust Portland Loo in 2019.

Cesar Chavez Park, built on the site of a former landfill, provides a variety of recreational opportunities in a marina setting with views of the three bay bridges, Alcatraz, and Angel Island.

A 17-acre off-leash dog area was recommended by a City Council special Task Force and approved with modifications by the City Council in 1998 after a lengthy period of public hearings and review by various commissions. This open space, formerly known as North Waterfront Park, was built on a former landfill that dates back to 1957, when dikes were built to contain municipal waste. A Marina Master Plan was adopted in 1969, designating the landfill area for unstructured recreation. In 1991, the landfill was completely sealed, and the park opened soon after.

The park started out as a landfill in 1957, when dikes were built to keep municipal waste contained. The Marina Master Plan, adopted in 1969, designated the landfill area for unstructured recreation. The city completely sealed the landfill in 1991, and the park, originally known as North Waterfront Park, opened soon after. The park was renamed César E. Chávez Park in 1996 after the union leader and founder of the United Farm Workers of America, César E. Chávez.

Model rocket launching, kite flying, drone and model airplane flying, picnicking, dog walking, jogging, and walking are all popular activities. Despite its location on a peninsula, the park has no water access because there are no beaches or steps down through the park’s reinforced shoreline.