Overview
Heather Farm is a 102-acre Walnut Creek park that punches above its weight. The playground is one of the best-engineered in the East Bay — turf-covered mounds kids sled down on cardboard, a climbing wall, curvy slides, sand pit with a water feature, and separate tot lots — plus a nature lake with ducks, an off-leash dog area, and a connection to the Iron Horse Trail. The Clarke Memorial Swim Center on site adds a genuine outdoor pool with inflatable obstacle courses in summer, which makes this a full-day destination from late June through August.
How to Do It
The park sits at 301 N San Carlos Drive in Walnut Creek. Multiple parking lots surround the park and are free — the main lot off North San Carlos fills first on hot summer weekend mornings, so pull into the secondary lot near the community center if the first is full. The park is open dawn to dusk daily. From BART, the Walnut Creek station is about 1.5 miles away; the park is also directly on the Iron Horse Trail if you're biking in from elsewhere in Contra Costa County. Start at the playground and lake loop — both are in the southeast corner of the park near the main entrance. The Clarke Swim Center is in the northwest section; walk or drive there separately for pool time. The off-leash dog park is at the north end, so plan accordingly if you're bringing a dog.
Tips & Tricks
The playground includes turf mounds purpose-built for cardboard sledding, which is genuinely fun and not obvious from photos or the park listing. Bring a few pieces of cardboard flattened in the trunk — kids will cycle through for 20 minutes straight. The sand pit has a water feature that runs in warmer months, which means sandcastle conditions and wet shoes; pack a dry change if you have toddlers. The Clarke Swim Center outdoor pool has floating inflatable obstacle courses available during summer recreational swim (roughly June through August, noon to 5pm weekends and 1–4pm weekdays) for an additional $3 splash pass per person on top of pool admission — worth it for kids 4 and up. Kids under 7 swim for $5, ages 7–17 for $6. The pond loop is genuinely stroller-friendly and flat — about half a mile — and you can duck feed from the bank. The park gets direct Diablo Valley sun and there's limited shade at the playground, so schedule morning visits in July and August or bring a canopy.
Planning
The park itself is free and open dawn to dusk every day. The Clarke Memorial Swim Center runs summer hours from approximately June through August — call (925) 943-5856 to confirm the current season schedule. Pool admission is $5 for kids under 7, $6 for ages 7–17, and $8 for adults, with an optional $3 inflatable splash pass. The Iron Horse Trail connects through the back of the park for families who bike. Picnic areas are available and can be reserved up to 120 days in advance through the city's online portal. Bring sunscreen (minimal shade at the playground), a dry change for toddlers who will inevitably get in the water feature, snacks, and cardboard for the mounds. The park shines March through October when the weather cooperates; East Bay summers mean reliably warm afternoons that make the pool worthwhile. Best for ages 0–8 across the board, with the climbing structures and inflatable pool being the highlight for 3–7.
