Park Profile: Cerrito Vista Park

In El Cerrito, across Moeser from the El Cerrito Swim Center is Cerrito Vista Park. Plenty parking is available down below the playground area on Pomona. From there, you’ll see steep steps leading up to the playground. In summer, swimming and playground duo can be the magic combo to get your energetic kid tired for early bedtime.

There are swings, monkey bars, spinning chairs to sit in and get incredibly dizzy, a very tall playground with lots of climbing apparatuses and huge curly slides to come down, and a toddler sized slide structure. To get to the giant slides, kids will need to go up the steps and climb few ladders. The view is refreshing but can be scary for little ones. Even though entire upper section of the play structure is equipped with bars, I don’t recommend toddlers climbing up here.

The entire playground area is fenced in with two gates. The park’s big kid and toddler area is divided by long patch of grass in between. The toddler section is rather small and doesn’t seem to hold the little ones’ attention for very long since you have to walk by the super cool big playground to get there.

The toddler area is on the other side of the bathroom building from the big playground, so if you have a young child and an older child, you would need to station yourself very strategically to keep eyes on both kids at the same time.

This park is also great for kickball, Frisbee or sheer joy of running around on the grass. The large grass area and paved track on the perimeter is great for practicing bicycle or a scooter. Just watch out for occasional City of El Cerrito maintenance vehicle making its way. Cerrito Vista park hosts one of the biggest El Cerrito’s events such as July 4th celebration.

Pro tip: If you plan on coming to the park with your preschooler on weekdays, aim for the morning. Middle schoolers will start to trickle in and lounge on the benches, stairs, and play structures around 2:30pm.

As with all El Cerrito parks, you will need the restroom key that you can purchase from El Cerrito Community Center  (across the park on Moeser) for $18.