Garin Regional Park

Garin Regional Park in Hayward, California, is a part of the East Bay Regional Parks system. It actually borders its sister park, Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park, and is known for its historic apple orchard. Every summer the park hosts the Garin Apple Festival, so if apples are your thing, this is the time of year for you to visit!

Because of its unique ecosystem, this park and the Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park are used for many independent and educational nature studies. It is also a popular place to go when you want to bring Fido for a hike and end the day with a picnic along one of the trails. For larger parties, there are also four picnic areas that can be reserved ahead.

If you and Fido are interested in hiking, the twenty miles of trails connected to these parks will definitely please you. You may run into equestrians, who have the right of way. Dogs should be kept on a six-foot maximum leash on trails, in all parking lots, and on all lawns. You should also have a leash on hand at all times.

Because the possibility of running into cattle and/or coyotes is quite high, you may want to keep Fido on a leash at all times even in the off-leash areas. 

The park area is also home to the Jordan Pond pier, which was constructed in 1987 and has an abundance of populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, and sunfish. 

To get to the park from I-580 west, you can take the Strobridge Avenue exit and take a right on Strobridge Avenue. You'll turn left onto Castro Valley Blvd and follow it under the freeway, where you will then turn left onto Foothill Blvd for two miles. A right on A Street, then a left onto Missions Blvd are your next steps. A little over three miles along Mission Blvd and a left onto Garin Ave. take you to Garin Park. Approximately 1.5 miles further on Mission Blvd., you'll make a left onto May Road, where you will find the park entrance.