Cordonices Park

While there’s much to be said about Cordonices Park, the 40-foot hillside slide gets top mention. There are always pieces of cardboard at the base of the slide, so find a good size square and climb up the wooden stairs leading up to the top. From there, it can be intimidating to look down – it’s quite a drop on the winding, sometimes slippery concrete. This ride is nothing like the one on typical playground slides. It will remind you of slipping down a snowy hillside. Without the cardboard, the way down is slower, and some kids are even brave enough to fall backwards.

But it wouldn’t do Cordonices Park justice to focus on the slide alone. There are more than three acres to wander here, and much of it is hidden at first glance. Near the entrances, there’s an athletic field for soccer and baseball, and the basketball court usually has a game going on. Playgrounds include a toddler area with a tot train that multiple kids can climb into at once, not to mention a large sandbox with water access and tot swings. The playground for bigger kids features the popular concrete slide, a zip line, swings and climbing structures.

Benches facing the play areas make it easy for parents to keep an eye on the kids, and right alongside, there’s also a field for picnics, Frisbee, or lazing around in the grass. For those who’d rather not stay still, there are trails leading up into the hillside, where you’ll encounter groves of oaks and bay trees, little meadows and wooden footbridges built over Cordonices Creek. Numerous picnic tables are situated on the woodsy side, with access to BBQ stations and shade.

Cordonices Park is located in a residential area in the foothills of Berkeley, but further down at the base of Euclid Avenue, there are numerous restaurants on the north side of the U.C. campus if you didn’t bring your own lunch.

HelloMetro Tip: Cordonices Park is located across the street from the Berkeley Rose Garden, which was originally built as an extension of the park. Access to the Rose Garden is available from Cordonices Park via an underground tunnel.

- by Renee M. Rutledge, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Renee M. Rutledge

Renee M. Rutledge currently writes articles on local travel and culture for Red Tricycle, Parents' Press, Oakland Magazine, and Alameda Magazine.