East Bay Regional Parks Camps

East Bay
Ages:
Kinder,
School-Aged,
Preteens,
Teens
Editors' Notes:

Park’n It Day Camp is a traditional summer day camp program that takes place Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm in various East Bay Regional Parks. Camps feature hands-on experiences under the care of our highly-trained staff of recreation leaders, lifeguards, and naturalists. Your child will learn about our park ecology, play games, make art projects, go fishing, hiking, and swimming, and enjoy field trips to other parks.

Parent Q&A

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  • Has anyone tried the week long East Bay Regional Parks "Parkin It" Day Camp?  Looking at the one in Miller Knox in Pt Richmond for my 7 year old.  Would be interested to see if others have had good experiences.

    Thanks so much!

    I have sent my kids to Park'n It at Lake Temescal for the last few summers, and will send my younger child again this year.  The kids have fun, they're outside, and it's professionally and competently run.  The emphasis is on traditional camp activities like singing silly songs, arts & crafts, and engaging with nature (swimming, hiking, etc.). The presence of many "leaders in training" is nice, because it provides for a mixed-age group.  My only complaint is that the check-in line runs pretty long, especially the first morning. If you can live with that small wrinkle, then it is an incredible value, and I recommend it.   

  • Could anyone share their experience with the "Park'n It Day" summer camp run by East Bay regional Parks, particularly for younger participants?  I can't seem to find any reviews anywhere...

    Sure. My (then) 7 & 5 year olds did it at Miller/Knox in 2016. Here are my notes:

    Very affordable for 9a-4p coverage ($200 for first child, $180 for second). Both kids (ages 5 & 7) did it for EBRPD’s first year at Miller/Knox in Richmond; the same staff roves other parks throughout the East Bay, doing weekly sessions at each one throughout the summer. All outdoors. Field games, hiking, playing in the water at Keller Beach, etc. The kids lug their backpacks all over the place. Can be both hot and cold (in the same day!) at this location; wear layers which then will be lost in various locations throughout the park. Staff not the warmest, bathrooms not the cleanest. OK for active kids. Not sure we will repeat.

Parent Reviews

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Our daughter has really enjoyed summers with the UC Berkeley Youth camps and Trackers Earth. 

Berkeley’s general activity camps allow you to rank activities at enrollment based on camper interests and some include swim lessons. My daughter loved meeting the Cal student counselors from all over the world. 

Trackers Earth has made some positive changes after a rocky period post-COVID closures. If you want outdoor time and nature-based activities, they are great. My daughter loved all the tracks she tried, so never could settle in one. She still plans her clothes and packs her daily bag based on their readiness training. 

We also recommend reading up on the East Bay Regional Parks camp options. They differ by location, but we’ve had good experiences in Contra Costa County locations and with Jr Lifeguard camp in Alameda.

Check out the multitude of camps run by the City of Oakland, City of Berkeley, City of Piedmont, East Bay Regional Park District, etc.  We had a great experience last summer with the City of Oakland's boating camp (they also teach sailing for older kids like yours!) and with EBRPD's camp for young kids.  Camps run by public agencies tend to be much more affordable as they are essentially subsidized by tax payers.  Typically you'll get a resident discount, but won't necessarily need to be a resident to participate.