Fourth of July Safety Tips from the East Bay Parks

There’s no better place to celebrate Independence Day than a Regional Park. We have hundreds of picnic tables and barbecues, lawns for playing games, lakes and pools for swimming, and more than 1,250 miles of trails for hiking or bicycling.

We’d like to remind visitors of a few safety tips:

• Fireworks are illegal in the parks. They can cause serious injuries and pose an extreme fire danger. Sparklers and so-called “safe and sane” fireworks are also illegal. Instead, please enjoy the many organized, legal fireworks displays happening around the Bay Area.
• Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is a leading cause of illness in the parks, especially on hot days.
• Keep a close eye on your kids while swimming. We have free loaner life jackets available at many swim facilities.
• Lock your car and don’t bring valuables to the park.
• If you drink alcohol, please drink responsibly. Do not drink at all if you plan to drive. Several parks do not allow alcohol at all: Shadow Cliffs, Quarry Lakes, Don Castro, Contra Loma, Crown Beach, Sunol, Martinez Shoreline and Miller Knox. Beer and wine are allowed at other parks, but no other form of alcohol.
• Hikers should bring a map, let someone know where they’re headed and when they expect to return, and keep our police dispatch number on hand: (510) 881-1833.
• Some of our more popular parks, such as Shadow Cliffs and Del Valle, tend to fill to capacity by mid-morning on holiday weekends. To avoid crowds, try visiting some of our less visited but equally beautiful parks, such as Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area in Fremont, Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline in Oakland, Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley, Pt. Pinole Regional Shoreline in Richmond or Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline in San Leandro.

The East Bay Regional Park District is a system of beautiful public parks and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties east of San Francisco Bay, established in 1934. The system comprises 120,000 acres in 65 parks including over 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and nature learning.