Rinconada Park

If Palo Alto has a town green, this is it. Rinconada Park fills most of a long block in the middle of the city, between the old neighborhoods north of Embarcadero Road and the civic buildings along Middlefield Road. On a summer afternoon you can hear the pool from the playground and the playground from the tennis courts. Kids come for the zoo next door. Parents come for the shade.

The park opened in 1922, which makes it the city's second oldest. The city describes it as a 19-acre multipurpose park. It is not a nature preserve and does not try to be one. It is a neighborhood park in the old style: big trees, open lawn, a pool and a lot of room to run.

Where it is and how it fits together

The park sits on the north side of Embarcadero Road, about a mile southeast of University Avenue. Hopkins Avenue runs along its northern edge and Newell Road gives access on the east. The western side of the block is taken up by civic buildings that front Middlefield Road. Together they make up what locals call the Community Center area, a cluster of parks and public buildings at the corner of Embarcadero and Middlefield.

Here is what surrounds the green space:

• Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo at 1451 Middlefield Road, on the park's western edge.
• Lucie Stern Community Center on Middlefield Road, home to community theater and classes.
• Rinconada Library at 1213 Newell Road, one of the city's public libraries, on the eastern edge.
• Palo Alto Art Center on Newell Road beside the library.
• Walter Hays Elementary School, which borders the main lawn.

That mix is what makes the park so useful. You can borrow books, see an exhibit, see the zoo animals and swim laps without moving the car.

Rinconada Pool

Rinconada Pool is the city's public pool and the main reason the park is busy in summer. It is an outdoor facility with wide lap lanes. The city offers lap swimming and other programs there on schedules that change through the year. Entry is charged per visit, with different prices for residents and nonresidents.

Because hours and prices shift by season, do not rely on an old schedule. Check the city's Rinconada Park page and its links to aquatics before you go. Summer afternoons are the most crowded time. Early morning lap sessions are calmer.

Playgrounds and the Magic Forest

Rinconada has long had two play areas: a larger playground for older kids and a tot lot for toddlers. In a recent renovation the city moved the tot lot next to the main playground so parents with kids of different ages can watch both at once. New equipment, fencing and rubber surfacing went in at the same time. The upgraded park and the new Junior Museum and Zoo were celebrated together with a Party in the Park in May 2022.

The best part of the park is not on any equipment list. Along the Hopkins Avenue side stands the Magic Forest, a grove of more than 60 mature redwoods. Kids treat it as a maze. Adults treat it as air conditioning. On a hot August afternoon the canopy feels noticeably cooler than the open lawn.

The southern edge along Embarcadero Road holds the park's arboretum, where many of its heritage trees grow. There is also a concrete bowl used as a small performance space.

Tennis, picnics and lawn

The park has public tennis courts on the Hopkins side, with a covered pavilion used by the Palo Alto Tennis Club. The main lawn is big enough for a casual game of catch or a family picnic. The renovation widened it and added new irrigation and drainage, plus planting areas with native plants and a pollinator garden.

Picnic tables are spread through the park. The city also renovated a group picnic area and added a new picnic area behind the Junior Museum and Zoo, near the playground. Group areas can be reserved through the city. The Girl Scout House sits in the park with a group picnic area beside it. Girl Scouts have priority use there.

How the park was renewed

For decades Rinconada changed very little. A city planning report found that its last major renovation was an irrigation upgrade in 1999. Beyond that, only the play equipment had been replaced and the tennis courts resurfaced since 1990. Paths and play areas needed work and the restroom building dated from the 1950s.

The city responded with a long range plan, adopted by the City Council in the summer of 2017 after several rounds of community meetings. The first phase of work was funded with $1.7 million in the 2020 budget and was coordinated with construction of the new Junior Museum and Zoo next door. It brought a 12-foot-wide main path with 8-foot connecting paths, new benches, tables, a water fountain and barbecues, new native planting and the playground changes described above. A new restroom along Hopkins Avenue was part of the long range plan but was funded separately, so check on site for current facilities. The result keeps the old trees and the relaxed feel while making the park easier to use for strollers and wheelchairs.

The Junior Museum and Zoo and other neighbors

For families the Junior Museum and Zoo is the main event. It reopened in a new building in 2021, with a small zoo and hands-on science exhibits aimed at young children. Admission is charged, so read our guide for hours and prices before you go. The playground is right behind it, which makes for an easy morning: zoo first, then lunch on the lawn and a run around the redwoods.

The Palo Alto Art Center shares the eastern edge with Rinconada Library. Its galleries are free and it runs classes for kids and adults. The library next door is a useful rainy day backup.

Lucie Stern Community Center hosts community and children's theater as well as city classes. If you are visiting for a show, the park is a pleasant place to wait.

Getting there and parking

From downtown it is about a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute bike ride. Head southeast through Professorville on Bryant Street, the city's original bike boulevard, then turn onto Embarcadero Road. Our biking guide explains the bike boulevard network.

By car, there are public lots around the community center buildings, the zoo and the library, plus street parking on surrounding blocks. On summer weekends and during swim lessons the lots fill quickly. Read the signs since some spaces have time limits. Embarcadero Road carries heavy traffic toward Highway 101, so cross at the signals.

Make a day of it

Rinconada is a natural base for a slow day in central Palo Alto. Walk north on Newell Road into Crescent Park to see its older homes. Cross Middlefield and walk a few blocks west to the Gamble Garden, a historic home and garden. Or continue east on Embarcadero Road past Highway 101 to the Baylands for birds and a sunset. Planning to stay over with kids? You can look at family rentals in Palo Alto within walking distance of the park.

Frequently asked questions