MCCREA PARK

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

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McCrea Park is simply one of Oakland’s loveliest places, tucked away among towering trees along Lion Creek. Known as the Leona Park Trout Pond prior to 1962, McCrea Park is today a sanctuary for practicing fly fishing skills in shallow casting pools. The park is named for George McCrea, a prominent local architect who donated nearby land on what is now Holy Names University for the creation of a new park. After this original plan was stymied by World War II and the construction of the Warren Freeway, the family name was instead applied to the present day McCrea Park.

Park Activities

Located just beneath the whoosh of passing cars on the highway above, McCrea Park nevertheless maintains a quiet hush broken only by the subdued sounds of fly fishing. It’s common to find sportsmen practicing their skills, but there’s still a good chance of having this magical space all to yourself. Old time visitors remember when the lower ponds were stocked with trout and long afternoons spent exploring the park’s hidden trails and tunnels, but overall McCrea Park is simply a beautiful place to sit and enjoy nature. Online reviewers call McCrea Park a “rustic urban park” that’s “peaceful, family friendly” and “never too packed.”