About 350 of Quarry Lakes' 471 acres are lakes, and those lakes were in use long before anyone set up a picnic table beside them. The park is turning 25. The East Bay Regional Park District will celebrate on Saturday, November 7, in the one season when the recreation built on top of that water work is pulled back the furthest. For anyone coming up Paseo Padre from the Brookvale side, November is the month the park looks most like what it was built to be.
The Lakes Were Dug for a Railroad and Kept for Groundwater
According to the East Bay Regional Park District's Quarry Lakes page, the quarries date to the mid-19th century. Gravel from Alameda Creek went into the western section of the transcontinental railroad. When quarrying ended, the pits did not sit empty. The Alameda County Water District started diverting Alameda Creek water into them to recharge the groundwater basin.
The park came together slowly. ACWD and the Park District acquired the land in pieces between 1975 and 1992 through purchases, donations and agreements between agencies. ACWD began flattening the steep quarry slopes in 1997, and the Park District did not start building recreation facilities until August 2000. The first phase cost $5.8 million. A $3.65 million grant from the City of Fremont Redevelopment Agency covered most of it, and Measure AA paid the rest. The park opened to the public in 2001.
That order of events still shapes the rules. The park map names Horseshoe Lake, Rainbow Lake and Lago Los Osos, along with Kaiser Pond, Shinn Pond and Willow Slough. The Quarry Lakes map brochure bans fishing and water contact in Lago Los Osos and Willow Slough. The park page says swimming is never allowed at Rainbow Lake. Recreation was fitted around the water's original job, and in summer only a small share of the water was ever open to swimmers.
November Pulls Back the Parts Added After 2000
The swim beach closed first. Quarry Lakes' seasonal listing put the end of swim season at September 27, and the Niles Beach page says the beach reopens for swimming in 2027.
The next change comes this Sunday, November 1, when the gates move to their winter schedule:
| Period | Gate hours | Kiosk hours |
|---|---|---|
| Day after Labor Day through October | 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| November and December | 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
That cuts three hours off the posted day. One comes off the morning, and the other two come off the evening, where closing time moves from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. The park lists this as a seasonal schedule and not as a daylight saving adjustment, so the 7-to-5 gates hold through December. Parking stays at $5 per vehicle, and the kiosk takes cards only.
The water carries a warning this fall too. The Park District has a Caution Advisory posted for blue-green algae at Horseshoe Lake and Niles Beach, Rainbow Lake, and Lago Los Osos. It advises keeping children away from algae and not letting pets go in or drink the water. Advisories like this get updated, so check the park's alert banner before a visit. Treat it as a reading for this week and not a permanent condition.
With swimming over, the evenings shortened and the algae advisory up, the park that remains is basically what ACWD and the Park District built first: big recharge lakes ringed by trails and shoreline fishing spots.
The Birthday Program Is Built Around What's Left
The anniversary lineup fits the season. The Park District's event listing for the Quarry Lakes 25th Anniversary has no swimming or beach activities. It sticks to the shoreline and the paths.
Here is what's planned for Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Ensenada Parking Area:
- Fishing games and a visit from the Mobile Fish Tank
- Guided walks led by interpretive staff
- Food trucks
- Information booths from the Park District and its partners
- A fire truck and patrol car to see up close
- Anniversary swag, while the limited supply lasts
The event is drop-in with no registration, it is for all ages, and parents need to take part with their children. The usual parking fees apply. The Park District's flyer puts the celebration at Ensenada Pavilion, 2100 Isherwood Way. The listing gives (510) 544-3220 for questions.
Two more programs bracket the anniversary. On Tuesday, November 10, Veterans in the Parks leads a walk of about 1.7 miles at Quarry Lakes from 10 a.m. to noon. It is designed for veterans, an adult spouse, parent or caregiver is welcome, and registration is required. On Friday, November 27, the free Green Friday volunteer stewardship morning meets at the Osprey Picnic Area from 9 a.m. to noon. Sign up in advance.
Fishing is waiting on the water
Fishing is the activity that ties most closely to the lakes themselves, and its fall start depends on water temperature. The Park District's Anglers' Edge page says trout planting will resume once water temperatures cool this fall. It gives no Quarry Lakes dates. The latest Quarry Lakes reports on that page are bass reports from September 14 and a Horseshoe Lake bass catch on September 22.
Anglers 16 and older need a California fishing license and a $5 daily EBRPD fishing permit to fish Horseshoe and Rainbow. The Quarry Lakes rules on Anglers' Edge keep anglers 100 feet from the fish tube, boat dock and beach, and ban lead tackle. The Park District's boating page closes the lakes to motorboats. The map brochure allows electric boats and car-top craft on Horseshoe and car-top craft only on Rainbow. Every boat has to pass a clean-and-dry inspection first, which the boating page lists at $5 per non-motorized craft. These are the Park District's rules, and it can update them. Confirm current permits and fees with EBRPD before you go out on the water.
From Brookvale, the Water Work Shows Up on the Trail Too
Fremont's park directory lists Brookvale Park at 3801 Nicolet Ave. The Alameda Creek Trails map puts Brookvale Park on the creek-trail corridor, together with the Isherwood Staging Area, Sequoia Bridge and Paseo Padre Parkway. The Park District says the trail gives access to Quarry Lakes, which sits right beside the creek. Walkers, runners and cyclists should use the south-bank trail, which is paved. The north-bank route is unpaved and designed for horseback riding. Quarry Lakes has two walk-in entrances from the Alameda Creek Trail, one east and one west. Its map also marks a Niles Gate and the Sequoia Bridge crossing.
Drivers coming from I-880 follow the park's directions along Decoto Road, Paseo Padre Parkway and Isherwood Way to the main entrance at 2100 Isherwood Way.
This month the trail is also where the creek's maintenance is most visible. The Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District is removing sediment along the Alameda Creek Regional Trail between the Isherwood Staging Area and the I Street entrance in Niles, and the Park District's trail notice runs the project from July through November 2026. The work needs temporary closures of the Isherwood Staging Area lot at 2250 Isherwood Way and parts of the trail. Crews work Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the notice says specific closure dates will be posted when available. The anniversary falls on a Saturday inside that work window. If you plan to park at Isherwood, check the notice that morning. The Ensenada lot inside the park has its own entrance at 2100 Isherwood Way.
If you're bringing a dog, the Quarry Lakes map brochure requires a leash at all times and keeps dogs out of the water and off the swim beaches. With the algae advisory up, that rule matters more right now.
The practical version for November 7 is this. Arrive between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., pay $5 by card at the kiosk, and expect the gates to close at 5 p.m. That afternoon you'll be walking around lakes that were here as quarry pits and recharge basins well before the park opened in 2001.
Our team has followed Fremont's neighborhoods and parks for decades, and we're glad to see Quarry Lakes reach 25. If you'd like to know how parks and trails like this one factor into home values on the Brookvale side of Alameda Creek, Joe Schembri and the team are happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.
