The Oakdale area is abundant with parks, streams, ponds, rivers, lakes and fishing holes, making it an outdoor paradise. From Goodwin Dam to Oakdale is where you will find the Stanislaus River’s favorite catch, rainbow trout. Below Orange Blossom Bridge are the stripped bass, channel and white catfish and black crappie.
The Stanislaus river offers some of the most exciting rapids in California, while the rolling hills and lush landscape makes Oakdale one of the most diverse places in the Central Valley.
Interested in a rafting tour, please visit the Sunshine Rafting and River Journey pages for details or do an event search for scheduled trips.
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices and caches are often hidden in parks, sometimes right in plain view. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. The Oakdale area is a prime location for Geocaching hounds!
Community Parks
Community parks include pubic restrooms, sport fields, and picnic areas designed for community use. To reserve an entire park for exclusive use may require approval from City Council (details in the downloadable PDF). For more information on reserving these facilities contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (209) 845-3591. Information on fees, rental procedures, rental policy, and applications available in this downloadable PDF
Cottle’s Wood Park
Located at Ventanas Avenue & East J Street this community park offers shaded grass areas & 1 Picnic Area.
Dorada Park
Located at East A Street & Second Avenue this community park offers a wonderful children’s play area, 2 Picnic Areas, a covered Stage, an area for a Bounce House, picnic tables & BBQs, a community pool and lots of shaded grass.
Florabell Brennan Park
Located at Pedersen, South 6th Avenue & East H Street
Greger Street Sports Park
Located at Greger & Branding Iron
L.B. Gilbert Park
Located at East C Street & East D Street this community park offers lots of shaded grass, a children’s play area, Tennis Courts, a basketball court, picnic tables and BBQ’s.
Museum & History Center Park
Located at 212 West F Street
William Myer Park
Located at G Street & North Second
W.T Kerr Community Park
Located at the end of North Stearns Road off of State Highway 120 East of Oakdale.
A 14 acre community/regional park along the Stanislaus River. Three formal picnic sites and numerous shady areas on grass suitable for picnics, BBQ pits, playground equipment, horseshoe pits, basketball hoops, 1 sand volleyball court, and 3 softball diamonds.
C.E Wood Park
Located F Street & Yosemite Avenue this beautiful community park offers lots of shaded grass, picnic tables & a Gazebo.
Neighborhood Parks
These parks are located in a residential area with no public restrooms. Neighborhood parks cannot be reserved by some groups without City Council approval (details in the downloadable PDF). There is no fee to reserve a Neighborhood Park.
For more information on these facilities contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (209) 845-3591. Information on fees, rental procedures, rental policy, and applications available in this downloadable PDF
Bridle Ridge Park
Located at Greger & Parkside
Bridle Ridge Park
Located at Greger & Shire Way
Burchell Hill Park – Basin
Located at Maag Avenue & Tree Crest Circle
Burchell Park
Located at Burchell Hills Drive
Fair Oaks Park
Located at Oak Avenue & Poplar Street
H Street Drain Basin
Located at H Street & Wood Street
Maag Drain Basin
Located at Maag Street – Next to Junior High School
Maag Drain Basin
Located at Maag Street & G Street
River Avenue Park
Located at River Avenue & Gina Way
Valley View Park River Bluff
Located at the East End of I
Vineyard Park
Located at J Street & Rossini
William A. Fish Park
Located at Pontiac Street & Cliffwood Way
Pet Friendly Parks
Pets are always welcome to any of the Oakdale parks as long as the leash laws are followed. In addition to the numerous city parks, Oakdale does provide a space specifically for our four legged friends
Oakdale Dog Park
Located on the west side of Oakdale on Crane Road
Private Parks
Bloomingcamp Ranch - open to the public
Located at state HWY 120 (just outside of Oakdale)
Lakes
Just north of Oakdale this man made lake offers 3,200 land acres and 2,800 acres of water. It is a favorite of swimmers, fishermen, sail boaters and water skiers. It has many grassy spots in the campgrounds and picnic area 14528 26-Mile Rd, Oakdale (209) 847-3304.
Lake Tullock RV Campground & Marina
Just East of Oakdale this man made lake is a locals favorite. open year round for day or night use. Enjoy boating, fishing, water-skiing, jet skiing and swimming. Lake front cabins, and R.V. sites with full hookups. Group accommodations are welcome. Restaurant and marina with boat and jet ski rentals. Prior reservations are suggested. 14448 Tulloch Dam Rd, 800-894-2267
With 160 miles of shoreline and nearly 13,000 acre-feet of surface area (at maximum lake level), visitors can enjoy boating, fishing, water sports, swimming and camping. One of the highlights of the year is the annual fireworks show over the lake celebrating the Fourth of July. 31 Bonds Flat Road La Grange (209)852-2396
Just North of Oakdale and is owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. New Hogan provides flood protection, drinking water, electricity and water for irrigation. There is also recreation available, such as boating, fishing, water skiing and camping. 2713 Hogan Dam Road, Valley Springs (209) 772-1343
Just north east of Oakdale this man made lake has a 2,400,000 acre·ft (2,960,000 dam³) capacity with a surface area of 12,500 acres. When full, the shoreline is more than 100 miles (160 km). The New Melones Visitor Center and Museum contains information about local history, cultural and natural history. Exhibits focus on the use of the Stanislaus River by prehistoric and historic peoples, including Miwok Indians, the California Gold Rush, ranchers, and the now defunct community of Robinson Ferry, renamed Melones in 1902. Other exhibits highlight the area’s geologic past, natural history and the New Melones project. Angels Camp (209) 785-3300
Just north of Oakdale is this wonderful gem. The Preserve is home to California’s largest remaining valley oak riparian forest, and is one of the few protected wetland habitat areas in the state. The Cosumnes River is the only free-flowing river left in California’s Central Valley. Only minutes from California’s capital, this is a critical stop on the Pacific Flyway for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Over 200 species of birds have been sighted on or near the Preserve, including the state-listed threatened Swainson’s hawk, greater and lesser sandhill cranes, Canada geese, and numerous ducks. The Preserve includes 11,500 acres of current and potential wetlands and valley oak forests. 13501 Franklin Blvd. Galt (916) 684-2816
Rancho Seco Recreational Area – Farmington Flood Control Basin Resort
Just north of Oakdale the Rancho Seco Recreational Area is owned and operated by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. The park is open year-around and offers a variety of activities. Hwy 104 and Hwy 99, Herald (209) 748-2318
River Parks, Pullouts, Streams & Fishing Holes
Located in the Oakdale area are a series of small parks that sit along the Stanislaus River that provide exciting fishing, rafting, kayaking and canoeing opportunities. Visit the Army Corp of Engineers website for complete details
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
17968 Covered Bridge RdOakdale, CA 95361 (209) 881-3517
- Caswell Memorial State Park
- Durham Ferry State Recreation Area
- Goodwin Dam Recreation Area
- Honolulu Bar Recreation Area
- Horseshoe Road Recreation Area
- Jacob Meyers Park, Riverbank Recreation Area
- Knights Ferry River Park
- McHenry Avenue Recreation Area
- Oakdale Recreation Area Ponds
- Big Lake & Wildlife Area
- Lovers Leap – High Cliffs
- Two Bluffs Volcanic Area
- Orange Blossom Recreation Area
- Rivers Edge Campground
- River gauge at Ripon
- Two Mile Bar Recreation Area
- Valley Oak Recreation Area
- River Rafting pull-outs and Topographic River Map
- Information about the river
- Information about Lovers Leap
Additional load-in & pull-out information, as well as guided tour details can be found at: Sunshine Rafting Adventures and River Journey.
- Duck Cove – fishing info
- Lesnini Creek – fishing info
- Martells Creek – fishing info
- North Fork Wildcat Creek – fishing info
- Peachys Creek – fishing info
- Rodden Creek – fishing info
- Rodden Lake – fishing info
- Shirley Creek – fishing info
- Smith Creek – fishing info
- South Fork Wildcat Creek – fishing info
- Telegraph Creek – fishing info
- Wildcat Creek – fishing info
- Farmington Dam
- O Neill Forebay Dike
- B. F. Sisk Dike
- Modesto Resevoir
- Murphys Ww Dam
- La Grange Dam
- Turlock Lake
- Cooper Cove Dam
- Salt Spring Valley Resevior
- Modesto Effl Stor Dam
- Mustang Creek Dam
- Dawson Lake
- Folsom Lake
- Holman Dam
- Quartz Dam
- Lacontenta Dam
- Reg Ww Cnt Oxid Dam
