Don Derr Park is a 24-acre park in Riverside, California. Not only does it have 2 large soccer fields and a baseball diamond, but it also has 2 playgrounds, a basketball court, walking trails, and picnic tables. Follow along as we talk about all of these things in this blog.
This video from Sandra Garcia shows her kid riding toward the playground. Give it a watch!
Before we get started, we’ll talk about how Don Derr Park came to be named. After being established in 1971, the park was named after Don Derr - a conservation leader in Riverside. He believed that building parks would help conserve more land, and he was very passionate about parks.
Now onto the parking situation. Off of Monroe Street (the western side of the park), there is a parking lot with about 150 spaces. There is also some street parking on Monroe Street. If all of these spots are full, then there is some parking inside of the nearby neighborhoods.
Down on the grassy area of Don Derr Park are two soccer fields, one 340 feet long and the other 300 feet long. Because these fields are so large, older age groups will typically play on these fields. The grass isn’t in very great shape, but it’s California - our grass is never green! There are painted lines for each field, and multiple stadium lights to shine the fields up during nighttime games.
Inside of these 2 large fields are 4 more soccer fields, each 200 feet long. These, too, have painted lines and lights. Because they are smaller, younger ages can play here. Now you can see why this park can get so crowded on the weekends.
Closer to the parking lot is the baseball field. Although it lacks an outfield fence and an electronic scoreboard, there are a few rows of shaded bleachers for the parents. Only one of the dugouts will get shade from the trees, but there are no shade covers for them.
Next up is the basketball court. It borders the parking lot on the other side of the fields. There is a full court and a half court (3 hoops in total). Both have painted lines, like the free-throw line, three-point line, and midcourt line. There are a couple of picnic tables here if you need to take a break.
There are more picnic tables scattered near the parking lot, including some next to the playgrounds. No barbecues are located here.
At the end of the parking lot, there is an asphalt trail that turns into dirt. There are clean restrooms here most of the time - that’s rare! This trail is 1,500 feet long.
The other trails and sidewalks in Don Derr Park add up to 0.85 miles. They take you to everything in and around the park. There is a drainage area that can be dangerous for kids and pets, so keep a close eye on them if you venture there.
Just a heads up: this park is sometimes called Monroe Park, but this is the same thing as Don Derr Park. But dogs are allowed!
Monday through Thursday, the park is most crowded around 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, it is busy around noon. Sunday is by far the most crowded day at Don Derr Park.
Ozie Martin’s review says, “Pretty nice, spacious park. Terrific trees and great landscaping, too! Fully equipped modern playground for the young ones and a large baseball field to watch or play the game on! Green, green grass with parking lots inside of the park. Quite family-friendly. Located within a residential area and surrounded by lots of houses.”
Don Derr Park Playground
The playground is located just next to the playground on the southern edge of the park. It has a rubber surface, so your children can wear whatever footwear. There are also some benches and picnic tables.
The larger playground is meant for older children who have higher skill levels (anyone can play on it though). The Don Derr Park Playground has a swirly slide, regular slides, a fireman pole, ladders, stairs, a rock climbing wall, a swirly fireman pole, and a zip line structure!
The smaller playground is for younger children - older children will get bored after some time. It has a swirly slide, a regular slide, a ladder, and more.
There are also 4 traditional swings and 2 bucket swings for younglings. Your kids will be busy for a while!
Address: 3003 Monroe St, Riverside, CA 92504
Hours: 7 AM - 9 PM
Coordinates: 33.918310, -117.422191
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