Veterans Park is an amazing 26-acre park in Fontana, California. It has 6 ballfields, a playground, 2 basketball courts, and picnic tables. In this blog, we’ll cover all of these things. Veterans Park West has 4 baseball fields.
Patricia's video shows some rides that are in the carnivals. They'll typically happen in late spring or early summer.
There are 3 parking lots in the park. The one off of Mango Avenue is the largest with over 400 spots and 15 handicapped spots. I don’t think I’ve ever written a blog about a park with this large of a parking lot. A second parking lot is off Merrill Avenue. It has more than 50 spaces and 2 handicapped ones. Last but not least is the parking lot off of Palmetto Avenue. It has more than 40 spots and a couple of handicapped spaces. There should be plenty of parking, but this park can get very crowded.
4 of the ballfields are next to the massive parking lot - the southwestern part of the park. This is Veterans Park West. Two of the fields have outfield fences 230 feet away from home plate, and the two others are 170 feet away. Because of these varying sizes, different age groups will play on these fields. Each field has dugouts with benches, but no shade covers. Each side has 6 rows of bleachers (12 in total), so chairs probably won’t be necessary. In between all of the fields are some bathrooms, and there are stadium lights that shine up the fields. There’s even a snack bar!
The two larger fields in Veterans Park are next to Merrill Avenue. One field is 280 feet long, and the other is 380 feet long. Everything else is basically the same - stadium lights, dugouts with no shade, lots of bleachers, and bathrooms next to the northern ballfield. Both baseball and softball are played on all of these fields.
Soccer games are occasionally played here, but there isn’t much room for them. People will play their own games and sports in the open grassy areas. The best place to play is the northeastern part next to the playground.
Next up are the two basketball courts (also in Veterans Park West) located next to the parking lot at Merrill Avenue. They are very nice in my opinion. They have painted lines (free throw, three-point, and midcourt lines), benches, clear backboards, bleachers, and trash cans. I assume that some games are played here because of all the bleachers.
There are 6 benches next to the smaller baseball fields and a lot more near the playground. Some picnic tables are under gazebos so they have ample shade. A few barbecue grills are scattered around this area, too, so you and your family can have a nice warm lunch. To rent a picnic park shelter costs $54 a day for residents and $110 for non-residents.
The volleyball court is next to the playground; it’s unshaded, so it’s best to play in the morning or the evening (if you’re playing in the summer).
There are 1.33 miles of sidewalks and trails in Veterans Park. This will take roughly 40 minutes to complete, which is a perfect length for a dog walk or to clear your head. Many of these sidewalks are isolated - they go from a parking lot to one of the nearby fields, but they don’t really connect with the other locations.
Jhon Gonzalez explains the park as a "Great place to get out of the heat in the afternoon. Fontana wind just hits you and cools you down. Plenty to do in the playground, reserve a gazebo for a party, get a table with grill, or just bring a blanket to lay down on."
Veterans Park Playground
Veterans Park Playground is one of the more interesting playgrounds in Fontana. It has 8 swings in total - 6 traditional swings and 2 bucket swings. There are also regular slides, a very tall spiral slide, a bridge, ladders, and more. The surface is wood chips (mulch). Bring good shoes to avoid those splinters!
Lots of carnivals and festivals happen here, so this park is very popular among locals.
As you can tell by the name of the park, there are lots of veteran memorials. One is the Veteran’s Park Flagpole Memorial. Built in 2013, it reads, “The Fontana Rotary. Veteran’s Park Flagpole Memorial. ‘When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?’ - George Canning. Fontana expresses its eternal gratitude to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who secure for us the blessings of liberty. Presented November 2013, by the Members of the Fontana Rotary club.” There is more than one memorial, too.
Address: 17255 Merrill Ave, Fontana, CA 92335
Hours: 7 AM - 10 PM Sunday-Friday, 8 AM - 10 PM on Saturday
Coordinates: 34.090660, -117.427335
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