Quarry Lakes sits roughly between Fremont's Centerville and Niles districts, bounded by BART tracks to the northeast and Alameda Creek to the south and west. The East Bay Regional Park District describes it as a water-oriented recreation area for picnicking, boating, swimming and fishing, with room for hiking and wildlife viewing.

Current advisory

The park district has a caution advisory for blue-green algae posted at Quarry Lakes. Check the district's algae page and water quality conditions before letting kids or dogs near the water.

From quarry to park

As early as 1912, the Niles Sand and Gravel Company was processing gravel along Alameda Creek. By 1969, some pits had been dug 120 feet deep, well below the water table, and the company was pumping about five million gallons of water a day out of the pits into the creek. In 1972 the company sued the Alameda County Water District over its groundwater recharge program, and a court ruled the pumping an illegal waste of groundwater. The water district and the park district bought the land between 1975 and 1992 and began converting it to parkland in 1997.

Which lakes you can use

  • Horseshoe Lake: stocked with rainbow trout and channel catfish, with a swim area and a boating pier. No gas motors.
  • Rainbow Lake: resident bass and other warmwater fish.
  • Lago Los Osos and Willow Slough: nature viewing only, no water contact.

Fishing requires a permit, and the district sells a Quarry Lakes daily fishing permit online.

Hours and fees

Gate hours in November and December are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is $5 per vehicle. The Niles Beach swim area is closed for the season; it ended Sept. 27.

Boaters, take note

Invasive golden mussels have been found in Contra Loma Reservoir and Lake Del Valle. Boats launched at either of those lakes are quarantined for 30 days from all other park district waters, and mandatory watercraft inspections apply.

Wildlife

Restoration has drawn wood ducks, great blue herons and snowy egrets, and the park has more than 50 species of wildflowers and a grove of bald cypress at its south end.