Jennifer S.
Yelp
The Park at River Walk is one of Bakersfield's largest and best parks for people of all ages.
Located immediately behind a large shopping center full of popular department stores, the park seems to attract all kinds of visitors. Aside from the families with children playing on the play structures, there were lots of fishers, cyclists, stoners, etc.
While there are two small "lakes" (by desert standards lol) in the park and a river behind the park, most of them were dry during the time of my most recent visit. There was enough water in the main "lake" for people to fish, and a little bit of water trickling under the bridges through the stream that connects the lakes.
There are many, many lawns and picnic areas in the park, strewn across several small hills. I also noted an amphitheater, several cactus gardens, and a large baseball field, although I'm not entirely sure if that was part of this park, or an adjacent one.
The Kern River Bike Trail is sandwiched between the back of the park and the Kern River, which, as I mentioned, was dry. The first time my cousin brought me here was actually specifically to show me the dry riverbed. There was a concrete bridge over it, connecting the park to the rest of the bike trail.
On the concrete bridge, I noticed dozens, or maybe even a few hundred love locks, just like the ones at the UC Davis Arboretum.
Also of interest were some olive trees planted on the bike trail along the back of the park. They were so small that I almost didn't even recognize them as olive trees, until I spotted some tiny purplish black fruits.
My favorite thing I saw in the park were the Muscovy ducks. I had never seen or heard of one before, and thought that it was a deformed duck, or the descendant of a duck that had mated with a turkey, or something. After a few Google searches, I learned something new. Not gonna lie, I felt a little dumb when I read that they're Native to the Americas and are very common.
Cool park. Plenty of space to walk around. Check it out.