DeForest Park & Local Activities
Long Beach Parks Ranked Number One in the Nation!
National Parks and Recreation Society Gold Medal Award Winner
The City took top honors at the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Annual
Congress and Exposition in Seattle on October 11, 2006! NRPA named the City of Long Beach’s
Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine the most outstanding parks and recreation
agency in the country by recognizing the agency with its Gold Medal Award of Excellence for
Parks and Recreation Management.

DeForest Park is no exception with it's beautifully maintained amenities and many programs for
the young and old alike.  
DeForest Park residents enjoy a variety of sports activities, as well as music and crafts programs
through the Parks and Recreation Dept.  The DeForest Park Clubhouse holds a monthly
association (no charge) meeting where community leaders are often guest speakers eager to
hear our input on what we would like to see happen throughout our community and our city.  So
much has been going on in the way of redevelopment in the nearby "North Village" and Atlantic
Ave corridor, as well as the original waterway alongside the LA River.  The original waterway was
neglected for many years but now section by section it's all being cleared and replanted with bike
and walking trails connecting the various parks from the Pacific Ocean to DeForest Park.  The
project focus begins at our park and ends 7 miles south at the ocean.  The improvements can
best be seen from atop the bike path along the edge of the LA River.  Before any work began, the
redevelopment team came to some of our association meetings to get our input and ideas.  They
came back to let us know the final plans which include adding lookout points above the river and
even a paddle-boat area in what used to be a natural swamp.  All of the improvements begin at
the south end of the DeForest Park Nature Trail with the newest attraction to include parking one
mile south of us.  This is important to mention because it will keep DeForest Park as quaint as it
currently is while extending the beauty and amenities we enjoy all the way down to the ocean.  A
7-mile ocean breeze-filled bike ride from DeForest Park south to the ocean will deliver you to the
exciting Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, the Catalina Express boat service to Avalon or the
Aqualink for a $2 ride through the harbor, not to mention all the great restaurants, movie theater
and attractions at the Pike!  You can bring your bike along on the boat trips or lock it up for free at
one of the bike stations, where you can also jump on the Metro Blue line and travel to just about
anywhere in Los Angeles without the hassle of traffic or parking!
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After School Activities!

The DeForest Park Clubhouse offers a full schedule each month of activities.  
Check the current schedule here..