Carmel Valley Recreation Center

I came to watch my friend’s tennis tournament. There were maybe 5 courts (but don’t quote me on that). It wasn’t the best venue for watching matches though. The fences around the courts were draped with an opaque cover of sorts so that you couldn barely see inside. :-/​You had to find a section or two that had been rolled up in order to peek through to the courts. I imagine the covers could have been rolled up more, but I’m not sure who would have been responsible for that.
There are also outdoor basketball courts in that same area, I presume open to the public at all times. It was a Sunday morning and a group of folks were freely playing pick up games. I didn’t go around the rest of the center but it was quite large with a lot of open fields for soccer, baseball, etc.

We come here all the time… for my daughters soccer and softball practices, play dates, scootering etc! Seems like I’m always here. The playground for kids is nice but they don’t have swings. There is no sand either which I love… I hate sand in my car! They have a large field where I like to kick the soccer ball around with my older daughter while I can visibly keep an eye on my toddler scootering around the perimeter of the field which is a plus! They have a huge rec room with an array of classes for all ages! Yoga, gymnastics, dance classes you name it they most likely offer it! My toddler takes the ballet tap classes here and she loves it. They also have a large pool with really fun slides. Bathroom are close to the park and very clean. Parking is rarely full unless there’s some huge tournament or something going on but street parking is available too.

The Carmel Valley Rec Center has pretty much all the amenities that you could ask for in a park or recreation center. There are a couple full outdoor basketball courts, a bunch of soccer and baseball fields, a legitimate pool complete with water slide, a bunch of well lit nicely maintained tennis courts and a multi purpose indoor facility that hosts basketball, volleyball etc… I’m sure there are more amenities but I don’t recall lol. The one negative about this place is that the fields can get pretty tore up after a rain or significant irrigation usage, other than that this is a great place to get your exercise on!

I am sad because we live down the street and we will not be using their pool because of their rules. We visited it for the first time to spend time with our friends and left within 20 min, it’s just painful, especially with 3 kids in tow. I have to be within reach of two of my kids at the pool, although my 6 year old is a good swimmer and my 8 year old is too old for their play structure… So, we couldn’t be anywhere… You constantly harassed… Or at least it feels that way, very unfriendly, definitely would go out of business if it was a private facility… Complained and asked for a refund, they did give it to me. I know the rules are there for a reason but they don’t make sense… child of any age should be able to pass the swim test with the lifeguard and swim on their own… I might try out their lessons but their pool is definitely not good for recreation.

I go because I have to for Soccer. The kids play area is cool, I spent lots of time there when my son was small. Shaded area and tables too. But to come for a game or practice it’s a joke ot park. The lot is so small, and they painted the lines for the size of a mini car! No one can fit, you get door dings every week. It’s nuts. Horrible job there.

A very nice facility with huge field… only nuisance are stupid people with dogs without a leash who let there dogs run all around and bother others… even though there are signs everywhere that pets should be on leash at all times, not to mention… you can also find dog poop lying around a lot of times.
Also there are groups of insecure middle-​aged overweight men who play baseball till late night and trash the area with empty beer cans…

I love this pool! Doesn’t get quite as crowded as the Solana Beach Boys & Girls Club, and has all levels of swimmers. I get the 10-​visit lap swim punch card, which is $ 35. Kick boards and pulleys are available to borrow. Showers are standard public gym showers, nothing fancy but they do the job. Life guards are friendly.

My daughter had a soccer tournament here at this massive park, it features soccer fields, baseball fields two playgrounds, picnic areas with barbecues, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, pool with a large slide, and horseshoe pits. All of these amenities make it a great place for families. The downside though is the parking can be very difficult here as it tends to fill up quickly as does everything in Carmel Valley. The bathrooms are also seriously in need of a makeover, they are very much like camping bathrooms with all the smells and filth. This would have been five stars but the bathrooms make me fear for anyone who uses them.

This is one of our neighborhood parks that is in regular rotation. There are always lots of kids here, especially right after school. I also take my kids to the pool for swim lessons.

What a nice asset to have locally. They have great programs at reasonable prices-​acquatic programs are awesome. It would be better if they warmed the pools much more. The recreation center is big, clean, with lot of activities for children and adults. Ask for a schedule at the office or go to their website for information and registration.

I like the Carmel Valley Rec Center! I play volleyball here through Vavi Sports of SD once a week. The staff is always friendly, the gym and hallways are always clean and they are nice enough to turn the fan on for us on those HOT gym nights!
Would love it if they had newer volleyballs for us to use, but definitely love the new gym floor! Parking is never an issue here. It looks like they offer swimming (hope so, there’s a pool on site), basketball, badminton, dance and softball as well.
Thanks for letting me to ‘bust up floorboards’ weekly guys! :)

I love playing Basketball here! The facilities are well maintained and very clean. The parking can sometimes get hectic if there are multiple events going on, but I usually play during the week day between 6PM and 9PM, so it usually clears out pretty good. Very safe neighborhood and great people!

This is a great place to swim before or after work. The staff is friendly and the pool is clean. Watch out for the Mob of Moms on Wednesdays though, big cars, bad driving, and rug rats running wild.

We love this park, and go there at least twice a week. Also, the heated pool is excellent. Very clean and large enough for a swim team to train here. I signed up my 5 year old son for swimming lessons and he is very happy. Next month we are taking an acting class here as well. I would definitely recommend this place!

My boys take water polo at the Carmel Valley Rec and they really enjoy it. JoJo rocks and the kids really like him. It’s a very low stress environment for the kids to learn water polo and swim, which is saying something in the very competitive sports environment in Carmel Valley. The other water polo teams in this area are more serious and very rigorous which entails (according to my kids’ friends) lots of yelling at the kids. The rec center may not be the place if your goal is for your child to get a water polo scholarship, but if you just want them to exercise, become better swimmers and have fun playing a team sport — Carmel Valley Rec Center water polo is a great choice.
This rec center and it’s pool is a great place in Carmel Valley. The pool area, besides it’s very clean, relatively warm large lap pool with a large, walk-​in shallow area, also has a water structure for toddlers and a large slide for the older kids and adults (though the slide seems to be closed fairly frequently.) There are a few chaises for adults to lie on and try to relax among the chaos. There are adult or lap swim times also and many classes.
This is really a beautiful rec center with a wide variety of classes for all ages and quite an asset to the Carmel Valley community.

I haven’t tried any of the athletic classes nor have we enrolled the kids in any extra curricular programs yet. We really just like the layout of the park itself. There are 2 fields, a performance area/​stage with benches, basketball courts, a swimming pool, baseball fields, a sandbox with a jungle gym and covered tables for BBQ’s and picnics. We love the trails in front and behind the center that we take our bikes and scooters on. A friend hosted her son’s birthday party there and it was really nice that they can accommodate any size group. Parking is good. Thanks!

Just this afternoon we finished a double header softball game for my daughters team. When we pulled up and parked we noticed how nicely manicured the fields and common areas were. When we finally reached the fields (quite a walk) they were nice as was the seating area and stands.
Unfortunately we all had to use the bathrooms. If I had a choice I would have NEVER walked in these public restrooms. There were no receptacles for used feminine products so there were several thrown on the floor. I love explaining those things to my 2 and 3 yr olds. Also the actual toilets were awful. One stall had no lock and filthy. The middle stall was unusable and the third stall looked like someone had had a horrible case of diarrhea and didn’t bother cleaning up after themselves. Not to mention that toilet paper was scarce at best.
I hope that someone decides to rectify that situations and designate it to a specific job title.

I’ve been coming to the Carmel Valley Rec Center twice a week for the past two years to coach Girls on the Run. The girls run upstairs around the soccer field and until recently I’d only really paid attention to the upstairs facilities and didn’t really notice what was housed in the main building.
A few other coaches and I recently started swimming at the rec center after we finished coaching, and I was AMAZED by how wonderful the pool is! (Its $ 4/​day or $ 35 for 10 visits). They change the water out each year and it was so fresh and warm and barely tasted like chlorine! (Unlike my 24 Hour Fitness which has really sharp water. Ewe) The pool has a big waterslide and also a water play area off to one side which looks like it would be a lot of fun in the summer.
The rec center also has a really wide variety of sports groups and classes and I think its a great asset to the community. It seems like you can do almost any sport here! Baseball, soccer, swimming, volleyball, basketball, etc.
There are two play structures on the lower level and also up on the 2^nd level near the soccer field, and there also picnic tables and bbq’s on the lower level. What more can you ask for?
Carmel Valley Rec Center I love you!

What a fun park! We’ve been coming here since my kids were born. There are so many reasons to be here. My son took a pee wee sports class here when he was like 3 ish… soccer practice happens here, swim lessons, basketball lessons, you name it… they have it! the park has a lower grass area and an upper area (with the baseball diamonds). tons of picnic area, a play set for the kiddos (no swings… booo!!) my only complaint about this park is that there is practically no shade… it’s getting better as the trees mature, but still very little shade.
parking is decent (there is also street parking in addition to the 2 lots)…the only time i’ve ever had to park on the street is when there is a big organized event here (like the community easter egg hung)
in the summer, we spend most of our time at the community pool here… limited open swim hours, and it will cost you a pretty penny (for 2 adults and 2 kids… about $ 12)…but the kids love it and it’s a great way to spend a hot day!

The good thing about living in an area where the median household income drastically surpasses my own is that the parks and other publicly owned and operated establishments are quite nice. Case in point, Carmel Valley Rec Center. This park isn’t even ten years old yet, and the facilities are pretty top notch. As I am an avid basketball participant, my viewpoints are strictly from a basketball perspective.
The indoor gym is probably one of the better gyms I have played in the San Diego area. The format of the gym is typical: either one full-​sized basketball court or two smaller courts, depending on the usage. However, even when the smaller basketball courts are used, a 5 on 5 game doesn’t seem too crowded. The upkeep of the gym is top notch, and I have never experienced a time where the floor is dusty, slippery or just nasty in general. The open gym hours are decent, and there always seems to be a steady mixture of people playing at any given moment.
The same goes for the outdoor courts. There are two, fairly large full courts that are just up the ways from the gymnasium. Thankfully, the court surface isn’t concrete, so you save your knees if you have to play outside. For a guy with slowly degenerating knees that likes to get some fresh air while he plays, you can’t beat this set up. As an added bonus, both courts are lighted (up til 10:00 PM!!!). It is hard to believe, but there are things that are open in the Carmel Valley area after 9 PM… In any case, the weekend run is pretty light. It’s a potpourri of local high school kids and older residents (mostly of the Asian variety, especially on Sunday evenings), but there’s typically enough to run a full court game on the weekends.
Overall, I give this center a 4 due to the decent outdoor courts and the impeccable upkeep of the gymnasium.