East Bay Regional Park District Opens Accessible Floating Fishing Pier and Kayak Launch at Shadow Cliffs Lake in Pleasanton

Park operations supervisors with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) and fisheries biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife opened an 80-foot accessible floating fishing dock, an adaptive roller-assist kayak launch chute, and a solar shoreline shade pavilion on Sunday afternoon along the western cove of Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area at 2500 Stanley Boulevard between Pleasanton and Livermore. Encompassing 266 acres around an 80-acre spring-fed former gravel quarry lake along the Arroyo del Valle corridor, Shadow Cliffs attracts more than 350,000 annual Tri-Valley swimmers, rainbow trout and largemouth bass anglers, kayakers, and birdwatchers.

Because seasonal water-level fluctuations in the 80-acre lake previously left fixed shoreline piers either submerged in winter or stranded above rocky banks in late autumn, marine contractors installed a self-adjusting concrete-pontoon floating dock anchored by four telescoping steel guide pilings. An 80-foot articulated aluminum gangway maintains a gentle ADA-compliant slope across a twelve-foot vertical water-level range.

Along the outer T-head of the dock, anglers have access to twelve lowered 34-inch wheelchair-accessible rail cutouts, integrated tackle trays, and a shaded cedar-and-steel bench canopy. On the calm leeward side of the float, a submerged composite kayak cradle with overhead transfer bars allows solo paddlers and adaptive athletes to launch canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards without wading into steep gravel shallows.

The $475,000 lake access project was funded by the EBRPD Board of Directors through Measure WW regional park bond funds and a State Wildlife Conservation Board boating access grant. Visitors can check weekly trout-stocking reports and park hours on the East Bay Regional Park District Shadow Cliffs Portal.