The Alamo Creek Bikeway runs through Nelson Park in Vacaville, making it a natural jumping-off point if you want to explore the path with your dog. Located next to Vaca Pena Middle School on Marshall Road, this 10.5-acre neighborhood park gives you plenty of space to walk around before or after your bikeway adventure. The park has benches scattered throughout, sports fields, and a playground that families use on weekends, so it’s a good spot to get a feel for the local community vibe.

A large portion of the park is devoted to softball fields and a concession stand. Dogs aren’t allowed on the actual softball fields themselves, but you have the rest of the park to roam. The mature shade trees throughout are genuinely useful on warm days—they create enough cover that you can actually sit down and rest without getting baked by the sun while your dog catches their breath. If you’re planning to walk the full length of the Alamo Creek Bikeway, those shaded benches become pretty valuable, especially in summer.

There’s a drinking fountain on-site if you need to fill your water bottle or if your dog gets thirsty during your visit. This is handy since the bikeway itself doesn’t have a lot of amenities once you’re out on it. The park works well as either a starting point or ending point for your bikeway walk, depending on which direction you want to go. It’s the kind of place that’s useful rather than flashy—a solid neighborhood park that serves its purpose without any pretense. If you’re in Vacaville and want to combine some walking with access to a maintained path, this is worth knowing about.