Echo Park Lake

Very enjoyable place to walk around and enjoy the fresh air. The City did a great job restoring this reservoir/​lake. The neighborhood has improved tremendously in the last 30 years. Bring some dollar bills so you can buy food from the vendors. The only negative part of the experience is the smell of urine on the handicap ramp leading from the sidewalk to the toilets and the dirty sidewalk in front of the little restaurant (probably from spilled drinks that weren’t cleaned up). Bicycles are not permitted, but there were a couple of violators. Be careful.

People will sometimes assume things about me. In terms of reviews, I feel like people assume I have the most fun writing bad reviews. That is not the case. I have the most fun using my reviews to tear apart other reviews, because they have the tendency to be stupid.
Echo Park Lake is a nice little lake in the middle of Los Angeles. A lot of people seem to think that the park is practically teeming with homeless people.
1. It’s not. Yes there are some present, but I wouldn’t say significantly more so than any other public park.
2. You do realize where you are, right? Homelessness is an unfortunate epidemic in all of LA county (unfortunate for the homeless, of course), and considering the surrounding area, yes they will hang out around the public park. How is this shocking?
3. They are people. Some homeless people have issues, but as a whole they aren’t just walking harassment robots or something. Don’t assume such.
There are also some complaints that the only people here who aren’t homeless are hipsters. Did I miss Hipster Day? I didn’t see any. I saw a lot of normal people walking dogs though. Is that something people want to complain about too?
It’s not a very big park or lake, to be sure. But compared with the surrounding grey buildings it is a nice contrast. Parking is, indeed, an issue, so just be prepared for that.
I also don’t know anything about the paddle boats because I didn’t rent one.

Nice park nice scenery. The ducks have a face only a mother could love lol. Good place to take your dogs too.

Beautiful lake which reminds me of a cleaner version of stow lake in San Francisco. It is more open with glistening blue water and fenced off in the middle away from shrubs for pedal boat renters! It has two fountains located in the center of the lake as can see even from a far that creates a beautiful rainbow effect on some days.
Our first encounter with echo park lake was actually driving by it to go to our hotel on a different LA trip but decided to continue exploring it this time around. Our first day on this trip, we decided to hit the lake to rent one of those pedal boats for a hour but found out they were actually bought out my a company to shoot a commercial. I don’t blame companies to want to shot ads here because it is one of a beautiful scene! Decided to come back the next day for a 2^nd attempt and was successfully able to rent a boat for $ 10 per person/​Hour! Pretty affordable price! The dude operating the rental spot was chill and efficient in serving all the eager pedal boaters! Dont worry Personal floating devices are available for those who are afraid of drowning so fret no further! Made some laps around the fountain and drifted around the lake and your thighs feel sore after just a few minutes of pedaling. Was tempted to pedal through the fountain but it was fenced off in the middle and my GF probably would hate me after that but … it seemed promising at first!
Spectating from the boat you can see many people jogging around the lake, walking their dogs and even having picnics on the grass area. We saw a wedding group taking pics all dressed up and everything. The park just seemed like a very communal location which brings people from all sorts to experience nature at its finest! Parking is free around the lake but it does get filled especially during peak hours so do plan accordingly as well!
Overall a neat random lake with beautiful scenery and great for all occasions! Rent a boat and perhaps have a picnic on deck!

Favourite place, quiet and peaceful ducks, birds, friendly mexican people were playing domino, nice and cool.

Beautiful peaceful great environment to just unwind you can walk your dog enjoy the ducks and there are a lot of lil venders with hot dogs corn and ice cream great place to bring the kids

Highly recommend this place on a nice sunny day! I came here with my girlfriend on a nice sunny Saturday afternoon. We rented a paddle boat and enjoyed an hour on the lake. It was really nice. Also have some vendors selling some corn on a stick and street dogs. That corn was delicious.
Afterwards, it is very close to Downtown, so can take a few minute drive to get some lunch in downtown.

Coming to Echo Park was a spur of the moment decision for me. I find the lake and the wildlife soothing and peaceful. I was surprised to see so many people there walking, jogging and enjoying the scenery. The area is apparently popular for filming as there was a whole crew there when I visited.
I didn’t like how many homeless were there. I understand people need a place to go but they had camps set up all over the place. Even people constructing apartments out of their vehicles. Another thing is parking. It is tough to find a spot and be sure that you know how to parallel park in tight spaces.

One Word: GREAT– not the best though. There is some trash but the lake and walking trails are good. The games for kids are alright too.

This is a beautiful lake and park area. I’m from San Diego so I had never been before. We ate dinner at Massa and were so full we had to take a walk around the lake to help digest our food. It’s not too big and it took us about 20 min to walk around the whole thing. Definitely recommend coming here on a stroll.

I used to come here a lot when it first reopened because it was close to my high school and I must say it is sad to see how dirty it is getting. From a far the park looks amazing and the water shooting up along with the scattered palm trees and plants makes it look so delicate and a perfect place to relax. As soon as I got to the park the first thing I saw was an over flowing trash can with more trash around it. Its pretty disgusting mostly because it was right next to where the jungle gym is for the kids. Beside the trash making it look unappealing the lake is so dirty there are tons of beer bottles in between the lily pads and it is so dirty the turtles have an algae crust on them.
The people that are usually seen at the park are Hipsters smoking or casually drinking along with joggers and the local homeless from downtown. Depending on who you run into it will change the perspective of the park. Echo park has so many cute ducks waddling around but beware of geese, there are three geese that roam the park and will follow you in hope to get some food. It is kind of awkwardly placed in between two busy streets but because it is so big it brings some relaxation to busy city people. It is nice to get some peace and quiet in the middle of the big city.
While you walk along the park you will feel water lightly spraying around but that is just from the water that is shooting up. I was not pleased with getting this mist on me, by looks of the lake I do not want any of the water on me. The trees are scattered all over the park providing refreshing shade and a nice breeze. Along with that breeze comes a faint fishy/​dirty water smell, even if it wasn’t too noticeable it got slightly disturbing. The local hot dog street vendors drown the smell out after a while.
The park was designed beautifully it just has not been taken care of. I appreciate the ones who really take care of the park and are slowing the destruction process down. The park seems to be the closest thing to relaxation we get in downtown. Once we start caring for the park it will hopefully get better and continue attracting people. It is a nice view to see when making your way to downtown.

The fiancée’s dad wanted to visit this place after lunch so we did. It’s a beautiful park, but in a very odd location.
The majority of the people here are either hipsters, homeless, or someone who will shank you for a dollar. No joke. It’s not located in the nicest area, but you have to give props for them for trying to make the area nice.
It’s honestly an amazing park. Not the biggest one you’ll ever encounter, but a lot of time and effort was put into it. So there is that. It’s got a lot going for it, and apparently they are trying to make the area even nicer.
Still, there is a criminal element here that I would like to not to deal with when I go to the park. Besides that, it’s great.

What a beautiful park in LA! I’ve passed by this park before many times but never really took the opportunity to spend a few hours here. One weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to have a little picnic here and spend some time just enjoying nature. We packed some boba, banh mi, crackers and cheese along with a picnic blanket and we were all set to go. The park has a lot of shade all over the park so you can pick and choose where you want to sit. There are a lot of people at this park and if you wanted to grab a snack, you can grab a whole variety of things (chips, ice cream, elote, tacos, etc) from the small vendors. The park is also large enough where you can get in a decent exercise if you walk/​jog around it a few times.
My favorite part of the lake definitely has to be the water lillies and the beautiful fountain that is in the center. You can actually rent a paddle boats here also if that’s your thing and wanted to do something different. I don’t recommend going into the water or touching it because it definitely does not look clean but the ducks don’t seem to mind! Parking here is a little annoying but if you look around, there’s parking around. Highly recommend for picnic getaway! ⁵⁄₅

Great renovations and upgrades! Ages ago, I came with my family to see the Lotus festival (like in the 90s). It has definitely cleaned up and become «hipster.» The pathway is nice to walk around, but honestly, too many kids and vendors selling crap. All the new plants and grassy areas are really nice, benches are great for people watching. I saw a lot of people taking naps and picnicking. A bit hard to find parking but definitely worth checking out!

Just like Lucy and Ethel when they snuck into Richard Widmark’s backyard to have him sign a grapefruit, Jamie W. and I took an honest-​to-​God Hollywood bus tour recently. I didn’t know they still do them, but of course, they still do them. Turner Classic Movies sponsors a pretty good one that also goes through the eclectic neighborhoods between Hollywood and Downtown LA. When we came upon Echo Park Lake right off 101, we immediately wanted to return on our own, which we did the next day after a sun-​soaked afternoon in body-​gawking Venice. Echo Park doesn’t have the same vibe at all. It’s a boho-​heavy neighborhood that has attracted middle-​class do-​it-​yourselfers and served as the setting for several indies — urban with a bit of an edge, gentrified but in certain ways, not really.
Its centerpiece is a man-​made lake peppered with paddle boats and anchored by lotus plants that float in giant sheets around the edge (photo:
). There’s a giant fountain that shoots upward and likely serves as the primary water source, but my interest in it was as a vibrant point of focus for a scenic shot of downtown (photo:
). Strolling around the lake yields plenty of pleasures not the least of which are the locals who obviously appreciate the recent renovation that apparently bought it back to life (photo:
). There’s a bridge that leads to a speck of an island, but it was locked up much to the chagrin of a trio of geese (photo:
). Mexican food vendors and a few roaming homeless add a nice reminder that this ain’t Rodeo Drive.

I vaguely recall coming here many moons ago as a child with my Dad and renting pedal boats, then I remember this place as something scary and somewhere you certainly don’t want to hang out at even during daylight hours. Now, things seem to have transformed. I can’t speak to being here after dark but it’s almost as hipster as going for a jog around the Silverlake reservoir and seemed totally safe to me!
We were here Saturday afternoon for dragon boat races during the 35^th Annual Lotus Festival. So when I review Echo Park Lake I’m also reviewing the actual Lake as we rowed our dragon boat all over the place and unintentionally but directly underneath the iconic water fall, how many people can say they’ve done that?
Echo Park also has the largest Lotus Flower beds around and they were in bloom which was really pretty to see. This is a great place to pack a picnic, bring a book, lay out, go for a jog or just walk around and relax. Cute date spot for sure and plenty close to tons of eating and shopping options on Sunset.

This is the cutest park ever! The lake in the middle is huge! Lily pads, ducks, maybe even some lake monsters hiding.
We rented a paddle boat for $ 10 a person and just paddled around the lake for an hour. It was cold outside but it was a good workout and even though there were six other people in their separate boats, it wasn’t even cramped. So much room!
The shop on the lake has some cool food and drink options. We ordered a hot chocolate and a watermelon lemonade. Both were really good. The kitchen was closed, but they had pastries out to buy. Reasonably priced.
After that we walked around, sat on the grass, bought Elote for $ 1.50, and watched funny or die walk around and film.
The plus side is all the apartments and houses around this lake are all unique.

Echo Park, I love you! I used to visit Echo Park 5 – 6 times a week before I started studying for my NCLEX. (I’m having withdrawals now) The pathway is perfect for my morning and evening jogs. The scenery is beautiful and includes views of DTLA! This park has so much to offer people of all ages! There’s a cute little playground for kids, beautiful trees to lay under, & ducks to watch… nice place to walk dogs and such a cute place for a date too. Try the pedal boats & café, have a picnic, and take a walk around the lake… or even sit on a bench and enjoy the view of the fountain!
P. s. bring cash for snacks! Yummm. elotes… (Mexican corn) ;D

Petite ballade rapide au bord du lac! Endroit sympa mais pas â tomber par terre même si le lieu est agréable avec une belle vue.

Since this park was renovated a few years ago, it’s now a great place to run, jog or walk the dog. Or more importantly– just getting a breathe fresh air! There’s still some shady people standing around but overall, it’s filled with people who are focused on becoming more healthy. All walks of life (especially hipsters in this area) are using the track at all times. During the day there are paddle boats to piddle on and lotus flowers to admire. At all times of the day there are street vendors with delicious corn, dirty dogs, tamales and tonite I even saw spaghetti in a jar!
There are restrooms and water fountains along the way too so that’s helpful for the longer runs.

If I were to review this place 20 years ago, I probably would’ve given it a one star. Recently decided to come on chance, and wow was I pleasantly surprised with the renovation.
The parking is still not so great, but if you circle around a few times, you might just get lucky.
The best times to come is early in the morning or early evening. It does tend to get crowded in the evenings, and you can understand why. The path is awesome and it’s great to get a few laps in. The grounds are so beautifully decorated and well maintained.
Keep an open mind when coming here. You’ll still find a few vendors selling elotes (Mexican style made corn cob) and interesting locals.

Un bel espace pour se balader ou se poser dans le quartier, sous les palmiers, au bord du lac, c’est vraiment très agréable. Pour les photos c’est idéal, avec le choix des collines ou alors des tours du du centre-​ville au loin, Downtown. Et forcément, tellement un lieu qu’on prend en photo (le vert sûrement) que des pancartes accrochées aux rambardes indiquent #64millions de vue sur Instagram… XXX !!! Il n’y a pas à dire j’attends ce genre de panneaux au Mont-​Saint-​Michet ou les prisons de la Vieille Ville d’Annecy voire en contrebas de la Tour Eiffel (rassurez moi il n’y en a pas…)
Bön après les Lotus, qui sont magnifiques (ceci expliquant peut être cela) sous des filets de protection, ça gâche un peu l’ensemble…