Saturday, September 22, 2012

Vasona Lake County Park


View Vasona Lake County Park - September 2012 in a larger map

What
  • Lake
  • Biking
  • Hiking
  • Boating
  • Fishing
  • Canadian Geese
  • Playground for kids

More Info
  • $6/car parking fee
  • Several parking lots in the park and ample parking space
  • Restrooms at several places in the park
  • Boat rentals are $10 for 30 minutes and $15 for 60 minutes; Credit cards accepted
  • No swimming permitted in the lake
  • Several BBQ pits and picnic benches in the park

On a warm Saturday afternoon, a bunch of us went to the Vasona Lake County Park. As we were driving on CA 17 freeway, we saw glimpses of the beautiful lake to the right, glittering in the sunlight. After paying at the park entrance, we drove past the playground area for kids and parked the car in the parking lot next to the lake. There are multiple parking lots inside the Vasona Lake County Park.

Vasona Lake, with the iconic bridge

There is a kayak rental place just next to the parking lot and the undisturbed lake was just so beautiful that we couldn’t resist the temptation to kayak on the lake. A small island in one corner of the lake is home to several birds.

There are several picnic benches and BBQ pits in the park and the meadows are ideal to relax while enjoying the peaceful lake. The popular Los Gatos Creek Trail runs along the Vasona Lake and one can also walk on the iconic red bridge that runs across the lake.

Creek with Canadian Geese

We walked from the kayak rental place to the Oak Meadow Park, which took us about 15minutes. On the way, we stopped at the Creek Lot, where the water is so shallow that one can jump into the water to get his/her feet wet. Several kids were playing around in the creek and all of us jumped into the creek, which was occupied by a gaggle of Canadian geese. It was so much fun!

Billy Jones Train

After playing in the creek for a few minutes, we continued walking to the Billy Jones Train Station of the Oak Meadow Park and took the 10min train ride around the park. There is also a carousel right next to the train ticket booth. We snacked on one of the picnic benches nearby, relaxed on the green meadows and called it a day.

Tips
  • Park the car in one of the parks, either Vasona or Oak Meadow and you can walk to the other one. Separate parking fee for both the parks
  • Christmas lights are put up in Vasona from the end of November to the end of December. Click here for more information

Useful Resources

Nearby Locations

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