- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Lake Balboa
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Lake Balboa
6300 Balboa Blvd
Encino, CA 91316
(818) 756-9743
6300 Balboa Blvd
Encino, CA 91316
(818) 756-9743
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
27 reviews for Lake Balboa
Strolled through here last night with my guy and was pleasantly surprised. I've known of this place, just never made a point to come by. We came just before dusk and it was pretty packed. I can imagine how busy this place gets mid-day in the summertime, which would be a negative for me, so I'll stick to my late afternoon strolls.
However, it looks like a great place to have a picnic and spend an afternoon tucked away under a tree to read a book. The expanse of the lake and manicured grounds are really beautiful!
They used to do free archery here on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. It was a lot of fun and a great date night activity.
However, I did not enjoy being felt up while being instructed how to pull back the bow.
Lake Balboa and the surrounding grounds are "ok" - I say ok only because the park is pretty much constantly PACKED. On the weekends it's near impossible to find parking. By the lake there are tons of birds/geese and as you can imagine they crap everywhere - so make sure you check your shoes if you're strolling down by the water.
The kids area has a big playground which is ok - but again, always PACKED.
Nice place to go for a walk with the family, though. The Japanese Garden which is kinda on the other side of the park is super nice (but you do have to pay to get in).
Lake Balboa is a GREAT Park where you can spend the day relaxing and enjoying a beautiful day with Family & Friends.
A list of Activities you can do
1. BBQ - Many free built in bbq pits or bring your own
2. Kayaking- Bring your own or rent one
3. Biking- There is a Bikers Lane on the exterior of the park
4. Walking/Jogging- There is a trail that loops the interior of the park
5. Fly a Kite- Plenty of open space to fly your kite
6. Fishing- There is areas for Fly and Standard Fishing
7. Jungle Gym for the kids. Was just renovated and expanded
8. Sit and enjoy the views- covered benches by the lake make it nice
9. Exercise- plenty of hills and open space to run sprints
10. I think you get the point
"Roman, where can I take a girl out on a date if I'm broke and at the same time not look like a douche?", you ask. Well fear not my poor friend, Lake Balboa has you covered.
Right now is the perfect time to check out this great place. Their 2,000 cherry blossom trees start blooming around the end of March. I don't have to tell you how breathtaking the sights are when they all bloom, just look at all the great pictures Yelpers posted.
You can also rent those pedal boats and take your date out in the middle of the lake, where she'll have to kiss you or be forced to swim back. Oh yeah.... I forgot.... you're a cheapskate.
Fine, grab a camera and enjoy all the beautiful trees, birds and fish with your date. Or make her cook and have a picnic.
While this place can certainly provide hours of fun for free, not looking like a douche will be all on you. So don't blame Lake Balboa if your date thought a couple of hours with you was a painful experience.....
Great park to run at
Riding the bike path can be dangerous due to people that cannot control a dog
This is my favorite place to walk around. If you're interested in walking 5 miles with some great scenery, you should walk around this park. Make sure you walk around the PARK and not just around the lake/golf course/park trail. Those are great walks, but they're not the 5 mile track that I'm talking about. If you walk around the park, which runs along Balboa, Burbank, Woodley, and Victory, you'll be doing the 5 mile walk/run.
This park is great to go with friends, pets, or even to meditate by yourself.
"Balboa Lake" is actually several different areas combined. The actual lake is In the center, surrounded by a cement 1.3-mile walking path. True, it's all man-made, but it's the closest to "nature" you're going to get in the Valley. Weekday mornings are a great time to get some exercise. It's easy to park, there aren't many people out, and (even in the summer) it's still a bearable temperature before 10:00 a.m.
Although I rarely see people taking advantage of them, the lake also rents out paddle boats and kayaks. (You have to get a swimming certification and take a class to kayak, which I have. Secretly, it makes me feel cool to know that I'm "authorized" to kayak...even though I've only gone twice.)
The lake's regulars include a few old geezers fishing (for what, I'm not quite sure), recently retired couples out for a walk (or a shady sit), a few unemployed folks BBQ-ing (not a bad way to pass the time, if you ask me), a smattering of vigorous dog walkers (with surprisingly well-behaved pooches), and a gaggle of geese (honking loudly). All in all, it's a pleasant crowd.
There isn't any bike riding or rollerblading allowed around the lake; however, a five-mile path surrounds the entire park area. It's safe, clear, and free of children and pedestrians. (Bonus: The Orange line, through the Valley, leads right to the bike path. So, you can ride--sans car traffic--to and from the park.) There's also a 5K dirt path for joggers and runners (although that is an endeavor I cannot understand).
If you still need some outdoor entertainment, you can also hit up the public swimming pool, the 18-hole golf course, the driving range, the Japanese Garden, the soccer fields, the cricket greens, the archery center, or the playground. So, as your mother would say, "Go outside and play!"
Perfect place to cool down from the Valley heat when the crowds are moderate, which they rarely are. Great nice lake and plenty of walking and shade. Can get annoyingly busy in the height of season.
It is a nice little lake and environment. I usually go there and fish and catch Tilapia. They are mostly small-finger length to 12" long, and put up a good fight. Carp up to 8+lbs or so are also in there. The grounds are nice and there is plenty of shade.
Runners and bikers, skaters and walkers abound, enjoying the scenery.
Its not a super place to fish for big ones...but for one who wants to wet a line and have a guarantee getting something, its great. Especially for the kids. Seeing them with a big smile at catching a tiliapia is a treat. I go and give them tips etc. Its always good to also tell them to pick up trash and leave the place cleaner than when they found it.
Lake Balboa is lovely and would be nice for a BBQ, family event, or just chilling. I've seen people kayaking and paddle boating and it looks like fun.
I started going on walks here every weekend with my mother at 13. It was perfect for us, starting on a simple fitness routine that ended up serving as a catalyst for me, as I started going on walks around the entire block of the park, golf course, and army reserve base, almost every single day once I reached college, before or after classes/work. Ten years later I still head over some days off to get in some early morning exercise energy boosts.
Yet, I have mixed feelings on the place. It's perfect for people looking to jumpstart an easy walking or running routine, families with small children who can bike around the lake or surrounding paths, and picnicking or a small party. It's fairly well maintained and it has bathrooms that while not exactly pleasant are manageable.
The lake itself is the problem. It's man-made and very obvious about it, smelling pretty foul with fish swimming around that look like the three-eyed one from The Simpsons. There is a massive amount of bird shit lining the cement path around the lake too, meaning you have to spend your time looking down and maneuvering around the green poop of the many ducks walking around. It's also seriously congested if you go on a weekend any time after 11 a.m.
Still, if you want a peaceful place to get out and enjoy from freshish Valley air, this is as good a place to do so in the area, but get anywhere near the lake and you may just wish you'd stayed home and run on the treadmill instead.
It's nice and all, with cherry blossoms blooming and ducks everywhere. However, there isn't a whole lot to do here. You just kind walk around and stay on the path until you get bored and then walk on the grass to change it up. I don't really care for the man made lake, it's just sort of big and flat.
The park looks the same from everywhere, at least to me. It would be a sweet spot to bring a blanket and a picnic basket, but other than that it's a whole lot of serenity with not a lot going on. It's nice to see cherry blossoms against the blue sky, though once is sort of enough for me. Three and a half stars, rounded down.
Balboa park is great for a few things. The biggest reason to go is the cherry trees. Every year, me and friends go out and do Japanese style hanami under the blossoming sakura. The trees apparently were a gift from Japan.
The other neat thing about this place is you can come bring your kayak and do some practicing in the calm water.
The down side of this park is all the fucking ducks. I mean, there are so many of them. Not really the cute ducks either, the weird short beak black ones... And people feed them. Don't feed the ducks. People complain about all the duck poo and then turn around and give the ducks food. Missing a connection here? Also, it really messes with wild life, so please do not feel the ducks.
Anyway, cool place to hang out, but rather go somewhere a little more out there.
Sigh....cherry blossom trees in full bloom everywhere! As we found a place to park mid-morning on a weekend day, I just couldn't get over the beauty of the trees. The weather was perfect as sis and I took a walk around the man-made lake. I know people have mentioned the smell but I noticed nothing, maybe it isn't hot enough yet.
Although it was still fairly early there were plenty of couples, families, people with their dogs and cos players out and about under the trees. It was fun to watch all the cos players taking pictures under the blossoms, apparently it's a tradition to do this and it must be very popular too as we saw many more costumes arriving as we were leaving.
I actually thought for the amount of birds, ducks and geese meandering about the pond area there would be more poo but the walkway was pretty clean. We brought bread and although you aren't supposed to feed the avians we still ninja'd them a bit of carbs. As we looked into the pond too I noticed very large fish - of the koi variety as well as carps (at least this is what the old man who walked by told us)
I also really liked the idea that the bike path/running path is separate from the walking/picnic area - this works out for both sides I think. It's definitely a place I will bring sis's bike or my roller skates to for a little workout in the near future.
With the happy families, the many hanami groups, the cos players and the cherry trees this most certainly didn't feel like LA. I kept thinking what a lovely date this would be, hanging out among the blossoms, drinking sake and eating lil' bites. On a gorgeous spring day you can't really get much better than this.
Balboa Lake is an 80 acre water recreation facility within the Sepulveda Flood Control basin.
The centerpiece of the park, Lake Balboa, is a 27 acre lake filled with water reclaimed from the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant.
Facility Hours Of Operation:
Park Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Lifeguard Hours: 9:00 a.m. to Dusk
Fishing: During Park Hours
Boating: 9:00 a.m. to Hour Before Sunset
**The park is subject to closure during rainy weather **
Facility Features: BARBECUE PITS
CHILDRENS PLAY AREA
PICNIC TABLES
Special Features: 1.3 MILE JOGGING/WALKING PATH
BIKE PATH
CASCADE
CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES (JAPANESE)
FLY FISHING AREA
LAKE W/ FISHING (NO SWIMMING)
LAUNCH RAMP
PARKING LOTS
PEDAL BOATS
PICNIC PAVILIONS
PRIVATE BOATING (ONLY BOATS W/ NO MOTORS UNLESS ELECTRIC TROLLING)
REMOTE CONTROL BOATING COVE
RESTROOMS
Sports Programs: FISHING
KAYAK
KAYAK FITNESS PROGRAM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The lake area is a perfect place to have a picnic with a special someone or a friend...you can even bring lunch there for yourself and enjoy the peaceful nice surroundings. Nice trees and geese and ducks as well.
Cherry Blossom trees are in full bloom mid March....and the trees are LOVELY....a TRUE MUST SEE.
I like to go here and take pictures when the Cherry Blossems arrive 8))
All and all....Balboa Lake is a wonderful place to have close by...and I really like it
Couldn't ever see myself spending more than 2 hours here tops...thats if I was with someone.
alone maybe 45-1 hour
Seriously? People are giving this place 4-5 stars?!?
1. It's man made.
2. It smells like duck sh*t.
3. Everyone and their mom comes here so parking is a b*tch.
4. Why go to a lake when the beach is just 20 minutes away?!
WTF!? If you want scenery, go to the Japanese Gardens. If you want to walk, there's a 4 mile trail around Balboa Park.
If you live in the Valley, you know Lake Balboa, but did you know that you can go kayaking here? It's a great workout not only for your shoulders/arms/back, but also (for you pilates fans out there), your core muscles.
You, too, can be on the lake in 3 easy steps:
1. Pass a safety swim at an LA public pool. This involves wearing long pants and a long-sleeve shirt, jumping into the deep end of the pool, and not drowning (it's easier than it sounds - if treading water is too tiring, just float on your back for 10-15 minutes)
2. Sign up for an instructional class at the Lake Balboa lifeguard station (where the paddle boat rentals are). Class costs maybe ~$20.
3. After taking the class, pay something like $25 for a pass that gives you 20 rentals.
Now you're ready to terrorize some ducks!
Combine this workout with biking/jogging/blading around the perimeter of the park (5 mile loop) and swimming at the Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Pool ($1.50 per swim; free in the summer w/ a LA City library card), and you no longer have any use for your gym!
Oh, and if it's your thing, go hit some golf balls afterwards at the driving range or check out the Japanese Garden (admission fee required) across the street.
Balboa is both great... and pretty crappy depending on what you're there for and how many times you've gone. For runners... well, its no bad if you're only looking to go about 3-5 miles... there's a bike path that goes all the way around the park which is exactly 5 miles long, and there's also a dirt path starting from the parking lot on Burbank that is about 3.1 miles long (5K). So for the recreational runner/jogger/cyclist, its not so bad.
If you're going there for the lake, well... I hope you're having a BBQ there, 'cause outside of watching the old guys fish, and chasing the geese around and laughing as they spread their wings and hiss at you, not much goin' on there either. I mean... its pretty, I guess?
Its a chill place to get some fresh air or have a picnic or something... I wouldn't really know since I only go there for light workouts when I don't feel like running too hard in the hills.
There's also lots of wildlife in the nearby Sepulveda Wildlife Reserve, which is near the Sepulveda dam. Lots of spiders and rabbits... and I've seen snakes there. But... eh... I wouldn't suggest going there by yourself. For one thing, there aren't many people there, so no one would be able to hear you scream if something happened. The other thing... I'm pretty sure that a part of the basin is used by gang members as a meeting place so uh... haha, stay away at sundown. Also, there are some unsavory characters that hide in the bushes over there... so... like I said, don't go alone.
Eh, I gave it 3/5... 'cause at the very least, its chill... and there are lots of people running around on the bike path and dirt trails, and inside the park... so I dunno, maybe you can meet someone cool there. Unlikely, but hey... *shrug*
Great place to take a girl on a walk around the lake...
You can go fishing, too!
And there's secret spots where you can catch baby fish...
This place gets really crowed on the weekends though... Everyone and their mothers come out to have birthday parties... They have sheltered areas with tables for that.
Caution though... sometimes it smells... The water in the lake is 100% reclaimed water... Skinny dipping in the lake is a BAD idea...
I just really love working out here...enough people to ensure that you won't be axe murdered, yet still is serene and untouched enough to zone out while running. The lake is just so beautiful....i also enjoy the wilderness preserve down and across the street too!
I love you Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area and you are the reason why the SFV will always own a piece of my heart.
Went here with the husband and 2 dogs. It was such a beautiful day and JAN I just had to get out and enjoy it. We went later in the afternoon. When we pulled into the main driveway it was packed with cars and people. We drove pretty much half way around before we found a place to park. But it was well worth it. We unloaded the dogs and walked around the entire perimeter of the lake. Beautiful setting, but if you don't like birds or foul....stay away! There was a lot of birds, ducks, geese, pelicans and seagulls.
The boys enjoyed all the attention they got from all gushing and petting. One little boy was so captivated by Bob and Simcha he continued to follow us. When we stopped, he would wrapped his little arms around their necks and hugged them profusely. At one point he tried to climb onto Bob, thinking he can ride him...LOL. The Mom or Grandmother tried patiently to get him to go back with her, but he was determined to stay with Bob and Simcha. Eventually he unwillingly gave in and we were free to walk on.
I enjoyed the walk as did the boys. It was also great to see that there was a bike path that I can use for rollerblading! Been looking for a place and now I have one.
I will definitely be returning agan and again.
I love this park. Man made or not, the lake is pretty, it's a decent walk to go around the lake a few times, there is ample space for picnics/family outings, and an overall feeling of peacefulness that you don't often find in the Valley. The ducks scare me a little, but it's a nice change to be somewhere where you can stroll, relax with a book, people watch, and get away from the rush of daily life.
I came out here for the cherry blossoms, but I found the park to be pretty enjoyable as well. Good times = walking around the lake while eating dreamsicles. The geese are somewhat disturbingly unafraid of people, and the birds will rush anybody who even looks like they're reaching into their pocket for a piece of bread.
I would definitely reccommend either wearing a hat or bringing an umbrella. Even though there are trees along the lake, actual shade on the walking path is scarce.
I haven't been here in a long time, well 2006 and it reminds me of Cupertino Park because of the huge lake and of the numerous ducks. My dad and I took a leisurely walk around this place enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms, the lake, and green fields. People are either jogging, speed walking, or walking their dogs. It's a great family place to come to. It seems that the ducks have become quite a huge problem. When I was there, it didn't seem like but hey, it's been 2 years!
"I love working out at Lake Balboa. Whether it is early in the morning or later in the evening, Lake Balboa provides a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere to help you achieve your fitness and spiritual goals. Do you want to feel as good as I do? Visit my Yelp page at http://myvalleybootcam... and come workout with me and experience the best that Lake Balboa has to offer."
beautiful beautiful~ love the cherry blossoms here!! :) i also got to go on the paddle boats.. it was fun
great place for exercise and the family. just not at night. it is a 5 mile loop with a paved walkway. i used to ride around twice and i was done for the week. ducks are fun to feed with kids bring your old bread.
