4/4/2019

• 1 check-in

Great Lake to do a quick run! The full lake is around 3 miles!

I love that the lights turn on around sunset, there are plenty of ducks and geese to make the lake more beautiful. Perfect for a sunny day or a run after work.

2/3/2019

There is nothing better to do on a beautiful day than take a stroll around the Lake. If you've been here before you understand.

Things I like:

The beauty of the Lake duh!
The diversity of people you see here daily
The positive vibes you get from those who have made the Lake a gathering spot for years

Things I don't like:

Goose poop on the bottom of my shoe
BBQ Becky types that lack respect

12/20/2018

• 1 check-in

This place was one of my most memorable spots in Oakland. I lovvvved this lake and the surrounding community.  My friend and I had just left the Jack Square area and she went back to the hotel and I ventured on my own to see more of Oakland. I am soooo happy I followed my mind and checked out this lake. The weather was beautiful and I walked around the entire lake in awe, people watching and taking pics. I saw people walking, jogging, biking. I was alone and didnt feel unsafe in the early evening. There was a certain area on the lake where you had groups of photographer's getting their shots of the scenery.  The buildings right by the water is just something magical to look at. There was some construction going on when I visited.  The lake is soo huge that even if its crowded you dont feel like you're bumping into others.  I saw people having BBQ's, parties etc...

This place is a must see whenever you're in the area. I am so jealous of all the locals who live near this gorgeous lake and get to enjoy it daily.

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• See all photos from Teresa S. for Lake Merritt

5/10/2019

• 7 check-ins

Whenever I'm in Oakland, I love to jog around the lake or go for a stroll. It's 3.2 miles if you complete the entire lake and is a great workout in itself or can be done double times for a tougher workout and even just to add onto whatever routine you have planned. On sunny days, you can see many groups out picnicing on the benches or laying out on their blankets. There's usually music blaring on the weekends or some type of party going on, but the environment is usually laid back.

5/8/2019

Favorite place to get a nice walk , stroll in !! I prefer the Am but not afraid to out when it get crowded and people watch. Great time out to jus chill out. Love the people and area . Kids love the play land and climbing structure. If your thinking about somewhere to go in the east bay to kick back have lunch , tent paddle boats . Watch rowing races check out the Lake !! Fairy land is also ther for the kiddies if you want a kids party or playground . Parking is scarce the later in the day it gets .

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  Lake Merritt

  Lake Merritt
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  Front of lake

  Front of lake
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  Lake Merritt back drop

  Lake Merritt back drop
• See all photos from Tony H. for Lake Merritt

11/24/2018

• 1 check-in

A very beautiful lake ideal for walking, jogging, or biking. If you're feeling lazy, you can just sit by the benches and green lawn to admire the view or watch people boating, kayaking, or canoeing. Great also for picnic and barbecue parties.

I had the opportunity to drop by here one late afternoon and enjoyed a meal at the waterfront restaurant, Lake Chalet. I dined and waited until it was sunset. It's just so beautiful out here. It gave me the feeling of calmness and serenity while immersing myself in the beauty of nature.

I stayed very late that I noticed that the entire lake was decorated all around with string lights. It added more beauty in the already very scenic atmosphere in here. I could imagine the place to be very romantic during full moon. Ah, nature at its best!

5/13/2019

I always love to come here to Lake Merritt for jog or to simply walk around. Enjoy the beautiful view(s) breathe in the air and see all the wonderful people relaxing and having a good time around the lake. You never know what you're going to find around here, pure awesomeness.

12/8/2018

• 2 check-ins

Town Biznezz!!! Lake Merritt sweet sweet Lake Merritt. Love to just be here. My city. The water. People. I love to just walk or lay on the grass. BBQ.

This place takes me away from crazy busy week reality.

6/2/2018

• 4 check-ins

***My 700th Review***

Before I really knew Oakland, I knew Lake Merritt. This was my escape. The place that I went to vent. The place that I went to take a walk. The place that I went to cry... or to catch a sunset. This big body of water is filled with so many memories.

Memories of great times with friends. Heartfelt conversations and liberating runs and walks along the lake. Passionate kisses and painful arguments. Picnics and parties on warm summer days. So many memories, some of which I'd like to rather forget. But, what I will never forget is the feeling that I get whenever I come here.

Lake Merritt is the most prominent Lake in the Bay Area. It's widely known and heavily trafficked. But Lake Merritt is so much more than just a "Lake" to me. It's therapy. It provides a place for me to clear my mind. It provides visuals to sooth my eyes. It showcases the beauty of a city that is still so underrated and that doesn't get the recognition that it truly deserves.

You see, the ripples in this lake are like ripples of memories. Memories that I relive whenever I come here. The walking path represents me moving forward in life. Moving past the bad memories. The surrounding city view represents the beauty of the past, and is elevated at night and during those wonderful sunsets.

This is one of those few places where everybody likes to go. Everybody. Whether you're rich or poor. Black or white. Young or old. So many people find solace and happiness at this lake. There are no judgements. Just a bunch of people from all different walks of life who come here to enjoy the serenity of Lake Merritt. A serenity that I find with each and every visit.

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  So pretty!

  So pretty!
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• See all photos from Shayla B. for Lake Merritt

4/30/2019

Lake Merritt is one of those urban lakes, really a tidal basin that flushes with the daily tides. It looks beautiful, till you go to the edge a see all the trash and odd plastic stuff floating about. The smell on some days is terrible and the constant traffic circling the lake on weekends just drowns out any serenity one might expect. Then  along with the homeless panhandlers at one end of the lake and loud music thumping at the other, makes this a cesspool of the decay of urban life. Like some old guys said, it sure wasn't this was 50 years ago! Oakland is not a very friendly place it seems these days.

3/22/2019

took a long walk around this lake after spending some time in Oakland.  Many people come here to relax.  It is close to downtown Oakland which is pretty nice.

3/29/2019

This is a huge lake. I was walking around with my dog Lucy. We only made 1/5 of the distant of the lake. I paid a car entrance fee for two hours' parking. The Children's Fairyland localed at entrance area. We walked around the lake. There were people and dogs walking around. They looked  like regulars. I was inside the vegetable garden. Well maintained. I didn't stay long because of my Lucy. We went to the boating center. There are picnic areas. I heard birds chirping from inside the trees. It was a sunny , beautiful day. Beautiful views. Very relaxing, will go again on my next visit to the area. (Sorry, My photos are too large not able to upload)
After the visited the "inside" lake. I found the restaurant, Lake Chalet "outer" lake, look directly to the boating center. Another way to look at the Lake.

6/25/2018

• 1 check-in

Alwayz a chill vibe at the Lake..
Sunday was the 1st Annual Lake Festival. Lots of vendors and good food. Seen a few live performances and had a few cold ones o yeah always a chill vibe...

8/14/2018

• 1 check-in

Review #245 - 2018

I've been to the lake many times and it's definitely changed for the better.  I'm glad that they've made so many wonderful adjustments to draw in more visitors.

You can see many families having a great time picnicking and kids playing at the playground.  There was even a lively drumming circle while we were walking around the lake.

This was my very first attempt at walking the entire lake and it was not an easy task especially when you have a 2-year old and you forget to bring the stroller.  She was happy to walk the first quarter of the lake, but she wanted to be carried afterwards.  She got tired and fell asleep so I carried her for 3/4 of the walk.  

Carrying 30 pounds in your arms while walking almost 3 miles is NOT fun!  My feet were definitely killing me by the end of the night.

The lake is beautiful, but it stinks and there was a lot of homeless people sleeping at every corner so that's why I deducted 1-star.

It looks like they were still doing more construction around the lake; so hopefully, it'll look even more beautiful once that is finally completed.

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  08/11/2018

  08/11/2018
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  08/11/2018: The many beautiful angles

  08/11/2018: The many beautiful angles

2/6/2018

• 23 check-ins

"We may not all have the same opportunities, but nearly every day, everyone has the opportunity not to be a complete pussy." ~ My friend, Cochese

Ok so, the past couple years, for me, were not exactly a walk in the park.  For most of those three years it looked like a slow motion movie of me realizing that through decisions that I had made, I had unknowingly set my life on fire. Last summer that sort of changed and my life wasn't just on fire, I was fully engulfed in flames. For what was more than a month I did not leave my apartment. I'd leave my bed briefly maybe once or twice a day to feed my cat and use the restroom and on a handful of occasions I walked down the hall in my apartment to drop trash down the chute, but that was it. That was my life and I'd text jokes about how I wasn't going out anymore to my friends and family but no one really knew that I was actually living that joke.

I started going to a few doctors, therapists, a psychiatrist and even on a few dates... which, oddly enough, did kind of help. On one of the first dates I went on, the guy, after several hours, was like, 'you make a lot of jokes about killing yourself'. And I thought, 'oh yeah, I guess I do.' I guess my psychiatrist picked up on the jokes, too, and in addition to dabbling in a small selection of prescription drugs, she told me she wanted to me get outside at least once a day, in the sun, and just hang out for at least 20 minutes. I can walk, I can read, I can do whatever, but I have to leave my apartment and partake in at least minor physical activity and she agreed that I don't have to engage with any people and if any men try to talk to me I'm allowed to react as I see fit so the deal was on.

I started doing that. Every day. At first I was like, fine this isn't terrible, I GUESS. But now it's actually the part of my day that I enjoy the most. I look forward to it. Being by myself, listening to music or podcasts and walking around the lake or even just the general neighborhood by my damn self. There's nothing I've loved more about life in the Bay than the mostly mild weather and being able to just take a walk and think my thoughts and figure out how I want to feel. And it's pretty great... until you get over to the part of the lake by the vagina church because that side is p boring, there's all that construction, and that one part where the air is saturated with the smell of geese shit and that farty sulfur scent ugh. Mouth breathing has never been more in en vogue than over there.

If you take the trail that hugs the lake it's exactly 5k, or 3.1 miles for those of us who refuse to get down with the Metric system. Great for training and it's mostly flat. There's like a single area that you could kind of consider hilly... it's not much but trust me, if you're running, you feel the fucking hills, no matter how small or short a distance they may be.

Anyway, as a person who doesn't exactly love hiking but apparently loves walking, Lake Merritt really played a key role in my actually leaving my apartment and doing what my psychiatrist strongly suggested. If there wasn't a nice-ass place with lots of sun, some trees, some cool shit along the way (boathouse, bird sanctuary, nature center, garden, the pergola, the pavillion) I probably would've just been like, 'that idea is dumb I'll walk like once and tell her I hate it and then make a joke about killing myself so she doesn't ask me to do stupid shit again'. Which would've resulted in me taking the route of a complete and total lazy pussy, and again, never leaving my apartment and never giving myself a chance to maybe feel differently.

Not gonna lie, Lake Merritt isn't perfect. Besides the smell on that one side, it could use about 15x as many restrooms on the path (there's like one and some tucked in the other buildings surrounding), it'd be great if people weren't such fucking litter bugs, and I guess the water is so polluted that it'll actually eat the flesh off of turtles... but besides those things (sorry, turts), it's p great.  

Pretty grateful to have a place that gave me the opportunity (in addition to my meds bc those are the real heroes in this) to not just be stuck in a do-nothing sad life where I sleep all day and fantasize about not existing and instead I look forward to my favorite part of the week, when I just do me, walk around the lake, and give myself a healthy dose of the good life.

9/29/2018

• 19 check-ins

Lake Merritt is the reason for any percentage of mileage I get in daily.  Although there are some yucky bird poop smells in some areas, I love walking the lake listening to my podcasts or audiobooks.  There are also local events and performances that are very lively, like the capoeira dances, live bands, and races.  I also love having picnics, bbqs, and relaxing reading days there.  Yay Oakland!

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• See all photos from Rachel M. for Lake Merritt

8/8/2018

• 2 check-ins

There is just so much to do at and around Lake Merritt. You can come here for some exercise as you jog, walk, or bike around the lake. Good times can be had while you and some friends just lay out on the grass to enjoy the scenery. Eating establishments are peppered around the lake, so take your pick. Local bars are also located nearby or within a short drive if you venture to uptown Oakland. If you need to run errands or do some grocery shopping there are plenty of markets and local shops for you to get whatever you need. On the weekends, there is usually a farmers market if you're into that kind of thing (be warned that the parking situation is horrendous during those times!).

People from all walks of life come to enjoy this beautiful space all the time. No matter what you're up to, it seems like Lake Merritt is the center of good times within Oakland.

Come check it out for yourself!

2/4/2018

This was a classic high school hang out spot growing up in the Bay. Recently visited again on a whim with some friends trying to kill time, and it ended up being a really great experience.

A reggae fest was happening, so we switched off between lying on a blanket in the grass (with perfect Bay Area weather) and going into this area within the columns and dancing with the DJs.

Vibes:
Amazing place to longboard, meet dogs, jog, lay around with a beer. Groups of friends have their music playing on speakers, picnic blankets, hammocks, etc. If you love people watching, this is a great place. It kind of reminds me of Mission Dolores Park in SF but smaller. The grass is green, the water looks great, people don't bother you, and there are lots of trees with shade.

Definitely one of Oakland's finer places, was 10/10 worth the 1.5 hour drive from Stockton.

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  great location to experience the perfect Bay Area weather

  great location to experience the perfect Bay Area weather

9/3/2018 Updated review

• 4 check-ins

The lake/Park is nice, just be careful of folks asking for money  , there is a nice community garden near the bonsai garden. The sailboat club, I believe it's called, near the restrooms also has activities on the lake you can do for a few.

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• See all photos from Zoe M. for Lake Merritt

4/29/2018

I drive by this place every week and never once have I actually went walking around this beautiful scenic lake. So my fiancé and I decided to go for a walk here after having a large meal. I have to say it is a very huge lake and it's very beautiful. I enjoyed the walk, the views, and all the activities that was going on around. I forgot to bring my blanket or else my fiancé and I would have lay on the grass and watch the sunset. It's the perfect place to come on a Sunday and enjoy a sandwich on the grass!!!!

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• See all photos from Neloffer E. for Lake Merritt