Lake Anza

Came here for a picnic by the water and possibly a swim but the lake itself is closed for swimming or any contact with the water due to contamination of the water.
We ended up picnicing on a picnic table near by. There are restrooms, grills and trash cans and plenty of parking. Many areas for eating or hiking and pretty view along the way.
All in all a nice place to spend the day in the nature.

Went there for a quiet, romantic picnic and ended up being swarmed by several different summer school camps all on a field trip. Constant screaming children and teens running everywhere. Definitely check the summer school schedule before coming to this lake.

Reason #4 968 740 why I love living in the Bay Area: Lake Anza.
I came here on a weekday in late August with two adult friends and one baby friend (seven months, but he’s already an adept water creature). We arrived just after 11:00 to an almost empty parking lot and had the place mostly to ourselves. We set up camp with a Sport-​Brella, some blankets and plenty of infused water to keep us hydrated. Then we spent most of the rest of the time hanging in the water, catching up. It was glorious (and so refreshing in the 85F+ degree heat)!
We’d planned on lunching elsewhere, and my baby friend had an early afternoon nap time, but if that were not the case I could have easily spent the whole afternoon here alternating between the beach and the water.
What’s more, Lake Anza is within a 30 minute drive of the City (and more like 15 if you’re coming from Oakland)!
NOTES
— Come here during the week, late in the summer, when most kids have gone back to school and you’ll have the lake almost to yourself
— The life guards here take their jobs seriously (if you bring little kids, keep ‘em close to you!)
— Beach access fees: $ 3.50 age 16 – 61; $ 2.50 age 1 – 15; $ 2.50 seniors 62+ or disabled; FREE under 1 year
— If you’re squeamish about water quality, they test it frequently and post the results on the Lake website

Just spent both days of the weekend there, from noon to 7pm. Nice amenities, great big space, lifeguards are very vigilant. Water seems fairly clean considering the masses of people. Love this local place to take the kids for a chill day. No lifeguards on duty past 6:30pm, but people were still coming in. So if you want to swim past the roped areas that would be the time. Do it at your own risk. I personally like it that the lifeguards are on their game, being parent to preteens. The food seems to run out pretty early especially on a busy day so get it early! Also theres a swim break every 2 hours where kids have to get out and only adults allowed in the water.

It was a beautiful lake and so nice to be able to swim on a hot day in the East Bay. Even though there were a lot of people, it was a nice crowd — lots of families and such. Definitely 5 stars and hope to come back again

Lake Anza is a great place to have a family fun day! The only downside is that it costs money to get in, but you get what you pay for. The beach is nice and the water was clear and warm while we were their. They have a snack bar where they sell drinks and ice cream.

Simply beautiful. It has a nice and quiet environment surrounded by gorgeous tall trees. I heard about this gem through a friend and was blown away by it. It’s such a nice place to spend and afternoon with friends. Love it!

We had a great day out here today, it was very clean and staff were friendly. I wish we had taken a beach shelter as there isn’t much shade will definitely go back

Gorgeous! Really gorgeous, but the lake stinks! I had to move further back to get away from the smell. The rank swamp smell is still in the swim clothes after two cycles through the wash! Just a warning…
Otherwise, it’s very picturesque, family friendly, more affordable than public pools these days, and has nice changing rooms.
I don’t think we’ll ever go back.

Came here on a sunny afternoon to hike around the lake! No swimming for me… the water didn’t look too welcoming. Nonetheless, my friends and I ventured around the lake and tried looking for trails. Tilden is just an enchanting place in general, and the lake is a great place to cool off and have a nice picnic. I enjoyed our noontime stroll and plan to explore Tilden more. The hike wasn’t as strenuous as I would have liked it to be but still got a work out in!
The road taking you up to this area is also extremely winding. Fun to drive and such a scenic route.

Pretty awesome lake, nice and quiet, has a beach and some cool trails.
I checked this out over the weekend, Google maps took us a convoluted route over the hill to get there — that’s probably the biggest downside — versus the very similar Lake Temescal which is really close.
Still, it’s free to park and go in (except the beach), wasn’t at all busy on a Sunday evening. There’s protected wildlife here too — shame on the dog owners for not controlling their dogs in signposted areas though.
But check it out, I bet you’ll be surprised.

This Lake is the bomb~!! It’s in the middle of Tilden Park and you just would never expect to find a beach there. That’s just awesome/
Nicely manicured sand and grass in the area to chill, and a sectioned off part of the lake to play complete with lifeguard. I didn’t actually get in the water, so I can’t vouch for cleanliness or anything — but it is a lake that doesn’t move — so take it for what it is.
You gotta pay $ 3.50 to get in, $ 2.50 for kids…
But you can do the fun 1.5 mile hike around the lake for free — which is awesome in itself. It’s not a paved road, its a real hike –but not über challenging — so it was a fun little daytime walk.
This is like the definition of a hidden gem… except people know about it. =P

If into swimming, hiking and picnic this place has all that… or you can do one thing and still have a good time. Fun place in nature. Swimming area has nice facilities. Walk around the lake see some ducks, people walking around some with their pets. The lake is beautiful. Large parking lot and large green area for groups to play in. Part of the greater Tilden Park

I hosted a picnic at Lake Anza for a university organization social event. We got there around 11:30 A.M. and stayed until 2:00 P.M. The weather was a bit chilly in the beginning but soon warmed up.
Atmosphere: The scenery is absolutely beautiful. Lake Anza is surrounded by the very picturesque trees, hills, and trails of Tilden Regional Park. There were families with small children playing in the sand and water. There was a couple of people exercising on the beach. And, you could definitely see a lot of people hiking and biking on the trails surrounding the lake. Our group brought sandwiches, drinks, and snacks. We laid out on the beach with our beach towels, and it was thoroughly relaxing with the blue skies, perfect weather, and quiet/​calming setting.
The water was really cold and had some fly-​away trash items but overall it was a nice lake. There was no life guard on duty, and you could swim at your own risk. However, there will be a life guard on duty starting the weekend of April 26^th, so there may be a beach fee.
Getting there: It’s actually pretty simple to get there. I put Lake Anza in my GPS and was also able to follow signs to the lake. There’s a parking lot near the lake. There’s also a grassy area people picnic-​ed by the parking lot. Picnic tables lined one trail, and there were a few picnic tables on the beach. There was also a small grassy area at the top of the beach for those who do not particularly like getting sand between their toes.
I will definitely come back during the summer months when the weather is a little hotter in order to enjoy the water. Drinks, food, and friends will make for a great time at Lake Anza!

Lake Anza certainly is a lovely perk of growing un in the Berkeley Hills. I’ve been coming here since I was a child and have continued to frequent the area for it’s various hiking trails and scenic outlooks.
Coming here during the warmer months of the season is ideal, the quaint shores and grassy field just above the sand, make for perfect sunning and lunch spots.
Frequented by families, the atmosphere is fun loving and relaxing. Adorable children are often seen splashing about in the shallow waters, or exploring the natural vegetation and wildlife.
Swimming is permitted here but the water is slightly cooler. Having swum competitively for a number of years, I absolutely love swimming and take up most opportunity to do so.
However, I can’t say that I had the most pleasant experience swimming here… I only swam in these waters when I was around 8 or 9 years old but I was not a fan of the very murky waters with a slightly displeasing smell, the very mushy combination of sand and mud at that make up the floor of the lake, and the large number of water bugs (they frightened me quite a bit). Strangely enough, even the ducks were unpleasant, I have a distinct memory of attempting to paddle around a few of them and being viciously squawked and then followed? Hopefully, the ducks are better behaved these days…
While I haven’t attempted swimming here again, I very much love exploring the surrounding hiking trails or just curling up with a good book and some music, lay in the sun and take in the natural surrounding beauty.
What can you say though, it’s a lake after all and all of the above items come with the territory, just be mindful of your children if you decide to spend the day here.
Certainly a lovely way to take advantage of Berkeley’s occasional blue skies and warm sunshine, Lake Anza is perfectly charming and a much beloved spot worthy of a visit or two!

Another perk of living near Tilden Park – Lake Anza! Another spot the family and the Girl Scout troop used to come for a dip in the lake. I used to wish for a backyard swimming pool – there was no need for a chlorinated pool when there is Lake Anza. Nothing like swimming in nature’s cool clear water.
The first time for me was on a Girl Scout field trip. Then the parental unit brought us here for swimming when they did not feel like making the long trek to the swimming pool at the naval officers’ club in Alameda. When the relatives used to come for visits, this was one of the places we would take them to for a swim. The life guards were ever present and alert. There was a buoyed rope indicating the limit as to how far people were allowed to swim.
I hear there is more at Lake Anza these days. There is the Lake Anza Beach Club that sells frozen treats. I think they are owned by the same guys who own Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub and the Sit and Stay Café. Lake Anza is another place I must make a return visit to for ol’ times sake.
Fresh Unilocal Review #86 for 2013

I’m a sucker for a good hike especially when it’s around a beautiful lake.
I went with a couple of friends this weekend for a hike around Lake Anza and I had a lovely time. I live in Marin so I don’t hike in the East Bay very often, but I really enjoyed myself. The setting was beautiful and there are many different trails that you can take. I also love the fact that dogs are off leash! My puppy Rosie would have really enjoyed the hike, if I come back i’ll definitely bring her along!

Location: I didn’t even know this was here until Monika T. suggested we go here. She and I have both hiked nearby at Inspiration Point and checked out the botanical garden nearby. Parking is pretty awesome. no one is hogging spaces, and there’s more spaces than actual needed, being that the lake is small.
Fees: there’s a fee to go in. I paid $ 6 total for both my son and I to get in. There are no parking fees, so it’s not a bad thing. You can bring your own food in and drinks, granted no alcohol or glass bottles. There’s a concession stand there. It’s a $ 10 minimum for charge, so buy accordingly. LOL I purchased 2 ice cream cones and a soda for $ 9.75, I didn’t make the $ 10 minimum, but I was okay’d by the employee.
View: it’s a lovely view. Serene, quiet, lots of trees. We even saw a heron or two lurking between the low branches in the water. Ducks were swimming by us and dunking their heads in to catch some food. I don’t know if I saw tadpoles or mini baby fishies, but they were their swimming around with us.
Lifeguards: okay, the ratio to water, people, and lifeguards? I never felt so safe in my life. 2 Lifeguards in the tower, one on a surf board in the drop off water and another where the life vests are locatd. They have buoys to block off the depths of the water. Anytime anyone swam out of the buoys., lifeguards are on their megaphone to let them know they can’t swim there. No kidding about the ‘drop off’ literally can be waist deep, one step later it’s like you’re in about 8ft of water. So be warned! also, free vests to check out for the kiddies as well as arm floaties!
Amenities: bathrooms are as clean as can be for a public place. Like I said before, concession stands are there. You got nachos, chili cheese dogs, sodas, ice cream, snack items, etc. Showers are there. Tables to eat near the concession stands. I didn’t see any grills. Only people bringing their own party trays of food. :) But there’s garbage/​trash cans aplenty for clean up. Please use it. The lake is clean and the areas surrounding it.
It’s a great lake to bring families too, it’s not overly crowded, it is small so please don’t hog the areas. There’s both sand to relax on and grass hills to lull about on as well. Totally recommend this place for small groups. It is secluded, there’s not phone reception, and if there was any, it was briefly. LOL, Be warned, reception is BAD.

The pictures speak for themselves! Lake Anza is such a beautiful and fun lake to walk around. Plus, the air is fresh, the people there are happy and courteous and there were many happy dogs scrambling around including one amazing Pomeranian.
There are some parts that require some minor rock scrambling. It’s not too difficult but not baby stroller, wheelchair or elderly people friendly.

Lake Anza is right in the heart of Tilden Park. The drive on our way here was very scenic. Trees hovering over the road, mountain views if not, in some areas better view of the East Bay. You can’t get any closer to nature than this. You could even hear birds and other animal noises in the woods
The Lake has a designated swimming area, has sand where you could lay in the sun and get some tan. There are also trails that go on a loop around the lake, if you want to get really close to the water you could take the lower ground trail, the upper is more of a rough trail also has trails that branch out and would take you into the woods and even water falls.
You may want to bring your own snacks and drinks because the food stand they have is not always open, it was closed when we came here on a weekday. Might just be open on weekend.
This place also has a decent size parking place right before you enter the lake.