Ellis Lake Park

I used to frequent Ellis Lake Park as a kid (1990’s) when I attended the elementary school not too far from here. I remember the park with green grass, lots of kids and families, and of course the geese. My favorite thing about this park used to be the dinosaur structures that inhabited the middle area, so I went to visit for the nostalgia. You could climb this dino structure with holes in it to sit on top of it. Or run around a dino’s flattened body with spots. It was magical.
The lake is just how I remember it – it’s easy to slip in or drop something into the water due to the sliding dirt. There is still plenty of geese and people feeding them. There are lots of turtles to watch you eat. The only thing that felt normal about this experience was a RC boat cruising the lake. But the grass isn’t green anymore (understandable). There are NO structures, except for some bongos that look fairly recently installed, and an old swingset for toddlers. Pretty random but there are no more areas for kids to play here. I walked up the hill to find play structures, and found myself walking towards a group of men standing/​sitting there. A group of younger men closeby – most being quiet, but one talking super loudly to himself apparently. Other people at this park are old men with their bikes sleeping in the grass, or just kind of sitting with their buddies. There is trash in all the comfortable spots of the lake, and it seems like a dead place for some sketch figures to loiter.
TLDR: This park used to be magic for families and kids. Now it’s the resting spot for random dudes and geese. It is pretty dissatisfying. Sucks.

Not a great neighborhood. I took my toddler there and saw three sketchy men asleep on the grass. Then one of them stood up and peed. Gross.

I have to drop some stars for this pretty lake. Not because of the goose poop that some reviewers have mention, but for the shady looking people hanging around the lake.
It is such a great place to photograph birds. Now I feel to uncomfortable to get out of the car with my camera.

Disgusting! Debris everywhere. Including condom wrappers, empty bottles of booze, empty cigarette packs…
Waaaay too many geese! Out of control! They are huge and aggressive. And the goose poop is plentiful. Watch where you step.
Summer of 2013 a man was seen falling into the lake. Not sure if the nasty lake killed him or if it was murder or a heart attack or what, but his dead body was removed from the lake. Ewwwwww.
Lots of shady, ghetto characters — homeless, drug users, etc. NOT THE PLACE TO TAKE YOUR KIDS!!!

My husband spotted this lake a while ago and returned with me this weekend to walk around it. We parked and got out of our car, greeted by a filthy hill of trash and litter. Many ducks and geese were around us and I wished we’d brought bread (or duck food pellets). A sign read «feed only on grass. Food in water causes disease.»
Nearby, three boys sat with hooks in the water, attached to what looked like potato chip bags, throwing food in the murky, green water, yelling at the birds. One bird sat with broken wings, pecking at the lawn. A man in pajamas walked up to the boys, then wandered around the paved area. Another group of men sat across the lake under a tree.
We walked back to our car without walking around the lake. A large dog sat wailing on the tiny back porch of the apartments across the street. It’s endless cries and barking were really sad. We’ll get our exercise somewhere else.

My first time ever in Concord, I got off the freeway, lunch in hand, and while driving down Clayton Road, I saw this cute looking park hidden away to the side. So I parked, got out, and had an enjoyable lunch. A peaceful lake, ducks and geese swimming and walking around, green 10-​story office building to the side. Yeah, I could live here.
I’m glad I didn’t move in. This neighborhood is crappy. So is the park: lots of goose crap on the sidewalk, on the lawn, on the playground equipment.
Concord takes as good care of it as you’d expect. The landscaping is well kept. The pond is, well, clean enough; it doesn’t stink. Beautiful eucalyptus trees to one side, bull rushes on the other side. I’ve occasionally seen people fishing here. I’ve also seen people sleeping here. Few benches or picnic tables, not a lot of room to spread out, not much parking. It appears to be a neighborhood park, that is, a park for this neighborhood.
It is peaceful, even though a major boulevard is less than half a block away. I’ve ridden my bike through this park, and recently, I find myself here on a Sunday with my Bible, relaxing.
A small park that’s good for the neighborhood, and for not much else.

~* a walk in the park *~
one of concord’s many parks. i used to go to this park in the mornings before school and take a walk around the path or sometimes i would just sit and people watch or feed the ducks.
the park offers playground for the kids, a bit of room to stretch out and relax, a paved path around the lake to jog/​run or walk.