Okay- I’ll be honest, there was a little link baiting in that title. LA didn’t forget to tell me about this place, but I feel like they don’t talk about nearly enough.

On Saturday, Bob and I and the two cute pups drove about 15 minutes from our house to the oasis known as Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area in the middle of Los Angeles. There is one large lake, a great paved walking path alongside a stream (with small waterfalls) and plenty of picnic areas. Oh, and it’s dog friendly. Oh, and it’s free on weekdays!

We parked our car and slowly walked around the lake, letting the dogs chase the birds and ducks until Bolt finally ran into the lake after one angry gray duck. It was hilarious but scared the crap out of Bolt. I don’t think he realized what the lake was until he was in over his head.

It was a windy spring day and it was absolutely the perfect weather to bring a blanket and just lay around in the sun without getting too hot. Afterwards we picked up some ice cream and celebrated Saturday night right.

What to know before you go:

• Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area is maintained by the Parks and Rec department and has over 7 miles of trails split up into 5 hikes.
• Bring a picnic, blanket optional. With dozens of picnic tables and benches all around the park, there is plenty of space to spread out and feel as if you have the whole place to yourself.
• Dog friendly! 🙂
• $6 bucks entrance fee on holidays and weekends.
• no swimming in the lake, but you can see turtles and fish, birds and ducks. Bring some bread to feed the ducks.