Lake Cunningham Park

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/03/opinion-lake-cunningham-a-local-resource-drowning-in-neglect/

Yes please! They now have the funding. Please do whatever it takes to restore this park we grew up with. There are so many potentials to this park with the vast land, location, and the once beautiful lake. They definitely need an upgrade on the restrooms and the playground. Why can't we have something like the Magical Bridge Playgrounds on this side of town? Something with shade sails will be the dreams of the kids and parents here.

Never again!

Let me start by saying the action sports and RW is cool, but I am livid!

I took my young son on a mommy and me bike ride and almost got setup by some stank ass b*tch. We were riding on the outer loop because the rain flooded the park. As we rode near RW a Honda accord kept cutting me and my son off, so I stopped and said "go ahead", she responded with a smile "oh, no you go".
I was on high alert at this point. When I turned the corner there was 30 gang members standing there.
This h*e tried me!
By the grace of God they did not do anything, probably because they were starting to get in their cars.
What scared me the most is the lack of security. No park rangers, no parking attendants... nothing.

No safety.

View is effin awesome, especially at sunset.

Rainy season can get pretty ugly and flood is everywhere but it usually goes away by the summer.

I took out 1 point because there are bad pet ownership who do not bring poop bags so when u are running like myself... Be warn...

Morning is best and night time.

They close at sunset.

This is one of my favorite parks and have come here almost all my life as a San José native. It's about 2 miles walking the car path but 1.5 walking the inside path. There's always people walking here so I feel safe walking along during the day. There's security driving around but I've never had an issue with parking or anything. The security will drive during closing time to ensure everybody is out. During the summer, Raging Waters gets packed and the parking lot there is always full so be aware. This is an amazing park that I've enjoyed more as an adult but still has so much to offer kids. Their playgrounds are spacious and full of fun activities, they have a cool skate/bike park and there's always people around. Watch out for geese poop but otherwise enjoy!

Sun was out, weather was beautiful, and my Babygirl needed some fresh air... cue in Lake Cunningham Park.

I came here with my sister's recommendation and although I didn't expect much, I ended up walking away quite surprised [in a very good way].

For starters, parking is absolutely FREE!! Yep, it really doesn't get any better than that!! All docks surrounding the late is closed off but you still get a killer view while you navigate around the lake. During our visit park was on the busier side of things there is plenty of room to keep up with social distancing. Picnic tables are plentiful and there are BBQ pits available for use.

Downside: a lot of visitors didn't see of feel the need to wear face coverings and they didn't have the common decency to move away to one side of the path. SUPER RUDE if you ask me.
Shade comes very far and few in between. Come prepared with a hat, umbrella, and/or sunblock to avoid burning.
The path is blocked off in a lot of areas. We were stuck turning around and backtracking due to dead ends.

4 stars for Lake Cunningham Park.

I am surprised at the low ratings for Lake Cunningham Park. My rating is based on the one visit yesterday so perhaps there is more to the story.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon yesterday and we had a great visit. There was plenty of parking and not a lot of people around which was nice. The lake itself is stunning and makes for great bird watching. We enjoyed a really nice walk around the lake and stopped for pictures along the way.

Parking is $6, barely any shaded areas for picnics or leisure. There was also little to no greenery or any sign of good scenery, since all the plants were dead and the dirt was cracked dry. Do not bring any food to the area either; wasps will overtake your food and sitting area, which is what happened to us, ultimately resulting in us abandoning our food entirely. Overall, not worth it; there are better parks nearby.

$6 for a small park is awfully overpriced. The city website does say there is discounted rate of $2 for senior, however, there was no attendant at the entrance booth on a sunday morning, and the pay machine does not have any option for your to choose the senior rate, other than some discount coding thing which I am sure most people don't know... tried to call the number on the paying machine but certainly no one received the phone. Therefore if you are eligible for senior rate and there is no attendant, you either have to pay $6 or leave, which we did.

Just for comparison, other park system like east bay regional park is much helpful, the website is always up-to-date, and they do have people answering call even on weekend to address issues right away...

I've been to this park several times for bbqs in the past. It's really nice just to take the dog for a walk around the lake. It's not too busy w/ families biking or walking around as well.

Once you get to Raging Waters you have to walk around the parking lot. The lake is closed, so all of the docks are closed off.

The picnic areas are open, lots of room for lots of people to be spread apart. We're planning to come back w/ more family to spend the day outside.

I absolutely enjoy coming to this beautiful Lake Cunningham park! I have been coming to this place many times for so many years, especially now more than ever because of the Pandemic going on.
Definitely a Charming hidden gem!
It is located next to the popular water park Raging Water, which is one of the best attractions in the bay area for many Visitors. This park has a huge spacious playground, bbq picnic areas with lots of seatings, and the most beautiful lake right in the Center of it all. A great outdoor getaway from the busy city life.
I often take my dog here for our morning walks. I love the peaceful serenity, the Gorgeous surrounding trees, and the many pretty plants and flowers.
Quite an amazing Views here as well!
There are many beautiful kind of birds, ducks, geeses, and lots of Turtles too!
We really enjoy walking around the entire park! Just plenty of Sunshines!!
I recommend coming here during weekdays. It is definitely much better!
In the weekend it can be super crowded.