Echo Lake Park 19901 Ashworth Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133

"Awesome sunset over a hidden jewel. Couples delight as the Mallards were displaying. Awe inspiring moment and artist would do well to capture the scene on canvas on canvas. I would think I were viewing a small piece of a larger area of wilderness."

"I bought my condo because there was a little lake next to it. In the summer you hear kids playing and see families enjoying a tiny slice of nature. Another feature is that the Interurban Trail goes right by, so I have a great spot to get my 10,000 steps in. It should be a perfect spot. Echo Lake Park has a play structure for kids, an apple tree and blackberries for snacking, a small beach for all sorts of water sports, spots to BBQ and a nice field for lounging around. When people see these amenities, they can be forgiven for thinking that this would be a great place to bring children for family fun. The look of disappointment and fear that I see on their faces when they notice the riff-raff that have invaded that park is sad. If it were just a few homeless people happy to find a place to sleep, I would be sad for them, but I would accept their presence. They have to be somewhere and who am I to deny them this spot? I might even overlook the people hunkered down in the trees at the edge of the park taking drugs. What I won’t overlook is when they stagger out of the trees and scare the kids or when they go into screaming fits laced with threats of violence. The police used to ride along the trail and keep some level of peace in the park. For some reason, they seem to have given up on the place. I don’t think police are the answer to homelessness and drug use, but they did limit some of the worst behavior. Everyday, a truck shows up with a guy who picks up as much of the garbage as possible. His job would be a lot easier if there was not a culture of littering in the park. Some of the litter comes when the wind blows something off a table, but a lot comes from people ostentatiously throwing things around and walking away from the mess. What is up with that? Parks are a nice thing to have in our otherwise overbuilt neighborhood. It is too bad that this one is getting wrecked."

"Stopped while riding by to find a geocache. Nice little lake with a decent looking playground and several picnic tables easily accessible from the park and ride or the Interurban bike trail."

"The lake is small, but quite beautiful, and had small beaches from which to fish. There were beware of green algae signs posted, but the water looked pretty good at this time. The park and playground looked well maintained (I did not go on the equipment, just walked past) except for tons of apples left on the ground from an overgrown cankered apple tree. A large divided paved bike trail runs right past it. I would visit again."

"This little park is a good spot to unwind and relax. The lake and park itself are pretty. One can observe wildlife such as ducks here and fishing is allowed. The bathroom looks rather grungy though. It would be nice if there was a trail that looped around the lake as well."