Santa Fe Dam Recreation Center — Local services in Irwindale

A recreation area tucked away near the city of Baldwin Park and Irwindale. Surrounded by freeways and industrial warehouses, I never would have thought that the suspicious looking road would lead to a little booth charging a $12 admission per vehicle.

Having paid the entrance fee, I was eager to see what lies beyond the trees. Excited to see what was in store for us at this recreation center.

There was a sign that led us to a cross roads, unfortunately I forgot my glasses and the car behind us was applying pressure so we just turned and hoped for the best.

Parked in one of the first lots we found, and began to walk the trails and explore the area.

There are plenty of picnic areas and barbecue pits. They have some playgrounds scattered throughout the park. It looks like in the summer, you can go into some designated swim areas. Though I’m unsure and only assuming you can since they had lifeguard towers. Wheelfun Rentals offers a variety of different rentals from kayaks, paddle boards and bikes. There is also designated areas available for those who enjoy to fish. I believe there is a hiking trail too, but I did not see it on my walk, so it may have been on the other side of the lake.

The park does offer up a variety of fun activities, but I have been to other parks that offer the same things, without the...

Very nice facility. A safe environment for the entire family to enjoy. Plenty of recreational playgrounds for small children. You can swim, ride bikes, go boating if you desire or just enjoy sitting under a tree while you barbecue. Fishing is allowed but it's heavily fished so you might not...

I highly suggest coming early if you visit on the weekends. This lake gets super packed in the parking and you have to park quit a ways away from the swimming area if you don't come early. If you don't like large crowds, this may not be the...