West Lake Park
4.5(1.2K)google
4.5(2)yelp
LakeOutdoorBoatingFishing
Overview
West Lake, also known as Xihu and by other names, is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. Situated to the west of Hangzhou's former walled city, the lake has a surface area of 6.39 km2 (2.47 sq mi), stretching 3.2 km (2.0 mi) from north to south and 2.8 km (1.7 mi) from east to west. In the lake are four causeways, three artificial islands, and Gushan, the only natural island.
Practical Info
Every day6:00 AM – 10:30 PM
Suggested Duration4-8 hours
Best TimeSummer from June to August is the pinnacle season for boating, angling, and lakeside relaxation. Arriving at dusk between 5:00 PM and sunset is highly recommended; the midday heat dissipates, offering the perfect calm to rent a paddleboat or sit beneath a shaded oak canopy to watch the sunset paint the placid lake waters in brilliant amber and gold hues.
Getting ThereSituated on the western outskirts of Davenport at 14910 110th Avenue. By car, cruise along I-280 and take Exit 4 for US-61-Business/West Locust St, head west for 1.5 km, then make a left onto 110th Ave straight into Gate 1. The park wraps four lakes with multiple expansive, complimentary asphalt lots that make independent driving a breeze.
Travel Tips
- The 5-lake park configuration features limited lifeguard coverage at the Lake 1 swim beach; primitive and electric camping sites operate strictly via a first-come, first-served on-site cash registration envelope layout.
- The lakes restrict watercraft to non-motorized or electric-trolling motors only, banning gas propulsion; personal watercraft must clear the invasive species wash checkpoint prior to hull launch.
- The peripheral wilderness sectors overlap severe cellular dead zones; downloading offline topo maps is required, and scaling the unbarricaded concrete spillway drainage dams carries heavy county penalties.
Reviews
Positive
- A sprawling county park stringing four blue lakes together; the wide waterfront nature scenery offers amazing visual impact.
- A top-tier natural haven for RV camping, kayaking, and fishing; waste bins and clean picnic pavilions are generously scattered.
- Charges zero general admission with massive free parking lots, engineered with smooth accessible fishing docks and boat ramps.
- Spanning a grand green footprint, routine crowd levels are sparse, fostering elite wilderness quiet away from urban clamor.
Heads up
- During summer months, timber borders and stagnant lake channels breed fierce horsefly swarms and toxic bugs; bug spray is mandatory.
- The park is giant with maze-like internal driving loops, severely lacking large multilingual map signboards to guide foreign guests.
- The sandy swimming beach operates strictly on brief summer weeks under lifeguard watch; otherwise it stays roped off behind fences.
- Outside the main welcome hub, lengthy perimeter trails rely on vaulted pit toilets that look dated, lagging in cleanliness during busy weeks.