Peace and quiet! A fun place to go, sit and watch the water, the wildlife, explore the lake ecosystem, pick up trash and glass. A near home escape. Warning though, outside of the main park entrance, there is a lot of glass on the beach which is a bummer if you have kids, just watch out! Overall great location and nice open space with nice water views.

Nice park with decent trails. its easy access to the lake and beach. park access is a bit expensive especially if you are out of state. But given the current situation of COVID-19, it has enough space for crowds to socially distance.There are enough spots with coal grills.They have decent size boat launches and offer boat & kayak rentals.The washrooms close almost 2 hours earlier than the park closure. The washrooms at the far end of the lake past boat launches close about 30 minutes or so later.

Used to go here often as a kid & always loved it. Started coming back recently with my 9 year old son & its his new favorite place to go! We live about 25 mins away in dedham but he asks to go to the lake everyday now. Its the closest, nicest, warmest body of water to do just about any water activity your heart desires. Only $8 to park for the whole day but you can swim, boat, kayak, paddleboard, grill, large fields for playing any game with friends, tons of tables for having a party there, and most of all TONS of space for people. Most public/town beaches are small, and especially during covid, are only allowing residents of their own town to go to them (this sucks because we have NO town beaches in dedham). Nevertheless, Lake Cochituate is the best option for almost anyone within a 45 minute drive since you can easily spend quite a few hours just chilling & grilling here. PRO TIP: If you plan to visit on the weekend (sat or sun) get there as soon as the gates open at 8:30a if possible since the parking lot fills up fast so you dont want to be stuck with a car full of family/stuff & nothing to do. We prefer to go during the week anyway, no issues getting in at just about anytime of day.

It is a small but fantastic place of beach-like, camping, picnic site for your family. There are ample park tables and chairs, and space for you to have a family tent. You can prepare a barbecue party with your family. Bring your hammock and enjoy the breeze. The restroom is available. The parking fee is reasonable when you want to stay the whole day enjoying (MA:$8, out of state:$15). You can rent a kayak or enjoying a paddle with your group (the mask is required when renting). Bring your boat or kayak if you have one. I didnt see any shop or restaurant available. Pack your own food and drink.The park can be packed. So please take care to avoid the spread of the corona pandemic.

There was ample parking at $8 for the day and u pay at the kiosk, credit card or debit . You have to get there early to get a grill and table. We arrived at 8am and found one. They didnt have a lifeguard on duty when there, so watch your kids . There were a lot of wasps around. They dont bother too much as long as u dont swing at them but they may still fly around your face. Good luck lol

$8 for in-state parking. We came on a quiet day. There are bbq grills available for use and lots of picnic tables and green space. There is a good amount of beach space. The sand in the water is basically clay.

Really good views and places for sunset pics

Very nice place to launch a boat or picnic area. Would be nice if they left boat docks out till the end of the season & bathrooms unlocked closer to closing time

We want off season so it was pretty empty as far as people goes. It was nice overall. Clean, plenty of trials for a quick walk/light hike. Watching the sail boats was relaxing. Boston rentals of all kinds. Tons of picnic tables and grills. I can see why this place would be packed in the summer!

I absolutely love this park!! You can be in the sun or in the shade. They have a ton of picnic tables and grills if you need them. I cant wait to go back there!!!

Beautiful and spacious. Clean, neat with Great facilities

Spent a day canoing and kayaking with friends and loved everything. The lakes cover a good-sized area for exploring. The water is clear and the water temp was in the mid 80ies. The North Lake was not too busy even for a summer weekend. Well come back for more.

Awesome place most definitely we will visit again.

The place is nice and all but its policies work against parties that are already stationed there. If one member ends up leaving at any point (be it with or without vehicle) they will be denied re-entry. Even if they have a valid paid parking ticket from before leaving the park staff will refuse to allow re-entry, using any possible excuses to keep you out even though you are doing nothing wrong in attempting re-entry. Whole parties would have to leave just because of the parks refusal to allow that one singular person to rejoin their family or friends. If you are considering spending the day there then by all means, park is nice to be at. Just make sure you dont leave for any reason or your day will end right then and there.

Its a very nice place with lake and swimming

Great little family spot, the beach is easy to watch your kids and let them play and be safely by, also its a great place to just walk around

Very crowded on the weekends. You can bring your own grill or use the existing ones - if you can find a spot of course. Toilets are closed. You should be there at latest 10 mins after the opening othervise you will not be able to enter to the park

Is a good place for enjoy with the family.

Spacious park for social distancing and get fresh air. Usually crowded but this year not much crowded.

I wanted to love it and unfortunately did not. If it is very convenient location wise, it really feels it is in the middle of the city, between 2 main roads, and one never disconnects from the traffic noises nor the smell of gas.I am happy and grateful to have easy access to green spaces where to walk, kayak or paddle surf (what I was there for) but Cochituate State Park would not be my first choice...

Awesome time! Boys had a great time getting in the water, people were social distancing, weather was great! Definitely coming back!

Was nice place till they stopped people from coming in and parking even when there were spaces! They will close for hours while everyone is waiting to get in even though there’s tons of room. Stupid

Well maintained trails. Great views!

A great place for family outings

Wow place. Love the nature here. Perfect walking and relax place with family. Excellent place for swimming during summer. They have safety line inside the water. Love to go again.

Quiet spot, outdoor picnic tables. Nice setting.

Super crowded, probably not well funded due to lack of good operations, and way too many people especially considering Covid situation. Leave swimming, we didnt have a place to even sit, and the park was full of trash left back by inconsiderate folks who want to enjoy and then walk off without the greater social aptitude for others following.

Well worth the $8 parking pass, especially if you want to fish there.

Theres no way I would eat anything that came out of this lake, but its a pretty cool place to go hang out on a hot summer day.plenty of good parking and lots of places to hang out.

Chicken Tenders were good, but the margarita was just bad. I do not recommend ordering a margarita.

Great time kayaking. Friendly staff.

Great lake! The rangers are really annoying though, driving around on their ugly orange ATVs. I wish they didnt patrol around... It ruins the scenery and experience

Amazing park. We went on a Sunday and luckily they were having boat sailing competition I think which was so beautiful. We just stayed there and relaxed. People were having BBQs and family gatherings. It is such a great place to just unwind and enjoy. the parking costs $8. That day it was free.

Beautiful park with beach and nice fields. Ample grills, fun place to visit

Nobody was wearing a mask! Get yourself tested! Yes its spread out, beautiful spot to bring family and $8 full day parking. Clean bathroom until about 2pm. Bathroom closes at 6 pm.

I live pretty close to the lake, and my family owns some different watercraft, like kayaks and paddleboards. We like to make our way over to this location sometimes, especially when we used to put our boat in the water through here. The staff were nice and generally helpful. It does seem like they have some trouble keeping the place clean though.

This place is BIG, with plenty of picnic tables and grills (maybe 20 of each or more?) but it gets crowded on hot summer weekends since it’s one of the closest lakes to the city. And some people like to play their music loud. Tons of children, too, which I like, but if you’re looking for a quiet swim, head to Hopkinton or Ashland. If you’re prepared to get here before 10am on a weekend, you can find a nice spot in the woods or by the lake to spend the day sunning and swimming.If you come in the afternoon on a summer weekend, be prepared to wait in line just to get into the parking lot. Sometimes it fills up, even though there are hundreds of parking spots. Weekdays in summer are great. Big open grass areas to play soccer, frisbee, whatever. And plenty of parking and spots to lounge, swim or BBQ. Just be prepared for crowds if you choose a summer weekend to visit. But the park and lake are great.

I love the environment, a lot of trees, great for grilling and time with family!

Nice place to rent a kayak but no good biking trails on the property

Awesome place to take your family ... Just get there early it gets packed quickly.

Beautifully landscaped. Has options for all types of park goers. Grills and picnic tables, a little beach, some fields, and a little bit of hiking. They have boat and kayak rentals as well. If doing so make sure you bring an ID.

Beautiful trails, good lake swimming, gets very crowded on weekends.

Very very busy, no chance for social distancing there this summer . We left immediately.

Easy to get there, access point to put your canoe in the lake.

Nice place for picnic

I love that lake especially when the water is warm and you can swim.

Beautiful park with many ponds to explore by kayak or boat. There are two public beaches with swimming areas and a very large boat launch area.

This is one of the best lakes Ive been to where you can just come to hang out all day. Make sure you get there early if you want to claim a grill. The park has a huge field right in the middle and its pet friendly so you can bring your furry friend along on the trip. The lake gets crowded in holidays and boats are available for renting. There is also a bathroom/ changing room available at the entrance. They dont let cars in parking lot after 10am but there is secret entrances in the back of the park where you can practically make your way through if your planning on getting there after 10am.

Great experience tha place is clean good place to visit i do recommended!!!

Love boating and fishing here

For a fam gathering its a nice place

Beautiful. A little damp in the low areas after rain.

Park ranger was super rude. Crowded during the COVID.

Beautiful place for you and your family

Nice day

The only reason I am giving it such a low rating is that if it is anyway nice then this place just gets too crowded. And unfortunately it is always crowded when I go. Also all the boats seem to get rented out the entire time. The facilities and the beach set up are nice as the local lake beaches go and the boating if you can get one is quite nice on the large lake. If you get there right when it opens you can get a good spot on the beach and also go boating at that time but it will fill up quickly.

Beautiful but overcast more rain on the horizon.

Nice place to chill out. You can go for Kayaking, Paddle boating, etc at the Cochituate Lake. Great place to relax.

So peaceful and fun too!

Nice park.

On Summer days this place can be a mess, but it all depends on what you are going here for! Fishing, is ok to say the least. Its a high pressure area, but there are fish that bite, BIG ONES SOMETIMES! The lake is warm enough for swimming from May to late September. I would recommend going during weekdays, the weekends in mid summer can be a little to crazy! The Kayaking and Canoeing is great, boating is great, swimming is great, its a big lake! (RAMP IS HUGE!)

Nice place for family and kids!

Awesome beach boat rides cookout

Small, but good if you are local. Beautiful lake. Crowds in summer.

Friendly staff, beautiful views.

We had a great time!

Best best to go with the family. . .

Nice view, relaxing area

Very nice.

Excellent place to relax on a beach, take a swim, have BBQ, rent kayaks, paddle boards, or pedal boats. Can get overcrowded and a little bit too loud during busy weekends. They charge $8 per car which is reasonable, but if the parking lot is full or you would like to save, there is a Home Depot parking lot within 10 min walk. Large and clean restrooms. Great beach overall especially for larger parties.

Fathers day started here and it was worth it. Awesome for families.

Nice to see some wild life

Great place for walking, get those steps in.

Seemed pretty nice on my one visit. If the gate is closed, the boat launch around the corner may be open... worked for me when I brought breakfast.

I love the quiet places like this now !!!

Beautiful park, watersports available, although limited hiking.

Great place to kayak!!

Its fun place to bring the kidd

People dont respect...Put music too loud

Extremely beautiful. Super recommended.

First time here...took out our paddle boards and learned how. This lake is perfect for newbies. The picnic tables are plentiful and the swimming area well marked. BBQ grills werent being used but available. The bathroom was okay, only complaint was no soap in the dispensers.

This is abgreat place for one day outing, specifically in summer. Park is very well maintained. There are enough grills for barbecue and benches for comfortable seatings. Trees all around make sure that you are always in shade.Big grounds are in middle make sure that you have enough play area.Icing on the cake is lake which makes whole park more picturesque.

Very nice park with various boating and picnic options. Had a fun day with friends and family recently. Boating registration closes at 4PM.

The beach is nice but It was so dirty. There was garbage everywhere. This is not fault of the people of the state park, so disgusting

This place used to be so nice 5-10 years ago, but now all of the parking areas are overcrowded, the boat launches filled with people drinking/smoking/barbecuing, and the water quality has gotten consistently poorer due to boat traffic, crew practice, and people gutting fish right into the water (beaches sometimes close because of high e. coli levels). Too bad there isnt more respect for such an important natural resource.

It is a Sunday and its July BUT there were no beach guards!!! Adding to that the fact that the swimming area has a deep area within that goes more than 6 feet!!! And the whole area was small compared to the people there.

Super nice place to go boating and have a great swim. Youll have a great day and it is not too expensive to get in! Really nice lake and park.

Love this park!

Easy to get trailer in and out of water. Nice steep angle on boat ramp. Good fishing in the area.

One stop for a weekend vacation. Picnic area with plenty of tables, small beach area, and place to rent boats, paddle board and kayaks.

Family Friendly not crowded

Such a cool spot for boating, barbecuing and swimming.

Nice place for a picnic...

Great place for fishing and boating.

Water quality could be better. The highway runoff and fertilizer still gets into the water. Water is not clear and has a lot of suspended green.

Launched the boat on the 4th of July and the park was jammed full of people! Staff and rangers and cops were great and they directed us to the boat ramp. Very well run and managed. Nice job.

Very nice, clean and serene park. Boating and rafting are allowed. Huge ground space to play and barbeque. Nice weekend getaway spot

Get here early for summer weather as the park closes once they reach capacity.

A very popular destination, especially weekends. Kayaks, canoes, on ground grills, sand and water. Fun times during weekdays, but crowded on weekends (hard to find parking). Good family outings for less.

The place is small too crowded even in the week days the trash was over flowing and you can smell it from a far distance