Ellis Lake in Marysville - Location Guide
Ellis Lake is a beautiful lake in the heart of Marysville, which has several islands, and offers fishing opportunities and pedal boating. It is named after Willian Turner Ellis who was the mayor of Marysville from 1894-1898 and is the founder of the lake as well as considered the father of the Marysville Levee System currently protecting the area from flooding. It is also a beautiful photo location for family, maternity and newborn photo sessions. This Ellis Lake Marysville location guide will describe where to park, when to consider a photo session here, and pros and cons of the location for all sorts of portrait sessions by local photographers.
If you are considering having your photo session at Ellis Lake contact me here to book a session! I regularly photograph sessions here and am familiar with all of the best spots and angles.
Best Spot: Gazebo Island + South Cape
Gazebo Island
Gazebo Island is by far the most scenic part of the park. You can access the island by crossing a beautiful stone bridge, which is already a fantastic part of the island in its own right. On the island, there is a large white Gazebo, which offers beautiful light and a great opportunity for creative beautiful pictures. Surrounding the Gazebo, is a large grassy lawn and some nice trees as well as stone lamp posts and several benches. One thing to consider is that the dropoff down to the lake is quite steep and the water is not safe to access here. Especially small children should be watched carefully so that they don’t accidentally fall down the embankment.
Optional: South Cape Add-on
A short walk south from Gazebo island, there is a cape jutting into the island, which has a boat ramp, a metal structure and many large trees. Because of its proximity, it is easy to combine both areas in the same photoshoot. Because of the many tall trees, this area is much more shaded than the surrounding area and therefore also darker. This can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on the time of day, time of year, and weather. If it is a hot summer day with bright sun, this would be the ideal spot for photos as the temperatures will be significantly cooler. The area is best avoided on a dark cloudy day or just after sunset, as it can get quite dark, which is challenging for taking photos.
Where to Park for Gazebo Island
The best place to park for a Gazebo Island Photoshoot is at the cross streets of 12 Street and D Street. 12th Street extends right to the stone bridge and offers sufficient street parking for up to 10 cars. Additional street parking is available in any direction from that spot.
Alternative Location: North Ellis Lake Island
North Ellis Lake Island is separate from the rest of the lake, located north of 14th street. It features two islands that are connected to each other and the mainland via grey metal bridges, which also make nice photo locations. The islands both have some trees for shade cover. One benefit of the North Ellis Lake Islands is that the embankment isn’t nearly as high, making the water more easily accessible and safer to access. Actually getting into the water is strictly forbidden by park rules, but these islands offer the opportunity of standing right by the edge and capturing better water reflections.
Where to Park for North Ellis Lake Island
The parking at this side of the lake is easier than the other, because there is a large parking lot to park in, unlike having to access street parking at the other. Typing “C Street and 16th Street” into Google Maps is the easiest way to access it, as the Google Maps directions for “Ellis Lake” simply stop in the middle of the road next to the lake, with no real access point.
When to use Ellis Lake
Best Time of Year: In my personal opinion, the best time of year to use Ellis Lake is from December to April, while avoiding it for any weeks that have a large amount of migratory birds. The lake can be heavily impacted by bird poop due to migratory birds, which can make the area gross and unpleasant to navigate. This can especially be the case in the summer months when there isn’t any rain to wash any waste away. As long as it rains somewhat regularly, I haven’t found it to be a problem. In my experience, the early months of the year like January through March, that offer a decent amount of rain are perfect and the park appears quite clean as a result. During these months, the lake is also used less by the general population which makes the park less busy and easier to use.
Best Time of Day: Sunrise and Sunset will always be the best time of day to take advantage of this scenic lake. However, on an overcast or cloudy day, the lake is beautiful all day long and the reflection of the clouds in the water is particularly wonderful. Ellis Lake is probably my favorite locations for overcast weather, and since the Gazebo offers rain protection, it makes a great location to choose if rain is possible.
Pros and Cons for Ellis Lake as a Photo Location
Pros:
The lake is extremely scenic as are the unique bridges leading to the islands.
The location offers a lot of photo variety in a small area. By utilizing the gazebo, bridges, lakefront and tree cover, a photographer can get a large variety of pictures very easily.
The proximity of the lake in the middle of Marysville makes it one of the easiest photo locations to access with the shortest drive for many Yuba City and Marysville photographers as well as families. It’s always nice if you don’t have to drive ages to get to a beautiful spot.
Due to its proximity to water, the location is much cooler than surrounding areas, which can make Ellis Lake a great location during the evening of summer months when it is too hot to be comfortable elsewhere.
Cons:
While I wouldn’t necessarily say that safety is a concern, the lake does sometimes have occasional homeless visitors, as do the other Marysville and Yuba City parks. This unknown variable might be preferred to be avoided by some.
Goose and duck poop is a very real concern during certain weeks and months out of the year and can make the area unpleasant to walk around and it can smell too. I personally only use this location in the rainier months as a result.
Due to the steep banks at places down to the water, and just the nature of it being a lake in general, Ellis Lake isn’t necessarily the best photo location for young families. Young children who are not naturally cautious by nature should be watched and monitored carefully.
Additional Information and Links
I hope you have enjoyed the Ellis Lake Location Guide and found it useful. If you would like to book a photo session with me, contact me here. If you would like to read more local blogs I have written, click here.
If you would like to learn more about Ellis Lake, here are a few additional resources:
