Vincent Lugo Park: What to Know Before You Visit

Vincent Lugo Park is in San Gabriel, at the corner of Wells Street and Ramona Street, near Prospect Avenue. The park’s address is 300 W. Wells St., San Gabriel.

The park’s best-known feature is La Laguna de San Gabriel, also called Dinosaur Park, within the larger park grounds. The Huntington identifies its large play sculptures as sea-creature figures including Ozzie the octopus, Minnie the whale and Stella the starfish.

La Laguna was designed by Benjamin Dominguez in 1965. The Huntington says Vincent Lugo helped build the park that year while serving as San Gabriel’s park supervisor; the site had previously been a landfill containing concrete and rubble from construction of the San Bernardino Freeway.

Vincent Lugo Park combines a distinctive playground with picnic facilities, athletic space and paths. The City of San Gabriel lists a dry riverbed that drains to Alhambra Wash, pedestrian lighting, multipurpose trails, native landscaping, an outdoor classroom and pedestrian and vehicular bridges.

The grounds also include a lighted youth baseball diamond, a youth multipurpose athletic field, picnic tables, barbecues, restrooms and the Girl Scout House. La Laguna’s adjacent picnic area has eight tables and a barbecue area, with capacity for up to 100 people.

For a quieter walk between activities, the park’s multipurpose trails and bridges connect parts of the grounds. A park map labeled for picnic areas is available on the City of San Gabriel’s Vincent Lugo Park page.

From Rosemead, plan to travel to San Gabriel for the park; use Wells Street and Ramona Street as your main location references. The park is about an eight-minute drive from Bokai Garden Hotel, which offers Bokai Garden’s three-star rooms.

If you’re combining the park with other stops around Rosemead, a neighborhood guide can help you plan the wider area.

Arceo Park is another park to include in plans around Rosemead; its Arceo Park visitor guide covers that stop.

The City of San Gabriel provides a directions link for Vincent Lugo Park on its park page.

If you’re arranging several stops, a one-day Rosemead itinerary offers a way to shape a day in the area.

The Sage and Oak Picnic Areas can be reserved; each has six tables, barbecue grills and capacity for 50 people. The adjacent La Laguna picnic area has eight tables and capacity for up to 100 people.

You can submit picnic-area rental requests online. For reservation prices and additional details, contact San Gabriel Community Services at (626) 308-2875. The city says food vendors, such as taco carts, are allowed at reserved picnic areas if cardboard or plastic is placed down to protect grass or concrete.

Plan around the park’s rules and facilities: moon bounces and live animal shows are not allowed in San Gabriel parks, and public electrical outlets are not available. If you’re organizing a gathering, confirm reservation details with Community Services before making plans.