Glen Echo Creek - Oakland

Cemetery Creek, in the wetlands above the Mountain View Cemetery reservoirs (JL)

Glen Echo Creek (aka Cemetery Creek) is the main tributary into Lake Merritt’s western finger. Above Mountain View Cemetery the creek runs underground through Blair Park. Upon entering Mountain View Cemetery, “the creek emerges from the western boundary of Coaches’ Field” in a wetlands area. Flowing downstream, the creek passes through three reservoirs in Mountain View Cemetery, each of which has “an earthen dam on [its] western boundary.” ¹

Further downstream, the creek becomes Glen Echo Creek which, though mostly undergrounded today, can still be seen between Linda Avenue and Monte Vista Avenue, and later near Moss Way. Continuing underground, the creek resurfaces west of MacArthur Boulevard in Oak Glen Park. Submerging once more, the creek reemerges by the Veterans’ Memorial Building, at Harrison Street and Grand Avenue, then empties into Lake Merritt.

There are two branches of the creek, Cemetery Creek running through Blair Park and the cemetery, and the Rockridge branch, which runs past the Claremont Country Club and feeds into the former Bilger Quarry. The branches join just south of Oak Glen Park.

At one time, the creek delineated Oakland’s city limits (to the west = Oakland, to the east = wilderness!).

Mountain View Cemetery, 1st Reservoir after the wetlands (JL) Mountain View Cemetery, 2nd/Middle Reservoir (JL)Mountain View Cemetery, 3rd Reservoir (JL) Mountain View Cemetery, 3rd Reservoir spillway (JL)Mountain View Cemetery, 3rd Reservoir spillway/culvert (JL) Glen Echo Creek, re-emerging in Glen Echo Park (JL)re-emerging near Veterans' Memorial Building CC SA-BY Our Oakland