Lake Murray

Great place to go and relax for time and think about your life’s problems and look at cowls mountain too.
Blessings to all

Came here on a weekday around 11am. The area wasn’t too crowded, but there were people scattered throughout.
A nice, mellow park with lots of grassy areas centered around the lake. There were benches and picnic tables here and there. The park itself was pretty clean, I don’t recall seeing any trash or mess.
There’s a little shop by the parking lot selling fishing supplies, picnic items, snacks, etc.
Beware of ducks, they are EVERYWHERE. I know you’re not usually encouraged to feed ducks/​animals at Parks, but there were several people around with full loaves of bread for the ducks. They were actually pretty cool to watch and generally stay out of your way unless they think you’ll Feed them!
Perfect water for skipping rocks!
A nice amount place to go for a walk/​jog on their gravel/​dirt paths. We didn’t venture too far though, and just stayed around the vicinity of the parking lot.
There’s also a small floating pier for fishing. I have to admit it made me a little whooZy because of the subtle swaying, just by walking on it.
A nice laid back park.

I like to go running here, whenever I’m in the area. Depending on where you start, the paved trail is up to eight miles long. The trail borders Lake Murray (obviously) and also goes by a couple of holes at the Mission Trails Golf Course. And, I’ve never had a problem finding parking in either of the lots!
There are a few negatives, none of which are big deals:
1. They lock the gate every night, so if your workout runs long, your car could be stuck there overnight. (There’s street parking outside the gate.)
2. Though there’s a 10 MPH speed limit, bicyclists sometimes still go whizzing by.
3. The trail is an out-​and-​back to the parking lot, not a loop around the lake.

Running is cool, but have you ever had sex for an hour? It’s basically the same thing. I used to come here to make out with boys, but now I’m married so the only thing I can review is the trail.
I come here to run (6.4 mi) and to hate my life. I honestly do better on a treadmill, but if you’re not like me, then this is the place for you because the trail is beautiful! This trail doesn’t go all the way around so be conscious of that. There are mile markers painted into the ground so you have an indicator of your distance and how much you’ll have left when you turn around. There are bathrooms along the lake (I have never used them so I cannot review) and water fountains. Besides running, this lake is fantastic for biking, fishing, and picnicking. You can also bring your kids, dogs, and wheelchairs.
Happy running!

This place is great, and I don’t think I can say anything that you have not heard or read about on Unilocal! But here are some of my favorite things about this lake…
spacious parking lot
family friendly with a safe environment
good place for a run
bikes available for rent (on weekends)
AMAZING place to watch the sunset
I heard you can catch a great view of the sunrise here as well!
I also noticed that the ducks here are ridiculously HUGE.
There’s a Starbucks 5 minutes away (walking distance), so if you’re thirsty, you know where to go :)

I wanted to take our puppy to a nice place to walk around and have nice scenery for us to look at. This place is well maintained, good parking and has nice scenery. They have fishing, boating, biking and other recreational activities that’s fun for all family members. The trail that we walked on was nice and had areas where you can get doggy bags if you forgot yours. I would recommend going here for a few hours of fun and exercise.

I hate when I come here with every intention to jog… and then I remember that I hate running and that’s why I’m fat. So I end up walking instead, and always quit before reaching the end.
So overall, this place just reminds me that I’m a failure.
But because you’re not me, you might like it here.
The main path is paved which is awesome for bike rides, dog walking and stroller pushing. It’s a nice long path but it lacks shaded areas so come prepared. And also note that it doesn’t circle all the way around so if you make the 3 mile trek to the end, you’ll have to walk/​jog/​ride the 3 miles back. It’s pretty open and there are always plenty of people around. You can feed the ducks and I’ve seen boats and fishing going on. What else can I say… it’s a nice place for a relaxing time.

God, I love this place. I usually walk the path with a girlfriend. Exercise and chatting with a loved one is always therapeutic, but there’s something extra special and refreshing about getting it all out while walking around Lake Murray.
I’ve seen osprey here, and plenty of red tailed hawks. I love gazing at the water, the ducks, and the reeds poking out of the water. And the target at the end that says «touch here or your lap doesn’t count» is pretty special. It’s a little silly, but it makes me feel like I’m part of a special little club with thousands of anonymous members.
Please know that this place gets REALLY hot. Ocean breezes don’t make it this far east. Also, it can be crowded. I’ve ridden my bike here on a weekend and it can be challenging to navigate the path with the dogs and the children and the runners and walkers and everyone else!
But it’s worth it. Beautiful place!

This lake is fun! I forget how many miles it is around (I’ve only almost completed it once) but it’s big. It has a great view of Cowles Mountain too. I’ve always found parking to be easy. I always see many bikers, walkers and joggers.

I love the great outdoors… Overall I love being active and mother nature so this place is like a safe haven for me. total of 6 miles to and back.
Plenty of parking, lots of Lake creatures! I have seen geese, ducks, different birds and even a crane… nice terrain as well, I’m a MTB rider so this is not ideal for me but I do sneak a few trail rides whenever there’s a path for one. Overall, it’s a fun short ride everytime I’m pressed with time. this is my go to place. There’s also benches surrounding the lake if u enjoy time for urself, which I love to do when I want me time.
Eventually I will invest in a Giant Liv Avail Advance 3 and will fly on this road… I can’t wait, till then my Trek baby will do the job…

Came here at the end of March for a bike ride. Rented a cruiser for $ 10 for an hour and a half. I was able to bike 3x around the lake and still have time to return the bike in time. It’s a little over 4 miles all the way around.
This is a man-​made lake and certain areas of the lake area are closed off. The scenery is beautiful and there’s a great variety of plant and insect life.
I’ve ran and biked this lake, and I don’t recommend running it if you have a history of knee problems. Most of the track is asphalt, which makes it perfect for cruising on a bike.
The trail can get crowded at times, but most of the people around are good at shifting away for people that want to pass.
The lake and trail is well maintained, I saw very few signs of trash. There are porta poties every mile or so on the trail, but I wouldn’t recommend using it unless it’s an emergency.

I recently trained for a half marathon and needed a place to run long distances. Upon looking for places nearby that we could run our long distances outdoors as opposed to the treadmill, we found Lake Murray!
Pros:
–Parking is not an issue
–Port O Potties all around (although I haven’t used any of them)
–Beautiful lake to stare at
–Doggy poop bags available
–Completely paved
Cons:
–You can’t run all the way around in a full circle. For some reason it’s blocked on one side so you have to do part of the circle and turn around and come back the way you came.
–Not really shaded so the sun beams down on you, for this reason I try to come later in the afternoon to avoid unsightly tan lines.
–Sometimes when it gets crowded, some groups have to walk side by side so to pass them you have to run on the other side of oncoming traffic (the sidewalk looks like a road but made for walkers/​runners/​bicyclists/​etc.
If you run the full length of the partial circle it’s about 5.62 miles according to my GPS watch roundtrip. I feel pretty safe running here but I wouldn’t want to just be working out alone as the sun goes down (no lights besides the ones near the baseball fields). During the day there are lots of families, people walking their dogs, etc.

Whether you’re here to ride a bike, take a walk, feed the ducks and geese, walk your dog, or just enjoy the view, this is a pretty area to visit. The lake is pretty good sized but you can’t actually walk all the way around it; you go half way around to a stopping point and then return the way you came. There are picnic tables around if you want to come here for a pleasant lunch or family picnic and you can rent kayaks if you feel like paddling around the lake. There’s nothing big and fancy about this place, its just a pleasant place to spend some time. If you come in the spring and summer there are often baby ducks swimming around which are fun to watch.
Be aware though if you’re walking your dog you’re supposed to keep it away from the water and there is no swimming allowed because this is our future drinking water, folks!