I recently took a few walks around Lake Miramar (technically a reservoir) in San Diego, where I used to fish sometimes, long before the Internet was a thing. Yeah, it used to not be a thing. It was a short walk from where I was staying on an extended visit, so it made for an easy escape to a bit of nature. The lake looks mostly different now and in kind, very few people seem to fish it anymore. All the banks are overgrown with reeds, so much so that unless they have been specifically cut back, you can’t get near the water from the shore in most places. The thing Lake Miramar is most known for now is jogging, and it’s five mile loop is perfect for it.
It seems at any time of the day, and on any day of the week, you’ll be sharing the way around with a number of joggers, walkers, automobiles and cyclists. Yes, a few cars drive along the paved road, shared by everyone, but they keep their speed down and are easily ignored once they’ve passed. I imagine there is a competitive fad among some of the cyclists here who roll around in the most cutting-edge tricycle their budgets allow. On one walk of only half the lake I was passed by at least three of them.
[singlepic id=125 w= h= float=none]When you circle the lake you have two options; follow the paved road, or take a less traveled dirt path below that is closer to the water. I preferred the dirt path. Along the way you are bound to notice the countless mounds of small sticks just off trail. These are the homes of wood rats, and they are everywhere. Part of the reason there are so many rats is that there are so few rattlesnakes anymore. Having grown up in San Diego and spending a lot time in its canyons, I can say with some authority that there don’t seem to be any left. I recently spent a good amount of time on trails throughout the county and never once was I greeted by that once familiar rattle.
Though I never saw one of the many wood rats along Lake Miramar’s edge, I was quiet enough to encounter a few rabbits. One of them was so at ease with my presence that it didn’t hop away until I was within a few feet, and even then, it was a casual hopping. There are short, floating, fishing piers at a few locations where you can pet some fish, geese and ducks. On a slow day, these are great to sit at the end of and enjoy some relative silence.
No matter which path you take, assuming a counter-clockwise route of travel, you eventually have to take the paved road. The last, or alternately first (if you go clockwise) mile is what I call “Penitentiary Mile”. At the end of the reservoir, where the water gets filtered out for refining, the path is surrounded in tall, chainlink fencing. Because of it, I recommend getting Penitentiary Mile out of the way first by heading clockwise.
Lake Miramar isn’t a “destination” lake, but it is a great place for locals to get out to for a run, cycle, or walk where they can enjoy far more nature than auto traffic.