Lake Poway Recreation Area
There’s a hidden jewel in the inland area of San Diego County called Lake Poway Recreation Area. Located in the incorporated City of Poway, this little lake nestles in a hidden valley surrounded by rolling hills of lush grasses and mature trees on one side and trails leading to the more barren landscape of backcountry chaparral. Of late, Charlie and I have been there several times for picnics to just enjoy the solitude.
Lake Poway thru the trees
Late afternoon in the fall at Lake Poway
Park bench beside the water at Lake Poway
Enjoying Lake Poway
A popular place, during summer weekends it can be crowded. But this time of year, fall, with families back-to-school and holiday preparations underway, this little gem is a peaceful escape after a hectic workweek.
Lake Poway picnic area in the rolling hills
Picnickers at Lake Poway
And, picnicking isn’t the only reason to visit this beautiful park and lake. Here’s a list of other things to do and see at Lake Poway Recreation Park:
- Archery Range
- Boating and Boat Rentals
- Fishing (they rent fishing gear)
- Hiking Trails
- Playground
- Volleyball Courts
- Horseshoe Pits
- Softball Fields
- Horse Staging Area
The picnic areas have plenty of picnic tables, plus a gazebo and pavilion. These can be rented for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, baby showers, corporate and private events, etc.
Lake Poway Gazebo
Lake Poway picnic area
Lake Poway restrooms
The open space area has several trails for hikers and joggers plus a wilderness picnic area is located just outside of the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve at the base of Lake Poway dam.
Trails of Lake Poway
Park bench on the hill overlooking Lake Poway
One of the biggest attractions of the park, other than its sheer beauty, is fishing. With trout, bass, catfish, sunfish and bluegill in abundance, Lake Poway is renowned for the size of its fish and many fish have been caught over the years weighing in the double digits! The current record (2008) for a Blue Catfish caught in Lake Poway is 34 pounds, 8 ounces! This Thursday, November 21st, is Trout Season Opening Day.
Fishing dock at Lake Poway
Boats at Lake Poway
The American Coots of Lake Poway
The boat dock and the American Coots at Lake Poway
Paddle boats at Lake Poway
On our most recent visit to Lake Poway, we arrived in the late afternoon of fall, with the sun just starting to set over the surrounding hillside. The lake was glistening in the early evening twilight and the setting sun reflected gold, copper and orange in the sea of blue. A gloriously gorgeous Southern California day in this peaceful park, I grabbed my camera and headed down to the water’s edge. A man was feeding the ducks, geese, and American Coots and they swarmed him honking for his attention. I snapped about 500 pictures of these birds, most of them not very good! But, I had fun with them surrounding me even though I didn’t have any food for them! BTW – you can buy food to feed the ducks in the concession stand at Lake Poway.
The ducks, geese and American Coots at Lake Poway
At lunch the other day, I was telling Charlie I needed to make room in the freezer for a turkey. I usually buy three turkeys during the Thanksgiving season: one for Thanksgiving, one for leftovers and one for Christmas.
Charlie said, “I’m tired of turkey!”
“How can you be tired of turkey? We haven’t had turkey in almost a year!”
“I just want something different.”
“I know! I’ll go fishing at Lake Poway and catch our Thanksgiving dinner!”
“Right; I can just picture you out on the dock, casting your fishing line when you’ve never fished before in your life!”
He’s right; I’ve never fished before in my life! But that doesn’t mean I can’t try!
Anyway, I was just joking; we aren’t having fish for Thanksgiving dinner anyway. We’re having the plentiful, bountiful American Coot! No; just joking again! {grin} We’ve having turkey. Good ol’ fashioned American turkey!
If you want to find out why, you can read my post from last year: Top 3 Reasons to Have Turkey for Thanksgiving. I’m pretty sure that I’ll always have turkey for Thanksgiving because that’s just how I roll! And, unless Charlie goes elsewhere for Thanksgiving dinner, he will have turkey too!
Put Lake Poway Recreation Area on your list of destinations if you are every visiting San Diego County and want to visit a hidden treasure!
Tootles,
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(other posts about San Diego County)
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