Photo Tour of South Lake Park

A new walking trail opened up not too far away in the city of San Marcos.

It’s inland and a bit of a drive, so it’s best to get there in the early morning or late afternoon because the temps are going up.

The trail is only a mile or so, not at all strenuous, but the views are magnificent with California lilacs and mature ceanothus surrounding the reservoir. The South Lake Reservoir was built in 1959, although it hasn’t been used as a source of drinking water since 1984.

We doubled back instead of completing the easier loop and that added an extra mile to the hike.

There’s a lot of coastal scrub, coots, ducks, redwing blackbirds, deer, bobcats, and coyotes. I would love to have seen deer; maybe next time! South Lake is also home to a rare native turtle; the Western Pond Turtle.

Definitely remember to bring water and a sunhat as it gets super toasty in the sun!