SANDIEGOTOURIST

Discovery Lake, located in San Marcos San Diego, is home to a 5 acre lake sitting at the hill-bottoms of the San Marcos mountain area. It features a 0.8 mile trail loop fitting for all hiking levels. The trail wraps around the lake itself and breaks into an extension of one of Double Peak Park trails leading to one of Double Peaks summits. The area is inhabited by local residents visiting for daily exercise, fishermen catching and releasing fish, and many many ducks.  Adjacent to the lake is Lakeview Park, a recreational area featuring a playground for the kids and spacious grassy areas great for picnicking and small parties (first to be approved by the City of Carlsbad recreational center).

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Environmental Issues: Because there are so many visitors to the lake, littering and trash is frequent. We found plastic bottles in the water and garbage in bushes. This area is up-kept by a onsite caretaker but contribution from its visitors is necessary to help care for the animals and fishes that inhabit the area. Ducks peck on the bottles and trash and fish mistake the garbage for food threatening their health and well-being. 

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Personal Experience: We visited just after a weekend of rain, filling a once dried up creek with flowing water. Water ran under a small footbridge creating such a pretty scene to see considering how much of a drought San Diego has been lately in the past year. 

If you are looking for a quiet secluded area, this is not the ideal area. Because it sits behind a large residential area and is in close proximity of California State University San Marcos, a large amount of people visit daily. There was never a time we visited when the was little to no people. The area is great for photography if you are looking for scenic views - you just have to fight for the dock to get in a good photo as there are many kids feeding the critters.