GrokSurf's San Diego

Lake Poway, located in the City of Poway, is a relatively new addition to San Diego County’s collection of reservoirs and dams (not counting Olivenhain). The 165-foot high earthen dam was completed near the end of 1971 creating a reservoir capacity of 3,800 acre-feet providing a local emergency water supply in the event of a disruption to imported water sources. Water for Poway is purchased from the County Water Authority, stored in the reservoir, and treated at the nearby Lester J. Berglund Water Treatment Plant. A small amount of surface storm runoff reaches the reservoir.

Lake Poway presents opportunities for hiking, fishing, and a variety of other recreational activities. The adjacent hillside park has lots of green grass, trees, benches, and picnic tables, some with BBQ grills. The reservoir has a 2.75 mile loop trail (moderate difficulty with a few steep areas) that offers good exercise and enjoyable views. The loop trail also connects with other trails, including the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve trail leading up to Lake Ramona (the dam for that lake is visible in the background of a few photos below) and a more difficult 3-mile (one-way) trail leading to the summit of Mount Woodson.

Here are some photos taken from various points around the loop trail (click for enlargements):