Lake Murray Trail: La Mesa, CA

Lake Murray Trail is a 5.3 mile walk with 102 feet of elevation gain located in La Mesa, California and is a part of the Mission Trails Regional Park. This trail is by far one of my favorites in San Diego! With the ability to make this trail as long or as short as you want there is no reason to not check it out. While the trail looks like it could make a loop, it has been closed for a long time making this an out and back style trail.

When you arrive to the park you will find that there is a lot of parking. Parking is free and even on a busy day, there should be plenty of parking. Although, I would stay away during major holidays as that could be a different story. In addition, keep in mind there are other entrances to the park, for this post, we are referring to the main entrance.

The walk around the park is very enjoyable and pretty much a lake view the entire time. This is also great for riding bikes, running, roller blading, you name it! There are tables all around that you can enjoy a nice little picnic or stop to take a rest.

In addition, at the main entrance there are usually a lot of birds walking around. I think this is because people usually feed them. Make sure to check the rules, I’m sure this might be frowned upon. Also, with the animals that are around the lake, make sure to keep a good hold on your leash if you bring your pup. I know ours will just take off out of nowhere when it see’s a fun little friend on the side of the trail, or a bird flying above.

If you make it to the end of trail, make sure to touch the target. There used to be sign here for this, but now it is just spray painted on the fence. The sign used to say something like “If you don’t touch the target, the lap doesn’t count”. Make sure to pack out what you bring in to the park. If this lake is close to you, it might become one of your local favorites as well!