Been coming here for years. It’s a gigantic park with a lot of different stuff to do! I’d recommend coming after COVID-19 restrictions are over though, as there will be much more to do. There are a bunch of really nice themed gardens here, my favorites being the bonsai and the succulent. The marsupial, platypus, elephant, and bat exhibits are my favorite. The tram is also one of the best parts of the park! I’d suggest bringing a hat, sunscreen, water, and your own lunch. They allow you to bring a backpack and food, and the food at the park is overpriced and not great. Also keep in mind that you’ll need about 5-7 hours here. Come at opening to avoid crowds.

Just a wonderful place to take kids, stroll around the distance-marked path, ride bikes, feed ducks, go fishing or paddle boating! It is a mecca for the outdoors lovers inside a metropolitan area! Always a favorite, with a small shop for fishing permits, fishing supplies, ice cream or tackle. Just sit under one of the expansive shade trees and contemplate the wonders of nature. Such a beautiful, tranquil locale with so many things to see and do. Motorized boats are not permitted nor is swimming. (It eventually reaches our water taps). As of February 2022 water levels have been noticeably lowered.

Such a great park, you can bike ride, skate or job around lake with no problem. Clean restrooms and picnic area, one of the nicest lakes in San Diego County

Really fun for kids and families! The playground is very big and there is a very large grass area around it. There are four picnic tables with partial shade which is good because it gets very hot here. Wish they were fully covered though because there aren’t enough trees for shade. The good thing is the playground has partial covers so it prevents them from getting too hot. Overall we love coming here because it’s also next to the lake. A hidden gem! I forgot to add: there is one porter potty a few yards away from the playground

Beautiful lake. You can rent a boat for 50 bucks, bike all around and walk around to the lake. A lot of birds. Also fishing. Most people around here are super friendly. Free parking.

Beautiful lake. I felt so peaceful at there. Good place to do exercise and fishing .

If you are in San Diego and looking for an awesome outdoor activity to do this is your spot to see. There are limitations since COVID 19 Restrictions are in place. You have to wear your mask continuously. The tram system is not operational so put on your walking shoes and get some great exercise with AWESOME scenery! They do have private truck and cart tours if you wanna shell out the dough. $336 and up for 6 people maximum in your party. All in all still an great tourist destination well worth the visit.!!

Nice environment to trek upon. It is truly an amazing park filled with lovely animals. The staff there are truly tremendous and courteous. Excellent ice cream and frozen lemonades! Perfect treats for a hot summer day! 😋. One of the staff members, Austin Major, was kind enough to walk around with me and tell me about all the animals as we passed each exhibit. 😁

Went to check out the high water condition. Many of the trees are knee deep, some of the cement tables and benches were surrounded in rising water currents. Was so beautiful. This one bush has fantastic pink tip growth. Was worth the trip👍

Love this park It's very clean, big grass space for playing. Structure is nice and clean. Fun little things like rock climbing, exercise equipment, rolling slide, spining thing. The only thing is bathrooms, there is a portal potty, feels hot in there, but they clean it every 3/4 days. It's spacious, would fit a big stroller or even for handicap. Nice track around it for kids to ride their bikes or for us to just walk around. Obviously there is also a lake, so nice view. You can walk back their on the trail and enjoy the lake.

This is one of the best playgrounds in the La Mesa / San Carlos area. In addition to a good playground structure, it's flat and has a lot of open grassy area for kids to throw those foam airplanes, play soccer, run around, etc. There's a paved sidewalk loop for bikes and scooters, covered tables for those hot days (the play area is not covered), and there are three places to park -- the official lot, a dirt lot behind it, and the adjacent neighborhood. It has portable bathrooms which work in a pinch.

Nice area for walking or sitting by the lake. My dog enjoyed it. There are lots of ducks, geese, and other birds including egrets. There are walking trails, restrooms, doggy bags, trash cans, picnic tables. There were several people fishing from shore and a couple boats on the water. There is parking and a boat launch and some docks as well as little peninsula-like areas. Seems like a nice place for a picnic. Many people were feeding the birds bread.... I'm confused about why they think that's a healthy thing for them. Please don't!

Very fun place to go with your friends.

If you’re visiting San Diego, going to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is a MUST! There are so many fun activities for the whole family, including up close encounters, a hot air balloon, and a train around the park. There’s tons of parking, plenty of food options, and a lot of gift shops too. You can grab double tickets for the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park at a discount.

Go to San Diego Zoo instead The San Diego Safari Park was very disappointing to me, it is huge but if you are not going to be the extra money to do the extra expensive activities, it would feel like the most expensive hike through the trees, not much of animal encounters, and most of them are very far that you won’t actually see anything. If you are willing to pay a small wealth to do all activities, I imagine that it would be a lot of fun. I enjoyed their sister San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park much more.

BEST SAFARI EVER!!!! We opted for the Caravan Safari, which takes you deep into the African Safari region. The guides (Joe and Rachel) were extremely knowledgeable and we learnt a ton of cool stuff about the animals. We got to feed rhinos and giraffes, which made for great photo ops. And throughout the entire journey, nobody pressures you to donate. But I ended up signing up for a conservation donation anyway because it was so obvious how much hard work, care, and dedication has gone into this place. Keep up the awesome work guys!!

Great place to visit in San Diego.

It is open. Lots of trees and shade.

Very peaceful. Not a lot of people even for Memorial Day weekend. It was clean and port o potty style bathroom had toilet paper. Plenty of parking was a plus.

Beautiful, peaceful family park! Great for a walk, picnic, or just feed the ducks!!

Playground: Relatively new, one structure for younger kids, one for older kids. Very impressive and lots to do for the kids. The flooring is tanbark. There was a good amount of shading above the benches. My toddler had fun. Bathrooms: One large and clean portapotty available. Parking: Street parking .25 miles away, off a quiet street. Location: In the middle of a suburb on the exterior of Lake Murray. Safety: No unhoused, lots of kids and adults. No trash on the playground.

Nice recreation area for fishing, biking and hiking. Clean restrooms, concession stand, picnic tables and BBQ grills. Boat rentals, launching ramp and reserved parking for trucks with trailers.

Excellent place to walk, roller blade or ride your bike along the paved path. A complete circuit, is 6 miles, parking lot to dam and back. Lots of animal life including osprey, fishing eagles. Many benches to rest along the path.

You got a lot of wildlife here. You got the pigeons, the Crows, squirrels and ducks. Sometimes, if you are lucky you can stumble upon ducklings and goslings. At higher water levels you can also find eggs of the golden apple snail. Which looks like someone stuck some gum to random spots often. You also have a long hiking trail. I don't believe it circles around

Perfect spot to hike, get some exercise, boat, fish or have a family picnic!

Great place to walk, run, or bike. It is about 3 miles one way to the end. Dogs are allowed as well as long as they are on a leash. They even have dog poop bags and trash cans along the trail. Plus, there is a nice lake all long thr trail you can enjoy.

Porta potties available. Big open grass for ball games. Great playground

This lake is relaxing go fish, bike, run, walk or picnic you can't go wrong here. Great environment for all ages and there is many ducks if you like to feed them.

It's a nice place to take you dog for a walk, go for a bike ride, and other outdoors activities.

Nice play equipment and great for scooters and bikes.

Very peaceful and as always a nice walk. No to many birds as I also like to bird watch.

Great view, easy to social distance, they got fishing you can bbq. Go walking, jogging, or whatever. Or you can sit in your car and overlook the lake. And is not far from the College area where I reside.

Nice wide path for walkers and bikes. Beautiful scenery and shade. 3.5 miles to the far side of the path makes a nice 7 mile ride.

Overall really nice place. Only dislike pet owners that don't clean up after their pets.

5.5 miles in a little over 90 minutes. Picturesque there and back trail skirting the man made reservoir housing many flocks of water foul, squirrels, rabbits, and plenty of fish. The marina is great to rent kayaks and paddleboards.

I didn't actually go to the community park, but did park there and walk the lake, it was beautiful as usual!

A lot of birds

Great and very clean and friendly.

One of the most fun parks in San Diego!! The playground is amazing!!

Peaceful and safe place to exercise, relax or just appreciate nature. Too bad that the walk path doesn't go completely around. Excellent neighborhood. Only ding: not enough parking on weekends.

My sons favorite place to ride his razor and feed the ducks:)

This is my son's favorite park it's clean and very open and right next to the lake win win win!

Beautiful park

Love this place.....must see

Nice place to chill around be it short picnic, BBQ, water activity boating canoe,, no swimming allowed, walking/running/bicycling with pet or w/o around the lake are all great activities to enjoy the outdoor. I try to walk 3 to 4 miles within an hour or so to obtain a piece of mind and to boost my energy. Entire lake walk maybe about 6 miles. Depends on your walk time, it can be heavy trafficked at times. I go late afternoon and park on Baltimore side of the street. This way you are not limited to closing if you are parked inside the Lake Murray Park.Great place to explore, go and have at it.

good place for a walk or have a lunch there.

It was a nice hike around the reservoir. I would have preferred dirt instead of asphalt trail but was nice to hike after the rain. Didn't have to deal with mud. Overall a good hike but gets crowded. Get there early to find parking.

As always it is a very good place to spend time with friends and kids

Would be a 5 star if it had a real bathroom.

Beautiful walk today!

(Translated by Google) Beautiful (Original) Hermoso

Very beautiful

Could use a new surface and some new paint

Nice place for walking or bike riding

Great 👍

It is just a nice play ground in a nice area. Love Lake Murray area. You can tell People in the neighborhood appreciate it since there isn't trash everywhere and people pick up after themselves. Wish more parks were like this one.

Great park for kids, very spacious abd amazing views

Great park for walking and biking

Love exercising here.

No play equipment for kids but who needs it when there are a billion ducks to throw bread. Side note: I just read that ppl should stop giving the ducks bread. They eat many other foods and bread is not very nutritious.

Best place to walk in the East County

So many invasive plants. It was lovely to see the egrets and cormorants, though.

Great walk

It was a nice day to spend in lake Murray The weather was perfect.the views were excellent. My family and friends enjoyed a good food and celebrating birthday day of our friend We stayed for about 4 hours Recommend it for family activities

Very relaxing

A serene spot in the city.

When we call them regarding our issues or problems the customer service agents are not capable of handling them. Only they can do is take money. They don’t have an email address / phone number for issues. They told me that I should write a letter to them instead. What world are they living in? I had a membership issue because of the virus situation and they refused to take this into consideration. They insist that since the zoo is open we should go visit. In this coronavirus situation would I risk my family? No! But they refuse to acknowledge this. I spoke to an agent named Debbie and she just kept repeating we were open. I would not recommend buying this zoo safari park membership.

An amazing experience. This is the perfect place to visit during covid. Since they have a huge open space nothing was sacrificed due to restrictions. We had a wonderful day and felt safe and clean.

This is a most awesome place. It's shows and tram ride blow the San Diego Zoo out of the water! It offers Jeep tours among the animals for an additional fee. Don't miss the bird show in the open-air amphitheatre... it's is unrivaled anywhere I know of.

Don't go on a day off from school... lesson we, a kid free couple, learned so you would not have to. That being said it was fun. I liked that this place shows that science is more that physics and chemistry. They bring nature (aquarium and other animals), plants, rocks, and life itself. The aquarium was very robust for the size and the ability to walk under and around the tanks really allowed you to visit the undersea world. The planetarium was well done. We saw the Neil DeGrasse Tyson show. It was well worth the wait.

Great safari park , on the expensive side considering not everything is included for that 60 per person price. Obviously not all exhibits are open because of covid , but the majority were. This place is huge so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to cover the whole park I would say at the very least , 3 to 4 hours. Overall I would go again , just remember it will not be cheap. 2 adults was $135.

Beautiful park, very clean, well themed, attention to detail is amazing. The animals look happy and have a ton of space to roam around. It was originally a breeding facility, that they turned into a place for people to observe the animals. It is a 1000 acre park with abundant places to view the wildlife. There are plenty of different trails to take, and a ton of places to sit, rest and watch the animals. The terrain has many hills, and it is quite a bit of hard walking, they do provide electric scooters for those in need of them. It is extremely family friendly, and has playgrounds for children to get out their extra energy. If you are into alcohol, they serve different beers at every food spot. The park does beer tasting where you can pay $25, get a wristband and receive four 12 ounce beers. They also have mixed drinks at restaurants. During Covid they have some exhibits closed, limited attendance, masks are to be worn at all times, they have hand sanitizer, and hand wash stations set up throughout the park. I have been going here since I was a kid and it is nice to see how much it has evolved over the years. I love it, I hope you visit and you fall in love too.

Un amplio lugar para que los animales disfruten de su entorno, las entradas están dentro de lo normal para este tipo de parques en USA. Recomendación llevarse ropa cómoda y tenis porque es mucho caminar.

(Translated by Google) Perfect place to go out with the family and very clean (Original) Perfecto lugar para salir con la familia y muy limpio

Unfortunately the train was unavailable on the day we visited, but the view and all animals still made my day!

Awesome place really cool location to walk around and look at animals.

Came here last Saturday for my sons birthday. I advise come here early!!!! To avoid long lines in purchasing tickets ! Otherwise you can go to Groupon and purchase them for a lot cheaper. Over all the museum was fun and a great learning experience for my son.

Go when it rains. All the animals come out and are more active.

If size mattered, the elephant would be the king of the jungle.

Love this place.

Me and my friend visited on the thanksgiving day to this beautiful park with connected trails. It's a good exercise in the wild to walk all through the park. Go early to see a lot of birds in the sunshine and then move on to safari tours to see a variety of wild animals. As it's covid time, many of the places are closed but it's worth visiting rather than getting bored in the city. Carry water and some snacks, however, food wasn't that expensive inside. Limited menu to get through the day while striding across the park. My favorite was the Tiger trails with absolutely great habitat for the tiger kings and walking ambience for the visitors. Have fun!

Elephants have to eat 300 pounds of fodder per day and 15 gallons of water per day. Elephants eat between 149 and 169 kg (330-375 lb.) of vegetation daily. Sixteen to eighteen hours, or nearly 80% of an elephant's day is spent feeding. Elephants consume grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots. In a day, an elephant can drink 50 gallons (200 liters) of water. Elephants have been known to learn more than 60 commands.

Great. Took the safari had a blast. Heard the lion roar across the park. Sounded like it was next to us. They closed it down after we went. Want to go again.

Well 2020 has been a year. Luckily the Safari Park has been a welcome relief during what even eternal optimists can only muster to call the “first year of this decade.” My family and I have visited the Safari Park easily once a week during 2020 and it has provided delight after delight. The foot traffic at times was very low, and we even had the opportunity to spy native mule deer walking through some areas of the park from the surrounding hills! I cannot recommend visiting the San Diego Zoo Safari Park enough, whether it is your first or 100th visit.

Best Safari Park in the US! Only the SD Zoo and the Dooling Zoo in Omaha even come close!

We got to see a platypus. That was awesome. The park is so beautiful. We realize at one point it was like being on a hike with our family and we knew we were going to see amazing plants and animals.

Amazing place. A lot of things were closed for Covid but understandable. A lot of the safaris are way overpriced, though.

Place is pretty pricey. But if you have the $$$ then the extra rides, ziplining, etc. are great to keep younger kids (3ish+) super happy.

Wonderful place. Though I wish there were more non-human primates. And the dearth of vegetarian options for food is pretty disappointing. Went for my birthday in hopes of trying the jackfruit wrap, but they were out of it by 11:30 and they had no idea if or when they would get more. I'm still a member and proud to support the work they do for conservation and education.

Love this place, great for being safe and enjoying nature. Not sure why they had to close, everybody was compliant and safe.

Nicer than a regular zoo. The safari tour is good but pricy. We'll try the up close more personal tour with the animals next time (which is even pricier). Good day adventure with the family.

San Diego Zoo is better. Too much walking here.

The complete awesome experience recommended for everyone

Great exercise

I almost always enjoy going here, they have so many fun things to do and so many different types of animals, it's very big and the habitats are very pretty, I enjoy walking here and there is a lot of walking to do here indeed.

A complete rip off during Covid 19. Rather then paying employees to stand around guarding elevators, pathways how about paying them to operate the concession stands. Its all closed people. Concession stands, soft serve icecream, African tram, nectar bird feeding, bats, condor ridge, and more they're all closed:(

Certainly a great way to see some amazing animals. Unfortunately, with Covid there was no ability to go on the safari drives, which really sets this apart from the SD Zoo. The Bonsai Pavilion was pretty cool though!

The tram wasn't running and a lot of exhibits were closed but I still love the Safari Park. Plenty to walk around and see.

During this time of Covid-19 the park was very clean. Went there with my Service Dog training group. We all had a nice time. We had lunch and walked around re-certifing of service dog in different places. We enjoyed our time there. The park was clean and people were masked and social distancing. THANK YOU WILD ANIMAL PARK FOR MAKING OUR DAY ENJOYABLE IN THIS TIME OF A DIFFICULT SITUATION!

(Translated by Google) Very beautiful place and a family atmosphere, very beautiful paths and the zen garden, I loved it 😍 everything was fantastic. (Original) Muy bonito lugar y un ambiente familiar, senderos muy hermosos y el jardín zen , me encanto😍todo estuvo fantástico.

Always a pleasure visiting the park. It's such a nice place to relax and enjoy a walk.

Outstanding place to visit Great Adventure with my family

Great walk with great scenery. Loved the park as well

Very peaceful. I love walking my dog here.

I had not been here in years, but it was nice to see the lake, not too hot, and we had plenty of space n privacy to have a meeting.

Love this lake for walking, kayaking and just enjoying all of nature's sights. It's 3 miles from the parking lot to the dam. Then you have to turn around and come back as the dam is closed to the public. Nice wide asphalt road with porta potties and regular rest rooms around the lake. Lots of shoreline fishing trails too. It only cost $2 to launch a kayak. No SUPs allowed.

Everytime I come here there are different choices to do something. Bike ride walk jog. Hang out with the ducks, explore a trail. Sit on a bench and enjoy nature sounds, have a picnic on the table available scattered throughout your walk. Watch a local little league baseball game. Relax under a big shady tree in the big green park behind the baseball field facing the street. There are quite a few portable bathrooms through many areas. I walk my dogs throughout both areas. I enjoy it and they do too.

Great spot for softball! Dog friendly 🖤

Wonderfully relaxing environment by the lake. Lots of ducks n geese add to the outdoor experience. Beautiful scenery.

Such a cute little community park. Excellent location to walk, watch the birds and enjoy a day in the sun with friends or family. There is ample parking and the restrooms are very well maintained and clean. Great way to spend an hour or two.

Wide paved track that goes for 3 miles but doesn't loop! Pretty desert landscape surrounding the lake. Some small fishing and mountain biking possible.

Hidden gem in the middle of the city of la mesa. Great lake to visit and relax with your family. A small lake that has a lot to offer. I love this lake.

Very relaxing, paths to walk around, you can rent a boat or kayak. We always enjoy coming to Lake Murray.

Nice walking trails, I take my boy walking there everyday. The city keeps it clean and tidy. Playground is big for the kids with trash cans and tables. Only downside is the Porto potty. Bigger restrooms by the baseball fields.

There is so much to do at Lake Murray. Feed the ducks and geese, but not bread. You can buy bird food at Lake Murray Liquor for $1 dollar or you can buy it at the bait shop within the park. You can rent bikes and boats. Both are fun but I prefer bikes. There are areas to bbq as well. Fishing is great here if you’re into that. Explore the side trails on the perimeter of the lake.

First time that I have been there. Very chill park. My son, his wife and two children, 2 years old and five years old, brought food for a picnic on Labor Day. We could sit and eat right on the nice grass area right in front of the playground, and snack and watch them play. They ran back and forth to grab some food. We pushed them on the swings right in front of us. It’s a beautiful park and it was a beautiful day. Idealic day. I was also able to walk to the car and back, and that wasn’t very far either, to grab things. I gave it a four because my son said they went there on the Fourth of July and the entire place, every inch of it was packed and it was chaos. I’m so glad we went on the right day! It was such a nice day.

This park is great for kids of all ages. Walkable space and a play structure with shade.

I walk at Lake Murray most days and have recently delighted in the way the park is being spruced up and cared for. Those who work at the lake park seem to care for it as much as those of us who cherish it as a place to destress. A most heartfelt thanks to those who have initiated the recent care.