Visited on 10/15/2017 with Jeff and our dogs on a weekend camping trip at Avila Beach, south of San Luis Obispo, CA. We took a nice Sunday afternoon drive up to Lake Santa Margarita which is a 793 acre lake in the Central Coast hills just southeast of the town of Santa Margarita. This lake is located at 1,306 feet above sea level. Created by the construction of the Salinas Dam in 1941, Santa Margarita Lake was originally designed to furnish water to Camp San Luis Obispo. Today, swimming in the lake is not permitted as it is the drinking water reservoir for the City of San Luis Obispo.
Beyond the developed area of the park, Santa Margarita Lake Natural Area represents several thousand acres of designated open space. This section of the park is managed for its natural resource values, passive recreational use, and environmental education opportunities. The area is accessible to hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. Motor vehicles are not permitted in the Natural Area. Santa Margarita Lake is a nature lover’s retreat. With thousands of acres of unspoiled open space, the park is home to countless species of plants and wildlife making it the perfect location for nature study, boating, and fishing.
We had a great time driving around the lake and the dogs chased a couple of ducks near the boat launch area when we stopped for Jeff to take a swing in the kiddy park on the shoreline. But, since this lake is a drinking water source for the City of San Luis Obispo, no dogs are allowed to swim in the lake. It was still a nice drive and it was a great getaway and is very peaceful.
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