Lake Artemesia is a man made lake with paved hiker/biker trails in Berwyn Heights - near Greenbelt and College Park. The trails are part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System. According to Wikipedia, the park was constructed upon completion of Metro's Green Line. Metro saved money during the Green Line construction by excavating sand and gravel from this site, and the park construction was funded from the money saved.
The trail that circles the lake is known as the Luther Goldman Birding Trail. The trail was officially dedicated in 2008 in memory of Luther Goldman - a biologist, birder and a photographer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Prince George's County Audubon Society sponsors bird walks along this trail. During our visit, we saw a lot of ducks and geese, but we never stopped very long because our kids were leading on their bikes. I did find this great picture on Flickr of geese taking flight from Lake Artemesia.
The trail around the lake is paved. There were a lot of bikers, joggers and walkers.
We came across a grove of weeping willows.
Another view of the lake.
There are several pavilions located around the lake. A father and son were fishing from this pavilion located near the edge of the lake. Some of the trees were showing their fall colors.
Here is a view of the same pavilion from the other side of the lake. The lake provides a nice reflection in this shot.
I couldn't decide which view of the pavilion I liked best, so I included them all.
We came across this big guy on the far side of the lake.
We came across this little guy near the entrance to the park.
We didn't see any beavers, but it was clear that they live here. Wire screen surrounds the trunks of many trees to keep the beavers away.
We found this symbol spray painted on a bridge at the point where the Paint Branch Trail heads off toward College Park. I tried searching Google images, but I couldn't find anything similar. Since this location is inside the Beltway, I can only assume that this is the work of the roller skating lobby. Or maybe this is a Frenchman wearing a beret and thick glasses.
The CSX and Metro tracks run along the West side of the park. Four year old boys find this more interesting than the birds and the turtles.
Here's the Green Line as seen from the park.
The College Park Airport is located just South of the Lake Artemesia. We heard this plane take off, and then it suddenly appeared over the trees.
Google Maps list the following as the closest address to the entrance of the park. Signs for the park are located on Greenbelt Road. The signs will lead you down Branchville Road on the North side of Greenbelt Road. Branchville Road will become 55th Avenue, and the road turns and runs South under Greenbelt Road. You can also access the park from Berwyn Heights on the South side of Greenbelt Road.
8304 55th Avenue, Berwyn Heights, MD
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