Health & Fitness
Lake Artemesia Prince George’s County, MD
Prince George's County Lake Artemesia offers beauty, scenic trails and serenity only minutes from congested I-95 and Route 1.
Years ago in preparation for the Paralympics in Atlanta, I trained with Maryland Paralympians at Artemesia Lake and Public Park. The park is expansive and can be accessed from Greenbelt, College Park, Riverdale, and Berwyn Heights.
Although my responsibility back in 1995-96 was to ride my mountain bike and pace the athletes as they rode their hand-crank cycles and racing wheelchairs around the man-made lake or 1.35 miles of hiking and biking trails, we often passed families taking in the park’s green spaces for picnics, kite flying and fishing. It goes without saying that the park is handicap accessible.
The park opens at dawn and closes at nightfall. That means the summer months can offer long hours of peaceful and leisurely walks along the trails or just sitting on one of the many piers scattered throughout.
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Recently I returned to the lake for a quick walk and to take a few photos and noticed that there have been some very impressive upgrades since I last walked through the gates. Actually, that is one of the new upgrades – a gated entrance on the Berlin Heights side.
Since I was only stopping through while running an errand on my lunch hour, I could not stay to see all the other improvements that have been made to the park. However, I was able to see that there are new benches for sitting and a chic brick wall flanking the new iron rod gate.
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Signage around the lake state that the Prince George's Audubon Society offers bird walks each month on the first and third Thursdays.
The parking lot on the College Park side of the park is located across from the commuter airport and Aviation Museum. There is ample parking at each entrance and an abundance of wildlife. Fishing is permitted for residents with a non-tidal fishing license. Gazebos from where birds, water fowl and plant life can be observed are dotted at several locations around the recreational area.
A scenic setting for any time of year and for anyone who enjoys the beauty that nature offers.