Lake Benson Park — Attraction in Garner

For over 30 years I've enjoyed this local park however with the enormous influx of new apartments & homes drawing people from other areas into Garner, this park has become a nightmare. People now use it for their photography or dog training businesses, which should not be allowed. People that are clearly not a local resident are using it for their group events, causing overcrowding on the walking paths & usually comes with obnoxiously loud conversations or sound systems which disturb the peace for all who want to enjoy the nature trails. Although swimming is not permitted, non english speaking visitors were seen last year swimming with no regard for park rules. Pet walkers are not picking up their dog's poop, just try walking through the grassy areas & you'll find it. The forest paths are not being kept clear of shrubbery growth & the areas with wooden bridges are rotten & falling apart. New additions to this park include a Flock Camera at the entrance so they can spy on all that enter. Soon to come - another unknown device currently being installed at the entrance along with a new gate. To restore the peace & respect at this park, I hope it becomes only accessible to Garner residents & no more events allowed since people can't be respectful not only to the visitors & home owners that surround this park but to the wild life - i'm sure the wild life don't want the noise either. So disappointed that Garner has allowed this to happen. The pic I've shared is the flock cam you'll see at the entrance, not...

I've been going to this park for years but moved and haven't gone in many months. I decided to go today with my puppy and was pleasantly surprised that they had a dog park now! Our puppy is really shy, had never been to a dog park, and needs socialization. The people we met were really sweet to her. Since our puppy is close to the cut off in size, we took her through the larger dog park area. That was a mistake. The dogs were super friendly in a way that our puppy found terrifying. I was very grateful that one owner saw what was going on and came to help distract their dog as we left. I had to carry our girl out but we brought her back into the smaller dog area and she met a few more nice people and dogs. She didn't want to socialize anymore but at least we left on a positive note. Since I hear a lot about owners just looking on while their dog misbehaves, I wanted to point out the family that did the right thing. Overall a good experience and...

We live on Lake Benson, therefore visit the park quite often along with White Deer Park. We love to bike on the trails. We have had a birthday party in the main shelter by the playground, and it was great for a November party with the big fireplace in the middle. My kids have played on the playground for years and have always enjoyed it, though I feel the playground itself needs some updating. The shade tarp above the playground looks like it's got mold growing on it and should probably be replaced. I do hope there were other amenities added eventually - a splash pad and handicap accessible play area would be wonderful. The trail that goes to the lake is NOT handicap accessible either, unless you have a huge all-wheel-drive wheelchair or something! In a nutshell, the park is beautiful and we feel so lucky to live right on the lake, but I'd love to see a few...