McKay Park — Attraction in Jefferson City

Wonderful Park for anyone with kids, or anyone looking to fish, grill with friends and family at a small pavilion, or take a scenic walk around a large gorgeous lake with ducks and geese. They even have a smart bench for the tech savvy. I have not personally used the bathroom facilities, however I assume they are decently maintained based on the condition of the exterior. There are two playgrounds, each with a swing set, built on the rubber turf which I love way more then wood chips or rocks. One is perfect for toddlers and one is fun for older kids. The larger playground is so much fun even for me at 35 😂 They have 2 tube slides and the kids and I enjoy flying down them and chasing each other around. I even saw some basketball courts off to the west side if the park. My only issue is the amount of trash people leave laying around its horrible and makes ne irritated as its getting in the lake and can harm the baby ducks...

Always a treat to visit McKay Park. It is a wonderful natural setting with the most user friendly features. The paved walk trail around the lake always has people of all ages walking/jogging through the pleasant scenery. An updated large playground always has the giggles and laughter of children playing. Today a unique surprise as a RC control operator was flying his "seaplane" on the glassy afternoon lake surface....and finally my main pursuit of happiness there today was the call of the Lake's most recently stocked Rainbow Trout...and my call was answered many times over catching and releasing several of these beauties. Describing this experience as a "little bit of heaven on earth" might be a bit of a stretch...but after I left today I felt again that it is....! Highly...

Beautiful, relaxing, well maintained, except the parking lot... despite having trash cans readily available there are still some who can not fathom walking the distance to a trash can. The puppies Onan off leash are abundant walking the track around the lake with very friendly people. There are even 3 different parking areas. One close to the playground for easy access, one further down for people who don't want to be near the loud kids enjoying life, and one completely on the other side of the lake. There are frequent sitting spots and picnic spots as well with their own garbage cans to help reduce the mess. The trail itself is smooth with very few cracks or tripping points. For being in the middle of the city its an oasis to retreat to compared to...