My husband and I visited Three Lakes Park for the first time in a few years last week, during the peak of Fall’s colors. Three Lakes offers a trail around three man made lakes, two of which do not allow fishing. The third is stocked for those who do enjoy fishing. Our goal was to spend time outdoors taking in the Fall colors and whatever wildlife we’d be lucky to see.

The first lake was chock full of turtles of all sizes, swimming and wandering about the water. We spotted a double-breasted cormorant diving for fish and popping up now and again from the lake waters. The Great Blue Heron across the lake was a treasure to spot, as these large birds are elegant and so beautiful to watch. Unfortunately, I don’t have a camera advanced enough to capture much, as you can see from these images, but being there in the moment was a breathtaking experience.

As we walked along the next two lakes, there were Canadian geese, more cormorants, fish of a few shapes and sizes, and another Great Blue Heron which may have been the one we saw at the first lake. There were others hiking the trail that weekday but it never felt crowded, and it was fun to see people’s dogs they brought with them. We stopped at several points along the way to take scenic photos of colorful trees reflecting in the lake waters.

We were disappointed that the Nature Center was closed and that there was no sign visible explaining what is happening with it (minus one star). The aquarium outside was empty. We didn’t bring any food to prepare or eat at the third lake, using the grills or shelters, so I can’t comment on the condition of those. My husband did use the facilities and had no complaints. There was a playground with a few children and it looked like people were having a good time.

For a quiet walk through nature, I would definitely return to Three Lakes!