If you’ve been following along with us for a while, you may remember our post about White Deer Park in Garner, which we ADORE. While at White Deer, we saw Lake Benson Park right across the street, and we finally made it out to explore that gem, too! (And we’re now finally doing our write-up on Lake Benson - better late than never? ) What we loved about Lake Benson is there was a little bit of something for everybody:
* Wide open fields for a pickup sports game, a picnic, or sunbathing at warmer times of the year * Paved paths * Wooded nature trails * A huge playground with good sun coverage and a rock climb * Multiple picnic shelters * Dog park * Lake access for fishing * Beautiful memorial honoring Garner’s veterans We spent most of our time walking the easy, nature paths in the wooded area at the very back of the park by the lake. (The paths total are about 1 mile long.) While we did actually end up seeing 2 people with strollers back there, we wouldn’t call this the most stroller friendly area of the park due to the roots and gravel along the way. (The park has paved paths by the large open fields for those looking for a more stroller-friendly option.) One of the neat features of this park is that it has Kids in Parks Track Trails, which are a series of free, outdoor adventures that get kids involved in nature. We found the Track Trails sign by the entrance to the nature trail, but unfortunately due to COVID, no physical brochures with the adventures were available. (They can all still be found online, though, and you can do the adventure through your smart phone while at the park.) Now for our regular logistical info: bathrooms were open and they are located by the large playground and picnic shelter at the back of the park. There are a few parking lots with a good amount of parking, and we also noticed people parking along the sides of the road into the park. Lastly, we went after some heavy rain and the lake was a bit high, and a few small areas on paths were muddy, but we wouldn’t say it was bad by any stretch. Have you been to beautiful Lake Benson Park? Let us know in the comments!
(Note: We're currently working on updating our website with our reviews. This review was originally posted on Instagram and Facebook on December 22, 2020.)