Walking trails are well maintained and cleared for the many bikers. Goes all around the lake, some areas close to the lake have benches. People were fishing, riding bikes, letting the kids play at the park, saw a few birthday parties. Cute little office with fish tanks, snakes enclosed in glass and a small taxidermy bear ! There were horseshoe prints in the dirt alongside the paved trail. read more

Salem Lake Park - The damn is relaxing to hear. - Parks Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

I already reviewed Salem Lake just wanted to add more photos Go out enjoy a nice sunset and walk. read more

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Who knew the first time that I would visit this lake would also prove to be my first-time-ever kayaking?! Brand-new buddies who just moved to Winston-Salem from Idaho snatched me up one hot, sunny day & had me join them in breaking in their recently purchased pair of kayak canoes! For HOURS I stayed out on that lake, exploring all of its size and the striking nature (turtles, cranes, etc.) that comes with it! The water was so calm and warm, I had to fight myself from swimming in it too (which isn't allowed) due to this particular body of water providing 20% of the community's drinking. When you arrive at their front desk, which also provides refreshments, a miniature wildlife exhibit, men's and women's restrooms and souvenirs, you will find the office not only kept clean but staffed with friendly fellows who are eager to help. *This lake offers year-round kayak storage to those wishing to keep their boats riverside. read more

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We came here after seeing some YouTube videos on what to visit in the area on our trip to NC and we are glad we did. The area itself is beautiful and there a a pier that you can fish from. There were several locals who took the time to talk to us about the fishing there and the lake. You can rent kayaks there for around $15.00 from what we were told and there is a restaurant there as well but we couldn't go in because they were having an event. From the video we saw there are plenty of hiking and biking trails around the lake. read more

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When I'm not eating, I'm trying to burn off what I've eaten and Salem Lake is a great place to accomplish that! I have walked this trail twice now, once with the whole family- kids included, and once alone. For families with small kids, a great thing is that the trail is well packed and very stroller friendly. It is a 7 mile loop and there is a nice playground, pier and always ducks and geese milling about. I came back here again last weekend for a solo walk. Generally I don't hike alone however Salem Lake is popular and doesn't feel desolate. I really enjoyed going my own pace and completed the loop at a leisurely pace in 2.5 hours. There are also really beautiful cranes that hang around the lake that I saw on both visits! Parking is plentiful at the main entrance and there is also a secondary lot at the halfway point of the trail. It also links up to another greenway (forgot which one) and is a pretty gentle terrain. Not a ton of grueling uphill walking, just enough to get the blood pumping. There are some really beautiful sights, particularly this rocky inlet where you can walk on them and enjoy the sounds of the rushing water. Such a wonderful and peaceful place to pass some time and get some exercise! read more

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I love this lake. Great walking trails. There is also boating and fishing. Great views. read more

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If you are looking for a great fall activity, Salem Lake Park offers gorgeous views of the fall foliage. We chose to hike the 7mile loop around the lake and had a great experience! When you arrive, there is plenty of parking, a public restroom, and a playground. This is a perfect place to bring the family for some outdoor fun! We were very impressed with how clean the trail was. Throughout the trail, there are trash cans and benches for resting about every mile or so. The trail was also very flat! This is a great trail for walking, running, or biking! We will definitely be back. read more

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Salem Lake Park is such a gem of a find. I lived in Marietta, Georgia for a while and became very spoiled with the easy access to trails that run along the Chattahoochee River. When I relocated to the Triad, I was hoping to find something similar. Like an answer to a prayer, Salem Lake Park came onto my radar and it's been a go-to destination ever since. When you pull into the main area there are two large, free parking lots: one by a pier/dock, and one next to a playground. I've always parked by the one next to the playground. It has a shaded area with picnic tables (and usually a lot of geese), as well as bathrooms and a fenced-in playground for the kiddos. However, the heart of the park is the 7-mile trail that wraps around the perimeter of the Salem Lake. Oh my goodness. What a breathtaking trail. So far I've only had the chance to use it during the spring/summer months, but with all of the trees and endless water views, I can only imagine how beautiful it will be in fall and winter. The trail is wide and long enough to comfortably accommodate both bike riders and runners/walkers, even on weekends and during busier times. There are bathrooms and a water fountain available at the halfway point, at almost exactly 3.5 miles in, which is nice because 7 miles will take you a bit of time if you're walking/running. When I casually walk it usually takes about 2/2.5 hours, so just keep that in mind. You can definitely just walk for about a mile into the trail and then walk a mile back if you can't do the whole thing in one shot. Lots of families do this, including those with strollers. The first mile or so is relatively flat and probably one of the most beautiful spots on the trail. Keep an eye out for turtles in the lake. They're everywhere and so adorable. Also keep your eyes peeled for snakes sunning on or crossing the trail. I've seen a number of black rat snakes and tiny little rough green snakes (which, even as someone who doesn't like snakes, are actually kind of cute). I have nothing negative to say about Salem Lake Park. Truly a haven. read more

Salem Lake Park - Single-stall bathrooms available at the halfway point, 3.5 miles in - Parks Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

We were spending the weekend in Winston-Salem and were looking for something to do since a lot of places are closed on Monday. At first, GPS took us to some odd side street where you could kind of see the lake, but once we confirmed we were looking for the park and not just the lake, we got good directions. There are picnic shelters, play areas, and nice trails. We hiked around part of the lake and enjoyed the scenery. Some families brought bread to feed the ducks. It was a nice, relaxing visit. read more

Great to hike or bike. Pretty and a very large lake to enjoy. Would recommend. There is a 7 mile hike or bike ride around. read more

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Clean, great place to take kids or a date. Fishing here for decades! Great place to watch wildlife and relax or have a picnic

One of the best outdoors locations in the triad Its a great loop for running and cycling Done both Remember to watch for things sticking up on the ground read more

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The trails are well maintained and there are several different options for different length walks. There are places along the paths to stop and use the bathroom, get water, or sit and rest. There are also a few playground areas. read more

Defending our Yelpie Explorer of the Year crown with yet another of the Triad's gloriously beautiful parks that we went to for the first time last weekend. We were given a nice warm day in December, and so our kids hit the playground there for a bit before we went for the walk. So the trail around Salem Lake is 7 miles. There's a road about midway through that you could pull chute and call a cab, but I am super ultra proud of my family, especially my older daughter, and myself and my wife as well. We went for it, and we did it! There are people and families of all kinds of fitness levels on this trail. Some people bike or jog this trail weekly, maybe even daily, but we aren't people who have walked 7 miles straight before probably ever. And the view around the trail is such a treat the whole way through. There are mile markers along the way, though I missed mile 6. Obviously the end is 7. There's a zen area with a waterfall that is a reward for making it through, even though you could cheat and go the opposite way from the start to it. There's an incline at the end of the trail that had us all kind of weeping with exhaustion. But in the end it was such a good feeling, despite the soreness and blisters. Not sure when we would attempt the entire thing again, but there are segments of the trail that are worth seeing on their own that we will go back to see again! The park does get crowded on the weekend, but there was parking available so don't panic. Also the trail itself is so massive that it never really felt too congested. I recommend you strap up your hiking best and your water pack. Don't do it like me in your sweat pants and beat up shoes you got several years ago from your brother because he didn't want them and you don't speak to each other anymore anyway.... and all without a sip of water! Not a smart move. They also offer boating and fishing too if I'm not mistaken, but we went for the trail. Push yourself, tell yourself you're gonna do it no matter what, and you'll hit the point where you know you're gonna do it because you've passed the halfway point and there's no choice now but to walk the rest of the way back to your car! If you don't have the experience of distance walking, it is a nice accomplishment! There are some benches along the way for resting as well, and you can enjoy observing wildlife and people watching. My daughter took interest in a den that was made at one of the banks on the lake, so good educational value as well. Bond with your family, go on a date, take your dog, or just get some fresh air and peace by yourself. Might want to bring some music too! read more

We absolutely loved this trail. We were on bike and enjoyed it a lot. It was crowded especially on Sunday, and it is about 7 miles loop. Beautiful scenery by the lake. Well maintained. Highly recommended. read more

Salem Lake Park - Parks Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The upgrades to Salem lake are amazing. The playground and trail access are separate from the marina now. The side with the playground has a nice bathroom and water fountain. We explored some of the trail and it seemed the same. read more

Salem Lake Park - New playground - Parks Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Beautiful family friendly park with gorgeous views. We've biked around the lake several times with the kids and played on the playground too. Always a fun time at salem lake park! read more

A very well maintained and pleasant walk around the lake. Nice and shady for a hot day.

We had a great morning fishing off the Salem Lake Park Pier and exploring the trails. We had some luck fishing and catching some small fish off the pier using night crawlers. Kids really enjoyed this and there was a nice breeze. The bike/running/walking trail is super popular and easy to navigate. Overall a great experience at Salem Lake Park! read more

This is a great park. There's 3 parking lots and they recently renovated the playground and restroom area. The loop around the lake is 7 miles, so it's a great bike ride. In the summer, the trail is pretty shaded and relatively flat, there are a couple of hills though. The trail is dirt/gravel but it's really packed down, so not very dusty. The trail is around 6-8 feet wide and winds around the perimeter of the lake. There are some benches and trashcan scattered on the trail too. There's also a bike repair station near the restrooms with a bunch of tools. I just started taking my dog here on the weekends to get her used to runners and bikes, things that make her really reactive. read more

Salem Lake Park - My puppy at the 2 mile marker - Parks Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

This place is an absolutely gem! Not only can you run the trail you can also rent canoes during the summer and enjoy some fresh air in the middle of the lake. The view from this park is stunning a perfect get away for a run or simply to clear your mind. read more

Nice place very peaceful. Wish they had the boat's available for rental. And for some reason they don't allow shore fishing.

A nice lake with a very wide trail (see image) surrounding it. The trees provide slivered views of the lake with larger openings throughout. I encountered many people biking the path and rightly so. It appeared to be a very good biking path with little obstacles. I could see this as a regular running trail if I lived or stayed near here. read more

Salem Lake Park - Parks Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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What a beautiful place! Kayak, run, hike, bike, or walk! There is a well groomed, wide, 7 mile trail around this beautiful lake. The trail is almost completely shaded and has signage and mile markers. Wonderful for a morning run! read more

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With all of the Covid restrictions closing down the gyms this is really a great place to work out. Why get on an excercycle when you can ride around the lake? Missing the rowing machine? Rent a canoe. No access to a treadmill with inclination settings? Hit the hills around the dam. The trail also has access to trails that will get you to quarry park and marketplace mall. read more

I love Salem Lake! Been coming here ever since I was younger when my mom used to run here. We also used to bring our bikes. I can honestly say I've never walked the entire trail but yesterday I went and me and a friend with my dog ended up walking the entire thing! We totally didn't mean to but we just kept walking! Love this place and it's perfect for dogs, bikes, walking/running, clearing your mind too! read more

The park is currently severely limited due to construction, so we had to sit at the only available picnic area while one of the park attendants sat in his truck, with the engine running, blowing exhaust fumes everywhere the entire three hours we were there. The only time he got out of his truck was to grab his shovel and, along with another man, try to kill a snake that was in the water, and was trying to swim away before they chased it under the roots of a tree that was growing out of the water. They finally goaded it out of hiding and hacked it to pieces in front of a crowd of horrified picnickers and children. Nice. The porta potties are also disgusting and ill-maintained and there is trash all over the place in the woods surrounding that picnic area. Seems to me the park attendant's time could have been better spent cleaning up the area, rather than kill the animals in the park and contribute the massive three-hour carbon footprint. Once you get away from that one tiny picnic area, the trail itself is nice, but I'll just wait until construction is finished before I go there again. read more

This park is a nice little gem hidden on the southeastern side of Winston Salem. There is only one trail that goes around the lake and it's 7 miles long. Which is great if you're a distance runner because you can run the trail twice to train for a 10K. The trail is nice and wide and on the weekends can be heavily used by the locals. You can find all kinds of people here: cross country running groups conditioning, walkers, runners, bikers (although not many, it's mainly walkers and runners), and families with strollers. It's a little creepy to go running on the trail during the day, nobody is there and I definitely would not recommend a female to do it. But on the weekends (Friday night to Sunday night) there's a pretty constant flow of people. The trail is around a huge lake and the views you get are spectacular. There are mile markers but I will warn you if you don't want to go too far just do a mile or two and turn around because once you get halfway you're at the point of no return and will have to finish the trail to get back to your car in the parking lot :-) read more

Salem lake park is a pretty good park for this area. This park has a good sized lake where visitors can bring their boats and launch them to go fishing. You can also fish from the shore and just have a relaxing day. There is a bait store that sell a variety of different baits for you to choose from. This park also provides a walking/bike trail for you to enjoy as well. While at this park you may forget you are still in a busy part of the city. I will continue to visit this park for as long as I am in this area. read more

Very nice walk but I'd like to know how far I've walked. Are there markers along the way indicating distance from different points?

My favorite place to go on a long walk. Beautiful trail, nice distance. Clean bathrooms. We kayak often with the yearly pass.

Great outdoor place to let the kids run around. The loop is a bit too long for us but if you attempt to do it bring snacks! There is a nice deck at the main building to sit and take a rest with beautiful views of the lake. read more

I love this park. It's about 10 minutes from my house and I go on a weekly basis. There's fishing, canoeing, trails, and lots of wildlife. Most of the trail is covered with natural vegetation so even in the dead of summer it's not too hot when you go running. This place is a great place to take kids if they like the outdoors or learning about animals. read more

This is a great place for a medium distance run. Relatively flat trail. Great scenery along the entire trail and plenty to do if not running such as fishing and kayaking. read more

Have walked the trail a few times and love that it goes around the lake. We also rented the canoes here one weekend just for a quick 2 hours. It was fun! Make sure you get a dried out life vest otherwise it could be a little smelly if the previous wear-er got it wet. If you paddle to the left, there is a little bridge to go under and a great place if you pack a lunch. It looked like there was good fishing too, but we didn't bring our poles. I think it was $4/hr for one 2 person canoe so a really cheap way to enjoy a canoe! Bring sunscreen! read more

So beautiful!!!! Love taking my fur babies on a nice run here. The trail is in the woods and there is a really nice rock river/creek the dogs like to play in. It's a nice break to cool off. Love love love this place!!! read more

Beautiful natural area but better for fishing before wasted 4.5 million bucks on unfinished, pretentious building, took away bait shop, nothing improved with parking, no additional boat ramps. Crazy. read more

Very nice park with a wide, well kept trail. Great for running or riding a bike. Once around lake is approximately 7 miles. Beautiful lake for fishing and nice facilities. read more