Lake Kittamaqundi

• Size: 27-acre lake with one island.
• Habitat: Lake in downtown Columbia with pier, boardwalk, mown grass, scrubby edge, floodplain, and some deciduous trees.
• Best Months: March to mid-May; September and October.
• Coverage Time: 20 minutes to an hour.
• Trails/Paths: It is possible to walk around Lake Kittamaqundi, but not always easily. There are paved paths and boardwalks on the west side where most of the people congregate and activity is centered. The paved path on the west side gives way to a trail along the northern wildlife end (entrance is approximately across from No. 18 on the fitness trail). This portion of the path goes through a small patch of woods and across a lawn. The narrow crossing to the east side can be dry, muddy, or under water. The beaten path on the east side is obvious but narrow. It runs along the Little Patuxent River through floodplain so that portions of the path are sand, mud, rocks, or exposed roots. Halfway along the east side the paved path picks up again as it continues through the Kennedy Gardens.
• Notable Birds: Long-tailed Duck, Red-necked Grebe, American Bittern, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Red Phalarope, Warbling Vireo, Marsh Wren, Golden-winged Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Vesper Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird.
• Amenities: A few benches. There are several restaurants along the waterfront. A Fitness Circuit Trail is located along the path on the northwest side of the lake.
• Handicapped Access: Much of the west side of the lake has a paved path which extends around the south end and approximately halfway along the east side. The segment near the boat dock is a wooden boardwalk. The dirt paths at the northern (wildlife) end of the lake on the west side are not easy to navigate; the unpaved portions on the east side cannot be reached.
• Operation and Hours: Columbia Association open space; closed from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
• Special Attractions: The north end of the lake is designated as the wildlife end where a sandbar and shallow edges attract Black-crowned Night-Herons, shorebirds, gulls, and terns. The Kennedy Gardens are on the east side of the lake.