Miller’s Pond is a well-liked fishing spot on Southwest Facet

This month, I believed I might try a park I had by no means visited earlier than on the Southwest Facet, an space that might use extra of them. 

At about 42 acres, Miller’s Pond is small however nonetheless very important to part of San Antonio the place public lands are scarce. The one different main park close by is Pearsall Park, a former landfill that has some respectable trails, a disc golf course and a brand-new bike park, amongst different options.

After greater than three years of drought, I anticipated Miller’s Pond to be extraordinarily low however was pleasantly shocked on a Halloween night go to. The pond is a well-liked fishing space, with teams of younger males, {couples} and older people hanging out and casting strains alongside the banks whereas we had been there. The pond is the spotlight of the park, with timber alongside elements of its banks and a fishing pier close to the car parking zone.

Sadly, a lot of its different facilities are wanting bleak and in want of extra funding from town and civic teams. One constructive be aware is that I didn’t discover any trash littering the world, which is an issue at many different native parks. 

The park is residence to 1 occasion that appears to attract large crowds — the San Antonio Water Lantern Pageant, the place attendees get kits to make their very own floating paper lanterns they’ll push out onto the lake. This 12 months’s occasion passed off in September and will have been price trying out. Nevertheless, it’s run by a for-profit firm that excursions the U.S., and tickets begin at greater than $28, which appears a bit of steep to me. The corporate says the fee covers the lanterns and their assortment on the finish of the occasion so that they don’t find yourself littering the pond and affecting the wildlife habitat.

Miller’s Pond has a few mile of asphalt strolling path. This consists of the 0.75-mile Loop Path that circles the pond. Its finest part is alongside the pond’s japanese shore, the place bald cypress and different timber forged shade over spots the place guests can arrange chairs and fish. We noticed all types of geese dabbling within the water alongside this space and close to the car parking zone, together with just a few feral geese that strutted round with a haughty perspective.

Texas Parks and Wildlife shares the pond with channel catfish and rainbow trout. I used to be shocked to see the 2 stocked collectively — channel catfish are native to the japanese U.S., with rainbow trout initially being a Pacific U.S. species that has been launched all around the nation. I realized that Texas Parks and Wildlife shares them collectively pretty typically, together with at Southside Lions Park in San Antonio.  

The Loop Path on the northern facet of the pond is sun-exposed, although it has just a few shade pavilions. The park general presents little shade and could be fairly depressing throughout a scorching afternoon from July by September.

North of the lake is an open space dotted with mesquite timber that forged little shade over patchy, struggling grass and naked grime. The world appears under-used and may benefit from native pollinator vegetation and strolling paths, not less than.

Within the park’s southwest nook lies the 0.25-mile Small Loop, one other asphalt path that circles a baseball diamond. This space had a number of desert willow timber in bloom, with bees plunging into their pink flowers streaked with purple.

The town has owned the park since 1976, when it bought the land from a personal firm. It was referred to as Valley Hello Park till Metropolis Council permitted a reputation change the next 12 months.

The town’s 2022-2027 consists of $800,000 for Miller’s Pond, marked for “common park enhancements” that “could” embrace increasing and enhancing the restroom and car parking zone and including extra shade to the tiny playground, which I’m certain will get wickedly scorching in the summertime. The town estimates the work will happen from spring to fall 2025.

The park additionally features a neighborhood middle with a multi-purpose assembly room and an indoor gymnasium for basketball and volleyball. In keeping with town’s historical past of the park, credit score for pushing town to construct the middle belongs to 2 neighborhood teams — Folks Lively in Group Effort and Southwest Group Affiliation. In addition they had been instrumental in getting town to construct the playground, sports activities fields, lighting and picnic services.

General, Miller’s Pond is clearly essential to surrounding neighborhoods as a spot to fish and chill out by the pond, although Pearsall Park has clearly drawn extra assets from town. I hope that may change, because the park could possibly be higher with a bit of extra funding.