Squirrel Lake Park

Squirrel Lake Park is the Matthews town park on Pleasant Plains Road. A lake and waterfall anchor the grounds, with shaded trails, benches, a modern playground, picnic shelters, restrooms and a wooden pavilion. A wooded disc golf course plays tight through the trees. Birds come to the lake edge and children can feed them, which keeps a visit going longer than you planned. The park is the town’s flagship and gets busy on weekend afternoons, particularly around the playground and the shelters. Weekday mornings are quiet and the trails stay cool in summer.

What to know

• The park connects to the Four Mile Creek Greenway.
• Summer camp programs run fishing and nature scavenger hunts.
• Blackberry bushes grow along the trails in season.
• Shelters can be reserved, and weekend afternoons get busy.
• The shaded trails make it one of the better summer walks in the county.