Miramar Reservoir, reservoir in San Diego, California, US

Miramar Reservoir is a reservoir in the Scripps Ranch community of San Diego, California, held back by a 165-foot-tall earthen embankment dam completed in 1960. Its water arrives from the Colorado River Aqueduct and the California Aqueduct by way of the San Diego County Water Authority. The City of San Diego owns and operates it, and an over 5-mile trail wraps around the lake.

Miramar Reservoir and its 165-foot earthen embankment dam were completed in 1960 as part of the second San Diego Aqueduct project. The Miramar Water Treatment Plant followed in 1962, serving about 500,000 customers in northern San Diego. An upgrade and expansion of the plant began in summer 1998, with construction starting in May 2001 and finishing in 2011, adding chlorine and ozone disinfection facilities.

The name Miramar translates to "sea view"; when the lake was owned by newspaper tycoon E.W. Scripps and his sister Ellen Browning, the ocean was visible from it. Locals call the reservoir Lake Miramar and use it for boating, fishing, picnicking and a trail over 5 miles long. A white Chinese goose named Louie, born in 2006 and killed by a coyote in 2022, was a well-known therapy animal here.

The reservoir is open from sunrise to sunset and offers ample parking, restrooms, and picnic areas with grilling options. Bring water and sunscreen since summers get warm, and wear comfortable shoes for the trails.

The reservoir's 165-foot earthen dam, finished in 1960, carries a stretch of the over 5-mile lakeside trail; that dam section was fenced off after the September 11 attacks and reopened in 2007. From it walkers look out over Mira Mesa, Miramar and University City.