A hidden gem: Three Lakes Park

When I introduced my monthly urban oasis series back in January, I received an email from Vee Davis suggesting I visit Three Lakes Park in Henrico County. It seemed perfect. I had never heard of it but, after doing a little research, realized the park had much to offer. Fishing lakes, trails, and a nature center and other habitat display areas.

It seemed to fit the criteria for the series quite well: A hidden gem overlooked by many that offered a mini-wilderness experience close to home.

As I dug deeper, though, it turned out that Three Lakes Park, while definitely a gem, was only hidden to me. According to statistics from the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the park attracted over 230,000 visitors in 2007, making it a top 10 tourist attraction in the Richmond area. How had I overlooked this place for so long?

Earlier this week I decided to rectify that situation and make Three Lakes Park the (belated) April entry in the series.

On Monday, just ahead of the ongoing deluge of the past few days, my wife and I packed up the dogs and the fishing gear and drove out to the park, just a couple of miles from the Chamberlayne exit on I-95. We parked next to the nature center on the banks of the second (middle) lake and decided to fish Lake 1 before checking out the aquarium and other displays the center offers.

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries stocks Lakes 1 and 3 with the usual freshwater suspects - largemouth bass, redear sunfish, bluegill and channel catfish. Lake 1 is the biggest, at about seven acres and a maximum depth of eight feet, though calling the place Three Ponds Park would probably be more accurate. All three were dug out as borrow pits during the creation of I-64.

(All this "Lake 3, 2 and 1" business brings me to a minor point of annoyance with the park: The county should really come up with a naming contest for the lakes. "Lake 2" sounds so impersonal. Why not offer corporate naming rights? Everybody's doing it. Don't you think, "Hey mom, I'm going fishing at Richmond Times-Dispatch Lake" has a nice ring to it? It could be next to "Lake Ukrop's" and "CarMax Pond.")

We walked the wooded trail alongside Lake 1 - the raised level and overhanging vegetation made it feel like a tunnel - eventually arriving at a spit of land with picnic tables. It was a cloudy day and a school day, but considering how many people visit the park every year, we were surprised to pass only two other people.

I tied a rubber worm onto my spinning rod and probed the pond for largemouth bass. Nothing doing. I moved to a different area, this time along a section of bank with some low vegetation. As I went to make my first cast, I was scared nearly witless by the squawk of a Canada goose just a few feet away in the brush. I'm not sure how I hadn't seen it, but it took off onto the lake, sounding the alarm.

When I looked closer at the area the bird vacated, I discovered how I'd gotten so close and why the bird seemed so angry. Two large eggs, both white with dark speckling, sat in a nest of sticks on the ground. I guess I'm lucky the mother didn't come after me instead of taking off.

I decided I didn't need to fish in this exact spot, and, once the bird was sure I wasn't coming back, it went back to its nest.

I saw lots of fish jump on Lake 1, including a huge grass carp, and got a few nibbles but couldn't seem to hook anything. Maybe it was the muddy water. Maybe it was my lack of talent as a bass fisherman. Either way, we decided to put up the rods and the dogs and tour the nature center. One problem: It's closed on Mondays.

Here's what we missed: A 50,000-gallon outdoor aquarium (with window ports inside the building) housing a variety of freshwater fish; exhibits on reptiles, amphibians, and snakes; and examples of every species of freshwater turtle that lives in Virginia. There's more, of course, but that's what I learned by doing an Internet search for the park. I've already got plans to go back when the nature center is open.

Only then will I be able to say I've truly experienced Three Lakes Park - a favorite urban oasis for so many Richmonders. Until then, at least I can say it's no longer a gem hidden to me.