I’ve been all over the Southeast this year-and Europe too, so I missed what is happening in my own backyard.

You can now walk all around Beaver Lake in North Asheville.

Since we moved to North Asheville, Beaver Lake has been our quick walk from home. We walk down to Merriman Ave. to the Lake, see what’s new around the neighborhood, and walk around the Lake. But until now, we’ve had to walk on the road to complete the circle. No more!

Beaver Lake is private. The Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society owns the southern end and maintains it as a bird sanctuary.

The lake and the rest of the property around the lake is owned by the Lake View Park residents, a neighborhood of houses around Beaver Lake. They have hired a warden to be on site. But through some arrangement which I don’t understand, the public can walk and jog around the lake. Thank you!

But until very recently, you couldn’t make the full circle around the lake. There was a tall fence on either side of a section in front of a house. It seems that a few home owners objected to walkers passing in front of their houses. The Lake View Park Commission argued for free access and a judge agreed. So the fences were removed.

It seems that one house is still appealing the ruling. But from what a resident told me, the Lake View Park folks are prepared to fight this neighbor in court, if necessary, to keep the walking circle walkeable.

Lenny and I walked around it yesterday, a beautiful sunny day. We met other walkers who were smiling and giving us the thumbs up. As Lenny said,

“Our quality of life has just gone up.”