Here is my review of Harriman Lake Park in Littleton as part of my search for the best picnic spots in Colorado 🙂

So if you take the trail from the parking lot to the south of the lake (go left) then there will be at least 2 picnic tables. These were listed on their website but I wanted to find a better ground spot to spread out my blanket.

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Picnic Rating – 22/30

Parking + restrooms: 3/5 – Parking definitely available but no restrooms. This is more like a wildlife reserve and they’re trying to prevent humans from leaving trash and messing it up.

Benches + tables: 4/5 – There are a few benches and at least 2 picnic tables at the south side of the lake – as mentioned earlier. The park website used the wildlife reserve description as a reason for fewer tables.

Flat soft ground: 5/5 – A lot of flat ground and some mild inclines that are in the shade. Since it’s a lake shore the ground is mostly sand/small rocks but still comfortable for a blanket.

Shady spots: 3/5 – Several shady spots under trees (will post a photo example of this below). I picked one on the south east side around noon but since the trees were behind me and the sun was moving west – my spot lost shade around 3 pm and it got hot. The shady spots on the south west side stayed pretty shady consistently but were more incliney and I wasn’t planning to stay too long.

Isolated: 3/5 – Many families on walks and one claimed the picnic table pictured above soon after I chose my spot. I did see a tiny bit of green glass and a cigarette butt near my spot which was upsetting – means my spot was a commonly used one possibly. Several people came up to the lake side in front of me to take photos. Could eavesdrop on them pretty easily.

Scenic: 4/5 – Definitely pretty! It’s just a lake but I like that there’s a mountain view too. Also a lot of ducks and other cool birds. Some footage of the birds are in the video I took (embedded below)

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Here is something I bring on all my picnics that was very useful this time:

Anker Power Bank + Charger: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Charger-Foldable/dp/B01K702S66

It plugs directly into outlets and you can use it like a normal wall charger – but when you don’t have it charging a phone it charges itself and you can use it like a portable power bank. It has multiple usb ports so you can use different cords and charge multiple things at the same time (like your Kindle and your phone).

Important if you plan on staying out for a bit and don’t want to worry about your electronics dying (since there aren’t usually outlets near the best picnic spots).

Hopefully one day this blog gets to the point where it has enough readers and I can ask amazon to give me affiliate links lol

Super peaceful park. Would recommend! There was a family from the north side of the lake who walked down to this side and the kid said “Can we relocate to this area? It’s shady down here” – so I think I picked the best spot. Probably cooler and shadier in the morning though.