There are several different ways to answer your question, actually. Officially, the path on Picnic Point is called the Lake Mendota Path, and it runs two miles from the base of Picnic Point on Observatory Drive, out to the point, and then west along the lakeshore to Eagle Heights. But, if you’re asking how long the whole Lakeshore Path is — which includes the Lake Mendota Path and the Howard Temin Path that runs from One Alumni Place to University Bay Drive — the answer is just under 4.5 miles. But, if you wonder how far it is from the tip of Picnic Point to the Memorial Union Terrace — that answer is about 2.7 miles, or about 4,752 yards, or about 14,256 feet. Your pedometer would probably tell you it’s nearly 6,000 paces, assuming that you didn’t meander to look at wildflowers.