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Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center
Part of East County, our guide to El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Lakeside and Alpine.
Mission Trails Regional Park is a City of San Diego park of more than 8,000 acres with about 60 miles of trails. Its Visitor Center, at One Father Junipero Serra Trail in San Diego, is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trail Tykes, for ages 2 to 5, is free with registration.Checked October 23, 2026.
Run ByThe City of San Diego, with the nonprofit Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation. The Visitor Center is inside the City of San Diego, not in Santee; Santee borders the park.
AddressOne Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA 92119. Phone (619) 668-3281. Kumeyaay Lake and Day Use Campground: Two Father Junipero Serra Trail, (619) 668-2748.
Hours“Open Daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.” Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
AdmissionSee event site. No entry or parking fee is stated on the pages read.
What It HasExhibits, a library, a gift shop, regular art exhibits and a view of Mission Gorge. The 94-seat theater is “temporarily closed.”
Trail TykesAges 2 to 5, with a story, song and crafts, “free and open to the public” with registration, every Sunday and Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Visitor Center. A $5 per family donation is “suggested” and optional.
Park NewsThe park’s home page says the South Fortuna “Stairway to Heaven” is slated for reconstruction. No closure dates were read.
Visitor Center building coordinates: the map point is the road, not the building.
Fees and parking charges: not stated.
Dates and times for the Creepy Critters campfire program, trail guide walks, stargazing, a free woodwind concert and the Holiday Marketplace: not read.
Any current trail closure: not confirmed.
Whether the Trail Tykes schedule, stated as beginning September 2025, is still current.
Santee-side trailhead details: not read.
More in East County
FAQ
Is the Mission Trails Visitor Center in Santee?
No. It is in the City of San Diego, at One Father Junipero Serra Trail. Santee borders the park.
Is Trail Tykes free?
The park page says it is free and open to the public with registration; a $5 per family donation is suggested but optional.
Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.
