This guide covers 25 San Diego parks and preserves beyond our larger park pages: 19 county, 5 city and 1 state. Most county parks charge $5 day-use parking; Palomar Mountain State Park charges $10 per vehicle. Hours and closures were read on 2026-10-23 and can change.Checked October 23, 2026.
Places in Parks in San Diego
Palomar Mountain State Park
Forest state park with camping, trails and a trout pond. $10 per vehicle, cash or check.
Regional ParkGuajome Regional Park
Oceanside-area county park with ponds, playgrounds and 4.5 miles of trails. $5 parking.
Historic AdobeRancho Guajome Adobe
1850s adobe hacienda and county museum in Vista. Museum open Wednesday to Sunday.
County ParkWilliam Heise County Park
929-acre pine and oak park above Julian that gets snow every year. About 11 miles of trails.
County Park and LakeLake Morena County Park
Mountain lake park near the Pacific Crest Trail, stocked with trout. No swimming.
County Park and Hot SpringsAgua Caliente County Park
Hot-spring pools and desert hiking, open Labor Day weekend to Memorial Day. Pool entry $7.
County ParkFlinn Springs County Park
40-acre oak-shaded park east of El Cajon with a year-round stream and 2.5 miles of trails.
County PreserveOakoasis County Preserve
Nearly 400 acres in Lakeside with a 2.5-mile loop and free monthly star parties.
County ParkLive Oak County Park
27-acre oak park in Fallbrook with playgrounds, courts, an amphitheater and a dog area.
Downtown ParkWaterfront Park at The County Administration Center
Downtown waterfront lawns, splash fountains and an off-leash dog area. Free entry.
Regional ParkOtay Valley Regional Park
River-valley park in South Bay with 8.3 miles of trails and seven ponds. No off-road vehicles.
County and City PreserveLos Penasquitos Canyon Preserve
About 4,000-acre canyon preserve with a creek, a spring waterfall and an 1820s adobe. Trails can close after rain.
County PreserveLusardi Creek County Preserve
About 195 acres along a creek, with roughly 3 miles of trail linking to more.
County PreservesSanta Ysabel County Preserves
Two preserves totaling 4,600 acres near Julian with more than 15 miles of trails.
County PreserveWilderness Gardens County Preserve
The county's oldest open space preserve: 737 acres on the San Luis Rey River. Closed Wednesdays.
County ParkSan Dieguito County Park
Del Mar-area park with a fitness hill, suspension bridges, kids' trails and duck ponds.
County PreserveSanta Margarita County Preserve
221-acre river corridor in Fallbrook with two miles of trail. No fishing.
County ParkPotrero County Park
Oak-dotted valley campground 45 miles east of San Diego with 37 sites and two cabins.
County PreserveMt. Gower County Preserve
1,574-acre chaparral preserve near Ramona with 8 miles of trails. Closed every August for heat.
County PreserveBarnett Ranch County Preserve
728-acre ranch preserve near Ramona with 4 miles of trails, a 2.5-mile loop and viewpoints.
City Natural ParkMarian Bear Memorial Park
467 acres of canyon parkland with over three miles of mostly flat trail. No horses.
City Natural ParkTecolote Canyon Natural Park and Nature Center
Clairemont canyon park with a nature center open Tuesday to Saturday. Trail work is under way.
City Open SpaceSan Pasqual-Clevenger Canyon Open Space Park
Granite and chaparral trails above San Pasqual Valley. No bikes, horses or restrooms.
City Open SpaceBlack Mountain Open Space Park
2,352 acres in Rancho Peñasquitos with a 2.5-mile trail to a 1,554-foot summit.
City ParkKate Sessions Neighborhood Park
79-acre hilltop park on Mount Soledad with views of Mission Bay. Closed 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
How This Guide Works
Every page here comes from an official County of San Diego, City of San Diego or California State Parks page read on 2026-10-23. The list covers 19 county parks and preserves, 5 city parks and open spaces, and 1 state park. Day-use parking at most county parks is $5, and Palomar Mountain State Park charges $10 per vehicle, cash or check.
County Parks pages carried a Storm Recovery banner about closures and updates when read; no closures were itemized. Check the official page before you go.
Parks Already Covered Elsewhere on This Site
These larger parks have their own pages: Mission Trails Regional Park, Balboa Park, Mission Bay Park, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Daley Ranch, Sweetwater Summit Regional Park, Dos Picos County Park, Collier County Park, Felicita County Park, Louis A. Stelzer County Park, Lindo Lake County Park, Spring Valley County Park, Pine Valley County Park and Ramona Grasslands County Preserve.
Events in Parks in San Diego
0 confirmed dates are on the Parks in San Diego events page, from the organizers’ own pages.
What We Could Not Verify
- Dog rules, fees and hours are not stated for several parks; each page says which. The agency named on that page can confirm.
- Map points for 11 parks were not confirmed and are left off. The 14 shown come from OpenStreetMap name matches, not surveyed entrances.
- County pages carried a Storm Recovery banner about park closures and updates when read on 2026-10-23; no closures were itemized there. Check the official page before you go.
FAQ
Which parks cost money?
Most county parks charge $5 for day-use parking. Palomar Mountain State Park charges $10 per vehicle, cash or check only. Agua Caliente adds $7 for pool entry. City open spaces list no fee on the pages read.
Are there closures?
County pages showed a Storm Recovery banner on 2026-10-23 and itemized none. Mt. Gower closes every August, and Agua Caliente is open Labor Day weekend to Memorial Day.
Sources
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.