This is a very nice neighborhood park at the base of Big Rock Trailhead. I stopped by the park for a walk and to watch some pickle ball at play. The park has a nice grass area for dog play, but dogs must remain on a leash. There is volley ball court, basket ball court, a playground with equipment, picnic tables that can be reserved for events, restrooms, tennis or pickle ball court, plenty of shaded areas, and a bike rack to lock up your bikes. I liked that the grass area was very well maintained, but the parking area had several pieces of trash lying around. It is said that people just drop their trash when there are public trash cans in sight. At any rate, this is a very nice community park. read more

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This park is great, there's a large field, playground, tennis courts, basketball courts, and table area. A few years back I rented out the table spaces for a baby shower. There's also a little creek area. This park is great to visit on the weekends and during the week as well. read more

Excellent courts and a beginners clinic Sunday morning. Advanced clinic wed afternoon. Mom and I have found this to be a very fun and social sport we can do together. These courts are relatively new and well organized. Fun time!! ( don't tell anyone as the courts are busy ! ;-) ) read more

My kids and I love this park. It has a generous amount of shade to help on the hotter days. The playground equipment is very nice and there is a fun little stream to see tadpoles. The pickle ball courts are always full and the large field is great for parties and bigger events. read more

Excellent park in Santee with plentiful lot and street parking! Awesome place to play pickleball with a lively community and well maintained dedicated courts. Organized paddle holders and everyone following good sportsmanship etiquette ensures a great time! read more

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This is a dog park and not a kid park. Be prepared for dogs over 100 pounds running through kid areas, pooping on mulch that kids play on. There is no fence around the dog park so owners follow no rules and dogs do as they wish. Sad the city won't fix it. read more

Easily one of my favorite parks in San Diego. It offers some great features you can't pass up. Easy parking- not only is there parking just in front but the surrounding neighborhoods offer parking as well. I've never had an issue coming and not getting parking in the main area. Bathrooms, drinking fountains, plenty of seating and bbq spots make it perfect for picnics or parties. Basketball and tennis courts for play. Large structures for kids under the shade of gorgeous trees (my favorite part). Even during the summer the shade provided from the trees mean you don't have to stay indoors. The best part of all: a creek and hiking trail. The creek is dry during the summer but still makes for great exploration. In the winter months it has water so bring some rain boots or a change of clothes and let the kids go wild! read more

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Nice park. One this the basketball court is kinda in a weird spot. Some kids were throwing the ball and a few times it got close to my stepmom's car. If the hoops were facing the other direct ion the would be better in terms of cars. There was about 5 parties going on so there's is plenty of room for more. The parking lot is a little small considering the size of the park but seems to be working out pretty fine. The play area looks nice. Also 3 stalls in the bathroom with one sink read more

Thank you all so much for allowing us to use your courts. Great location; Great folks; Great fun!

We traveled through Big Rock Park on our way to the Cowles trail head. The parking lot is tiny and was packed by the time we arrived. There's only one way in and out, which made maneuvering a bit of a challenge (think lots of big vehicles and not a lot of open space to turn around and exit). We were able to find street parking, and headed towards the trail head from the park. From what we saw while strolling through, it's a nice, open space with lots of offerings for the little ones. We mostly kept to the path, though, as we'd gotten a bit of a later start to the day. read more

Took the trail head from here to the get to the service road for Cowles. It's a nice well kept park, they had a tournament going on this weekend at the tennis courts. And there was people out having picnics. They also have public restrooms that were surprisingly decent for a public restrooms. Parking is a bit limited best to take advantage of the street parking. There are two entrances to the hike you can take either one in. They merge at the center. Overall rocky dirt trail but it offers more shade than the front side of Cowles. read more

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Me and my daycare kids went to this park for the first time and we really enjoyed it. Had nice playground equipment: it's located across lot from an elementary school. We had lunch their and hit ice cream from truck that came before we left. Well taken care of park. read more

Best park in San Diego. I love how it is gated and kids feel safe to run around this huge grassy park and enjoy the small river that runs through it. Basketball and sand volleyball court and 8 pickleball courts along with a large jungle gym area for all ages. Lots of parking at the school parking lot or on the street. read more

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Nice park. The playground is fairly large and well maintained. There are 4 toddler swings, and 4 other swings on the 5-12 year old side. There's a nice little creek flowing to the side of the playground, which makes for a nice background for photos. However, there are a few drawbacks. Parking is a bit difficult. There were only a few spots left on a Friday morning, and it's mostly street parking. Not fun having to cross the street with a toddler! lol Also, I'm not a fan of wood chips! Although, they are better than sand, but they are still messy and get stuck in my kids shoes. And my little boy likes to throw them at people and put them in a pile on the slides! So I prefer playgrounds with rubber padding. I might come back, but I like my regular park better :) read more

Excellent courts and a beginners clinic Sunday morning. Advanced clinic wed afternoon. Mom and I have found this to be a very fun and social sport we can do together. These courts are relatively new and well organized. Fun time!! ( don't tell anyone sd the courts are busy ! ;-) ) read more

-Tons of shade -Chill families ‍‍‍ -Chill dogs -Basketball court -Tennis court -A mf creek This park is the S H I T read more

Pretty sweet spot, Volleyball, basketball, tennis, play area, its almost like they want you to have fun here. Oh unless you have to use the bathroom, its like the City or the employees dont give a sh**, the sink doesnt work, the urinal smells cause either no one flushes or it doesn't work, so much for health and safety. If there was a rating system i would give this place a (1) outa (5), five being okay and one sucking big time. read more

Big Rock Park - Crappy bathrooms, - Parks Near Me - Santee, California

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Big rock park is a great place to take a hike with the family. You can also bring a packed lunch and a blanket and sit down and enjoy the birds flying around. You can also watch the people flying their drones around the park. Dogs and children love to chase the drones it's pretty funny. read more

Love this park. Also enjoy playing pickle ball. All kinds of people come to enjoy this place. Lots of Parking on Mesa Road, backside of the park. read more

Beautiful park. Not too crowded even on a sunny Saturday. There are playground for young children, toddlers, public restrooms, a basket ball court and a beach volleyball set up, picnic tables and you can let your dog off the leash!! Great, right? There is also a way to get to another trail that leads to Cowles mountain. read more

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:-\ This rock at this park is not that big. :-( I'm left underwhelmed. 2 woofs. Meh, I've seen bigger rocks at other parks. read more

Big Rock Park - Parks Near Me - Santee, California

Love this park! This park is named after the trailhead it's at the base of, not because there are big rocks. (Though, there are some larger rocks near the stream at the west end of the park) It's got different size play structures for kids 5+ and my two year old does fine with guidance and handholding. There are swings, baby swings and grass to run and play in. For the townhouse owners in the area, this is a great backyard! :) The picnic area is not covered with a pavilion, but with trellises. They are some of the least expensive places I've seen to rent with bbqs. Parking on a weekend morning is not a problem as the adjacent elementary school is closed, which opens up the lot. The park is at a trail head to a trail at the backside of Cowles mountain, which is another activity for older kids. A friend had her two year olds birthday party here by setting up a table and having a party at 10am and serving donuts, milk and juice. It was wonderful and simple and a total win! read more

Oh my goodness, what a gem of a park and hike as well as OFF LEASH DOG PARK! And, if you play pickle ball, this has meet up groups that come multiple times a day (all ages, but mostly mid to late age). The hike goes up a challenging climb to the service road for back side of cowels. I went early January, and it felt like fall (and I say that as an East Coast person), all the leaves changing color and falling and crunchy leaves to jump/step on. The park at the bottom of the hill is built for a variety of ages. Not too crowded, so we had room to play safely as well as everyone who came was respectful of guidelines. Dogs were all very friendly. I had so much fun and have been back multiple times. read more

Nice little community park. There's a nice play area, greens to run around on, baseball field, restrooms, volleyball field, and sufficient parking. read more

It does not matter how lovely a Neighborhood Park is, IF you can not park anywhere near it to enjoy it. The Parking Lot and surrounding streets are packed with vehicles between 8:45 AM-Noon. Pickle Ball takes up the entire area. Which makes it next to impossible to enjoy Big Rock Park. Therefore, the families that live in the neighborhood must drive over 3 miles to go to West Hills Park. Then we are able to put the little ones on Toys and walk our Dogs. We also do not have to drag supplies ( Ice Chest & Tricycles) a long way. Ample Parking, well planned out! What a shame we Lost Our Neighborhood Park to folks that don't even live around here. Thanks Santee! Your Lack of Consideration for your residents is only overshadowed by your Greed! read more

This is my sons and my favorite park. Tons of shade trees, a small playground for young children, and a larger one for big kids. Great places to walk dogs and even a tennis court. Just watch out for rattlesnakes! read more

Came on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty packed. No parking, but we were able to park at the school nearby. My kids loved the play structures and the little creek. Tennis courts, basketball court, one net setup for beach volleyball tons of picnic tables and lots of shade to stay out of this California heat. Like someone else said in their review, play area for kids does have bark chips so make sure kids wear tennis shoes! Don't have any complaints my family will definitely be back! read more

The park has got a very spacious basketball court.The park is like any other park but a bit better.

This park is always clean and pretty well maintained. The bathrooms are close by the playground (although maybe not as close as I would like while in the process of potty training - bring your portable potty if you're doing that!) A couple things of note: There's a lot of shade and the area gets pretty cool and kind of windy so bring a light sweater. In the summer, the equipment gets super hot so don't go in the afternoon. There is a school across the street so the park gets flooded with kids at about 2:30. At that point you are committed to staying until 3 because 1) your kid will want to play with the others and 2) you can't get out of the parking lot anyways. There's a nice path that encircles the play area so you could conceivably walk and watch your kid. I don't though. I sit and drink Starbucks like the basic bitch I am. Overall, it's a good park for almost all ages. The terrain is wood chips/bark so wear tennis shoes and make your kids wear them (unless you don't like them, then give them flip flops) read more

Big rock park is kinda hidden away from the main road of Mission Gorge. It serves a city of Santee Park for the neighborhood west of the 125 freeway. I kinda wandered through here on my way to the trail system that is directly behind the park or at the top North of Mesa road. The trail system back here feeds into the Mission Trails regional park, you can end up at the other end on Lake Murray Blvd or go west towards Cowles Mountain, which is what I ended up doing. The park however is a great size park and very clean. read more

Big Rock Park is on the back (North) side of Cowels Mountain & has plenty of shade for those hotter days. If you have little ones, the playground is sprawling. For dog owners, there isn't an enclosed area, but between the hours of dawn to 9am, dogs can run free unleashed. There are a couple of tennis courts & a volleyball court for group sports, and if you're the type of person who just wants to lay down on a blanket beneath some trees & watch the clouds, this park is for you as well. Parking for probably 30 cars too! read more

Small and cute little park nestled in the middle of a residential area. I would have never known this park existed had it not been for a birthday party invitation this weekend. I loved the feel of all the trees surrounding me - small, large, and green all around - very relaxing. read more

Great park! Always nice and clean. Great for taking your dog or for going exploring with your little nephew! I really wanna BBQ here during the summer. They have lots of grills with picnic tables adjacent to them. Can't wait... :) read more

Big Rock Park - Parks Near Me - Santee, California

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I am gonna go out on a limb and say I feel it's one of the nicer parks in Southern California. That being said, lots of people bring their dogs there in the morning to do their business. Apparently from dawn till 9am you can let your dog run free there. I commented to my family on what a decent bathroom they have there. Stall with a door that locks, nice seat and a handicap bar. Well this morning when I went to use it the handicap bar was smashed in. I didn't look around, but I wouldn't be surprised if they damaged other stuff in there read more

Very nice park with big playground in the shade. Bathroom, picnic tables, basket ball court, etc! read more

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My two kids (6, 8) love coming here. Nice playground, sidewalks to rider their razor scooters, a small creak to hunt frogs and climb around the rocks, plenty of trees to sit in the shade and relax. Picnic tables with a BBQ pit next to each one to use. Very nice park. read more

This is a pretty good park. It gets way too full on the weekends, but it's good so the kids can interact with each other. This park is always very clean and has decent people. My daughter usually has no problem meeting little friends and playing with other children. I definitely prefer the woody floor compared to mast parks' sandy floor. read more

Big Rock Park - Playing by the slide - Parks Near Me - Santee, California

This is a great place to take kids or meet up with old friends. There is an annual reunion for the Big Rock area and Chet F Harret alumni. It is a LOT of fun... there have been multiple birthday parties and jumpers. Plus they have a little stage area for acoustic bands to set up and perform. If you live (or used to live) in Big Rock area, come on out to the reunion of August 23, 2014. Many old schoolers and new alum will be there. Enjoy yourselves and keep it safe... read more

It's a small community park but pleasant. Restrooms, picnic benches, a playground, tennis courts and handball. Lease free dog area in the evening so watch for poop land mine. read more

This is a very nice local park for kinds and families and dogs. They have restrooms. Not serious for hiking, so the Cowles Mountain next to the park would take care of the more serious workouts. read more