No shade for the kids playground. Kids can not play on playground during the day in the summer. Structure is scorching hot. The park is a nice park. Spacious. There are holes so be careful. There's a dog park too. But mostly dirt not grass for the dogs. People let their pets off leash outside of the dog park area though. read more

My favourite park in East County! It's absolutely gorgeous on a sunny day. I run here often and the surrounding neighbourhoods in fletcher hills are beautiful as well. The amphitheater is beautiful. A nice place to spend a day with your family when it's sunny out. read more

Harry Griffen Park - Parks Near Me - La Mesa, California

It's a very simple nice little nature walk. I typed in hiking near me but I think Yelp can't tell the difference from an *actual* hike vs a park with a trail but still I enjoyed the dirt trails with pretty native plants all around. The wooden gazebo like structures all over were cute to me! I'm not sure of what purpose they serve but it's a nice touch to the park, walking around to hunt for them all amused me. Nice naturalistic photo ops are all around here. Only a star down for.. well I guess the size? I was wanting a lot more of a excursion. This was my plan B since Cowles Mountain is my Go-To but I wanted to try someplace new! Wasn't too much of a disappointment I did enjoy the slight nature walk vibe of it all. Also enjoyed the dog park!! My Rogelio did not want to leave. All in all, it's a nice park for sure. read more

Harry Griffen Park - Parks Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Lovely park has lots of trees and with so much potential. Nice trails and picnic grounds and children's play sets. BUT the dog park is almost all dirt which means there's lots of dust that the dogs and people have to breathe. Also there's this giant open space you WANT to play on --soccer, baseball, frisbee and more -- but you CAN'T because it is riddled with gopher holes across the entire field and you'd probably break an ankle or two. So disappointing. Such a wasted space. read more

My dog and I love Harry Griffen Park. There are several gated dog park enclosures which are great for dogs of different sizes or for dogs who enjoy being with a lot of dogs or just a few dogs. Always a bit cooler at the park, love that. read more

Harry Griffen Park - Lucky loves the park - Parks Near Me - La Mesa, California

Had an event that we attended for my daughters online school. They had a fitness testing held here which we worried about since 90% of San Diego down poured all morning till about 11am. But after the rain there wasn't many water puddles, there is alot of open land for kids to run around. Tables with covered roofing and a few benches around the play ground. They have a restroom On site and an area where there are posts from people hosting upcoming events. If you drive towards the other side of the park there is a dog park with two different sides for different sizes of your fur babies. Highly recommend this park! read more

Harry Griffen Park - Parks Near Me - La Mesa, California

This is not really my type of a dog park. Like the others have said it's a 3 dirt areas for the doggies to run in with wire fences. We took our doggie here when we were touring the area for a good place to take him to run....and it didn't really work out very well for us. He ended up smelling like poop when he got home....it was so gross. I like a bigger area for me doggie to run in and grass....he likes grass. read more

Harry Griffen Park - Parks Near Me - La Mesa, California

This place is every dogs dream. Huge, green, peaceful & relaxing. Wish I lived closer. read more

Harry Griffen Park - Leila loves this park. - Parks Near Me - La Mesa, California

Scuzzy & dirty. The dog portion is small with a lot of dogs doing their business in a small confined area, so it's extra nasty there. Lots of doped out teens depending on what time of day. I stopped going over a year ago when I was walking thru the non dog portion of the park & my dog almost stepped on some junkies needle in the grass. read more

Griffen park visitors don't regulate their dogs on a leash. I've seen dogs attacking other dogs. This is,a place for everyone to enjoy.

I haven't had a chance to explore this whole park but what I've seen is very nice. We mostly use the playground area. Best time to go in the summer is late afternoon because there isn't much shade until that time, it can get pretty hot. Looking forward to checking out more of the park. read more

Nice big park! Lots of grass to run around on! The only downside is that it can get pretty crowded! Although I've never had trouble finding parking here, so maybe I'm just used to very uncrowded parks lol read more

We come here every weekend during the summer on Sundays at 6 for the concerts. We bring a picnic and some beach chairs and enjoy the cool shade, music and community. The amphitheater has grass and a stage plus a clean restroom, a kids playground and a dog park. There really is something here for everyone and a lot of open grassy space for fun times. read more

I personally think La Mesa lacks good parks overall, there's so many more better options in San Diego. But Harry Griffen Park is definitely one of the better ones in the eastern La Mesa area. It's a bit hidden from the road, but you can find it behind the Grossmont High School fields close to Severin Drive. The park kinda has three different types of areas here. The dog run area is one feature people may like about this place, however it's very busy on the weekends and can get crowded with lots of people. Then you have the open grass field area with picnic tables and open space for big parties. Then they have some kind of weird trail system that leads you from the grass area that ends up near Poppy street. My dog doesn't do well in dog parks so I don't take her in that area, but I do enjoy walking around the trail area. It's a very small loop trail that is relatively flat with a few small inclines. Like I said before, there's plenty of better parks close by, but if you have a dog who enjoys dog runs, Harry Griffen might be the place. I usually only end up here when I don't feel like dealing with the crowds at Lake Murray, otherwise I'd rather go there. read more

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Nice big park... best late in the day when it's not too crowded (which it typically is)... CAUTION: The park does 'not' close at 10pm, like most parks. This one closes "1hr after sunset". So you can imagine how surprised I was when, this past Friday at 9:38p, my dog & I got in the car and started driving out - only to find the gate was chained closed and 'locked'. I had to leave my car there, we both crawled out underneath the fence (barely) then I called an Uber to take us home. Next morning, had to call a ride to take me back out there to get my car. Yes, as it turns out, there is a sign there (off to the side) as you enter, but it's easy to miss if you're not specifically 'looking' for a sign. Enjoy. read more

" A Hidden Away Gem " Harry Griffen Regional Park is a small hidden away park by Grossmont High School that services a lot of families and sporting event, concerts, etc. It is very clean and very well maintained. There is also a nice dog park that you can enjoy. People fly kites from this park and this is a great quite place to watch concerts. Harry Griffen is one of the best parks I have ever been too in the San Diego County Area. read more

I visited the Harry Griffen Regional Park this week with my daughter and a big group of other Mom friends and their kids. We were so impressed with this park and how well it is maintained!! The bathrooms were clean which is uncommon for a San Diego park. We visit parks all over San Diego county with our Outdoor Class and this park is always a favorite with all of us. We drive from all over the county to visit this park because it such a beautiful spot. The staff that works there are very friendly and answered our questions about the trees and I can tell that the trees and plants are well taken care of here. The staff also talked to our kids about the Butterfly area and where to go look for the Chrysalis and Butterflies. I can tell that the staff here work really hard to keep things looking nice at this park. We didn't see any trash around the playground either which was so nice. There are some little trails for hiking that are easy for little kids and a little bridge area where the kids like to play on and under. The playground has a lot to do for little kids and for older kids. The tire swing is a favorite for many of the kids. read more

Although I'm a die-hard Grape Street Dog Park fan, I'd heard about Harry Griffen from a few East County residents and decided to give it a shot one Sunday (okay, today) when I was feeling too lazy to drive all the way to South Park. The park itself is huge and has ample grassy areas for picnicking and the like. I just Googled it and apparently it occupies a total of 53 acres of space. There's a baseball diamond, a jogging path, playgrounds for kids, etc etc etc. There's also a large ampitheatre that I somehow missed seeing entirely. Quite frankly, I only intended on reviewing the dog park area, because that's really my only particular interest, but this does seem relevant. Bear with me. So... the dog run (more of a "run" than a "park", in my opinion)... It's basically a fenced-in dirt area with three separate sections for small, medium, and large sized dogs. Abundant poop-bag dispensers and water containers, although the fountain was pretty clogged up and nasty. Sunday morning and there were only six or seven other dogs in the large-sized area. While sitting in a chair in a shady area, I got peed on... TWICE. Not that this really has anything to do with the park itself, but seriously, I've never been pissed on anywhere else, and certainly not repeatedly. There was a lady with corroded teeth that was rudely and audibly insulting my dog and my roommate... so I have to say that overall my first experience wasn't totally thrilling. However, the fact that the park is segregated and fenced might appeal to dog owners whose pooches have a tendency toward running off and/or terrorizing the little guys. Incidentally I have to say that I saw more mini-altercations here than I typically do at Grape Street, Coronado or Del Mar beach, but maybe it was an off morning. My three stars are an average between the Park itself (4 stars) and the dog area (2 stars). Anyway, I'm really hoping someone else reviews this soon. :) read more

I take my kids to the playground here when it's not hot as hell out. They have a nice play structure for young kids and one for older kids. There is also a large grassy area and a few shaded picnic tables - perfect for parties with bounce houses. There's a decent amount of parking when there isn't a birthday party going on. The bathrooms seem creepy, so I keep my kids away. I don't have a dog, so I've never been to the dog park part. Whenever I'm here, I think about the bodies that landed here after a plane crash. Creepy. read more

Our family loves this park! Great playground with pretty trees surrounding. Great for daytime picnics. We absolutely love the huge grass area for getting the kids some extra exercise and being able to run free, also cute little trails to walk through. Overall I think this park is beautiful and not overrun with homeless which is happening to many parks in San Diego. We have seen plenty of dogs chasing balls in the HUGE open grassy field, but we've never been accosted by a dog. All have been very friendly. We are literally here 3 times a week and the grass field has so much space, it's really not a big deal if a dog is getting exercise chasing balls. Better get their energy out here than have them make trouble or escape their home only to end up in a shelter. Overall Great family park! Can't wait for events during summer. read more

Based on the dog run only: Ewww. Dirt. No grass, just dirt. Surrounded by wire fences. With some white plastic chairs and dirty water bowls. Two stars instead of one for the little dog/big dog areas and the fire hydrant - I'm sure the hydrant was just THERE, but it made me chuckle anyway. Took Dharma here while housesitting for my parents in La Mesa. Should've just driven to Grape Street... read more

I go here sometimes to take a walk around the entire perimeter of the park and/or sit at the tables to eat a salad and drink I bring from Costco. The picnic tables and restrooms are right next to the playground, so I understand the "creepy" factor mentioned by Erin C. Being a single male, who has the right to use a public park, I have found myself being stared at by paranoid parents. On one occassion while eating my lunch and minding my own business, I had a crazy parent demand to know what I was doing sitting near the playground ! (because that is where tables are located, maybe ?) read more

not the best...no grass in the dog area - all dirt. Was not to excited about this place read more

Harry Griffen Park - Parks Near Me - La Mesa, California

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DOG PARK: It has its regulars. I've brought my dog since she was 6 mo. I've stopped letting her in the dog walk because I know that us pet owners can only remove the pet from a situation and cannot control all behavior. I've never seen an issue that I couldn't manage. I stopped bringing my dog inside because the negligent pet owners get on their phones, chat cluelessly, or those that simply daydream while their dogs misbehave. I dislike the wild packs & it works up my dog into a fury. But since she's a gentle giant she doesn't bite but because she intimidates other dogs she and I have been bitten. She does growl like an intimidating murderer I admit that but she only tries to mount and dominate other large dogs. I do not blame the other dogs from defending themselves as they do not know what my dog will do. There have been clueless pet parents that only look up as if it's my dog or only my fault. Dogs, like children, are unpredictable and I control my situation with attentive training and a conditioned environment. All we can do is our best to supervise. I do recommend this park but be attentive. PARK: The park services do their best to keep the grounds well kept and clean. Overall it's a good local park for kids and outdoor activities. It's safe and can be fun. My biggest complaint is the people that do not clean up after themselves on weekends. I have picked up trash from people's birthday celebrations, kids throw stuff, I understand. But when there is bags of trash or adults' trash left about... it's upsetting. I hated to do this but I saw an older couple and the man was shaving on a picnic table. DISGUSTING! I said, "There's a bathroom over there." They did not seem homeless. They pretended not to understand so I told them in Arabic, which I'm sure surprised them LOL... Also some kids try to smoke cigarettes, vap & smoke medicinal near the play ground. Signs are posted and I don't want smoke around my kid. I tried to say this politely but I said, "There is NO SMOKING here. It's posted and you don't look old enough to smoke." Just be aware and politely maintain this park for everyone. read more

Harry Griffen Regional Park is one of our favorite parks! Check out our fun video we made showing some of the cool features this park has to offer. https://youtu.be/wqSFtoM5AE4 read more

I love the volunteer run Canine Corners Dog Park and so does my dog. It is wisely divided into sections for large, small and a third section that can be used for whatever sized dogs. Although the areas are dirt, the upside is that dirt does not harbor fleas and ticks. And the dog park is surrounded by a beautiful grassy park. The dog owners have been welcoming and friendly to newcomers, and my dog loves the people and their dogs. The people are accommodated with chairs and pergolas for shade. Late afternoons seem to be the most popular time to visit. I hope to drive the five miles from my house to the park for many years to come because it is worth it for my dog and me. read more

The dogs in the large dog area tend to be very aggressive. I have a large spayed female golden retriever and she was harassed relentlessly both times we've been there. I won't go back because she simply does not enjoy it. We have been to many other dog parks and off-leash areas and have not had this kind of problem before. It's too bad because it's so close to where we live. I give it 2 stars because there are ample supplies for cleaning up after the dogs and there are 3 separate areas for different sizes, which are kept relatively clean. And, I realize it is not the fault of the people who run the placde, so I left some cash in the donation box. If you have an unneutered male dog, it's probably a great place. (yes, I realize my grammar is redundant) read more

Had been going to this park for the past nine years. Lately however there are many 'big' dog owners who believe it is ok to have their dogs off-leash in the park despite the fact that there are ample signs posted indicating that ALL dogs need to be leashed up - outside the dog runs. If you have a smaller dog, like myself (I am an owner of a 13 lb Chihuahua mix), this may pose a problem. In the past six months we have been run up on (i.e. a large dog in full charge mode) three times. On all three occurrences these dogs were off-leash and showed aggressive behavior. All three times the owners of these dogs did absolutely nothing to control their dogs! Unfortunately the City of La Mesa DOES NOT patrol this park. I have been told that they have recently laid off almost their entire Animal Control staff because of lack of funding. This results in a situation where it is just out of control over there. As has been stated by past/other reviewers this is a 'shared' park where parents can bring their small children to play. There are ample picnic tables where families congregate, etc. This is nothing but a recipe for disaster. There is also a group called "Canine Corners" whose members do a fair job of maintaining the three dog runs (fenced in areas where you can bring your dog and have them 'off-leash'). In the past, years ago, they would also regulated the park 'leash-required' areas and would talk to dog owners and try to get them to abide by the existing city 'leash' ordinance. This doesn't and hasn't happened for quite some time now - the result of which is the widespread lawlessness of the present dog owner crowd who now patronizes this park. Heck, there are even members of the Canine Corners group, who instead of setting the example are violators themselves! Like I stated earlier this place is not patrolled and is thus out of control. I do not recommend bringing your dog here, esp. if it is a smaller dog, or even your kids to play. I believe this is the case in all of the parks located in the La Mesa city area, though I as I have not gone to all of them I can only confirm this for this park and two others which I have gone to. Because of this I have been taking my dog to the surrounding city's dog parks; like in the city of Santee and El Cajon where they do patrol their parks. It is unfortunate that the City of La Mesa does not feel this is a high enough priority as it could in the future pose a potential liability issue; i.e. law suit from a future dog attack. As far as giving this park a ONE STAR rating, if I could, I would rate it a ZERO or even a MINUS ONE or TWO! read more

This review is really about the dog park: I've been to HG dog park a dozen times or so but prefer Wells Park Dog Park (see my review on that). I appreciate any dog park as a place for dogs and dog lovers to get together. One thing to keep in mind about HG park is it is all volunteer maintained and the city provides very little. Most of the other parks that people are raving about are city maintained. That being the case I think HG is a fair dog park and I know it has a very loyal cadre of regulars. Most of the issue with have been stated but I'll summarize my thoughts: 1. Mostly dirt and sand - so be prepared to get it in your shoes, I don't recommend sandals. 2. The fact that it is smaller and so many seats available means that people tend to gather, sit and gab and not watch their dogs very carefully which means dog fights are more likely to break out and progress further than they would otherwise. 3. No lights so its closes when it gets dark 4. Bring your own water as the fountains have never worked since I've been there. Some people fill up big buckets that many dogs drink out of but I'm wary of those because it is easy to pass on bugs causing kennel cough, etc. 5. Generally, as in most dog parks the people are friendly. 6. Because the grounds are as meticulously maintained as many other places, you dog is free to be a dog and do things like dig holes which are much more frowned upon at most parks. 7. Because of its smaller size it can sometimes get a bit crowded. If you are planning to go to a dog park and don't go often please see my list of things to keep in mind when going to a dog park in my review of Wells Park dog park. I'm saying it is not great for kids because many small children don't know how to behave around dogs and it is too easy for kids to get snapped at or run over unless the kids are well supervised read more

This park is not the best. We use to take our dachshund and the small dog section is mostly dirt so she would come home filthy. It is also a pretty small fenced section - not a ton of are for them to run. The water fountains are always clogged but there are a million poop bags available. The other problem we run into are the people here - not the cream of the crop and most of them don't watch their dogs at all! Our dachshund has gotten roughed up on more than one occasion while the owner of the other dog was oblivious. read more

As a dog park regular I have found that I really enjoy the people here than at other parks. They are social and regular. Come at 7 am and hang out with a great group of people, come at 6 at night and a different crowd but just as nice. Just like any other place where regulars tend to hang they can seem to be a little clicky but say Hi they aren't so bad and their dogs are great. One of the best things about this park is it is one of the few that actually has plenty of balls just laying around for you to throw and buckets of water that are filled often. There are 3 seperate fenced areas, one for small dogs and 2 for all dogs great and small. read more

I was told this place rocks. We get there and it looks like a dump. You see my dogs like grass. This place is all dirt. No thanks. We will stick to woodglen vista dog park in santee. Lots of grass there read more

OK...went here for a performance and it was nice...the outdoor amphitheater was alright...nothing spectacular. Parking isn't conducive for such a large crowd plus the public. If it wasn't for the show I would have never ended up at this park. read more

Great dog run areas with lotsa supplies for clean-up. Socializing for both dog parents and dogs.

Love this place! Lots of friendly dogs even during random weekly hours. Our pups love it, although some fur parents need to pay attention to their sexually excited dogs : / read more

There is a lot of spacious grass area, however when it comes to the enclosed off the leash area for dogs it's all dirt. The dogs there are also the most aggressive I've ever encountered at a dog park and it is literally unacceptable. I have had an incident involving my puppy being attacked the last three times I've been there. Unless you are extremely diligent with monitoring your dogs play I urge you to drive the extra 10 minutes and go to OB dog park or Grape street, at least you won't have to get into it with any irresponsible dog owners. read more

These are reliable trail to run or bike . they up keep the sighs no newbies don't get lost. Keep a stick with you to Keep coyote away.