Great, clean park for a quick hike. The playground for kids is somewhat shaded by the trees, so the equipment doesn't get too hot. Unfortunately, a lot of trees have been cut down, but there's still quite a bit of shade in most parts of the trail as well. read more

Small, shady 5+ acre park in Carlsbad with eucalyptus trees, flowering plants, a playground, and several short trails. Hosp Grove Park is a nice place for a quick walk. Some trails are flat while others climb a bit, and if you hike to the top you'll get some nice views. The grove provides good shade, which is great on warmer days. Pros: * Quiet * Shaded * Beautiful trees and plantings * Several trails * Playground Cons: * Limited parking * Playground sits near a drop-off (watch toddlers) * Only portable toilets * Some road noise * Trails are fairly short Tip: With only a porta-potty available, plan accordingly! Bottom line: This isn't a destination hike, but it's a great neighborhood park for a short shaded walk or dog outing. read more

See all

Small park with a nice view of the Carlsbad lagoon. Small playground for the children. Picnic tables. Limited parking. read more

We packed a lunch picnic for the park with the kids and it was really beautiful. The flowers are in bloom. They do have porta potties for restrooms if you need to take the kids. My only dislike is people sleeping in their cars while my children played and police at the park. Safety concern? Extra safe? I don't know. Yall can make the call. read more

Hosp Grove Park - Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

A great place to walk! Great with or without a dog. Not crowded and parking is free and easy. Trees provide nice shade!

This is park is quite nice! Hardly anyone there. We saw like 6 people. Some people walking their dogs off leash. Would be a nice hiking spot in the summer since there are so many trees! The trailhead says the difficulty is moderate/difficult. If you park at the rotary hosp parking lot, there's just the one step hill you need to walk up but if you take the trail to the left you can circumnavigate the steep hill. We walked all over the park from end to end. It's basically people's backyards with many street entrances / exits. So nice to have a hike then go over to the mall for shopping or vice versa! read more

Family-Friendly beginners trail just west of the Shoppes at Carlsbad. Parking can be found in a few places, just know that the parking lot is very small. You can park in the grass area along the road which is what we had to do. You can also park in the Hosp Grove Picnic area off of Monroe street. The hike starts off with one challenging hill climb, but you can also choose walk the flat path around the street. If you're in the mood to expand your hike length you can walk across Monroe Street to the East Hosp Grove picnic area. There are many more trails over there to hike. Overall it's a nice nature hike and at only 1.5 miles for the full loop it's perfect for beginners. - Playset in the park is also good for kids.. read more

See all

This park is close to the shoppes at Carlsbad, and there's a stellar view of the lagoon too. I don't think I've seen a lot of parks out in this area that can compare when it comes to a scenic hike than the gorgeous views of the trees, lagoon, and surrounding natural beauty that comprise the trail portion of the park. Sadly, it is not so close to where we live now, in Fallbrook, but it's also not too far from where my younger son goes to school in Oceanside. Since we are already making such a mammoth commute every day, we usually put the bike rack on the car and bring our bikes (we also change it up and bring scooters or the hoverboard, sometimes we will look for a park that has tennis courts and bring the racquets or a basketball/football/soccer ball to get out of the house, so we are almost never at the same park twice in a row. In fact, we look for new parks that we have never been to before to get some new scenery in or just to check it out so we know which ones are good for certain activities and which ones we should probably avoid! This makes reviewing each of them on Yelp! an easily referenced tool when looking to head out with specific items. I should have looked into the descriptions of the playground and bathroom situation of the park before we went (Note: potty breaks before coming are a must if you are going to come here. It's gorgeous scenery for sure, but come on, Carlsbad...I understand walking your fur baby is important and there should be places for them to go, so I'm not hating on the dog walking thing...but when the dog walking is eclipsed by the state of the loo; it's time to upgrade!) The port-a-potty they've erected makes the small dingy playground area of the park seem like a luxury. I'm wondering who take care of these parks and who makes the decision as to when to invest in a bathroom that suits the epic awesomeness of the nature all around you when you're at the park. It's usually quiet when we head out to most parks, but the ones in Carlsbad and San Marcos/Vista tend to be much larger than what we can find in Fallbrook and Oceanside, so after school park trips are usually spent either close to school or completely out of the way (since we've got to make the long drive home anyway, might as well get a little energy run off before heading home for dinner and homework! I forgive the dog walking because there never seems to be any poo when we're there, but there should definitely be some balance between the playground - bathroom and the entire park as a whole. I have to give it five stars because nature makes up for the dud playground, toilet debacle, and the need to look down compulsively to avoid dog bombs (still haven't encountered any, so yay pup parents!). Seriously though...at least bring in a better port-a-john. ;) read more

This is a review for the trails, not the park. The park is a one star for sure. The structure is old, the bottom is sand, and the only bathroom is an outhouse they clean once a year. But the trails! LOVE. The small forest of eucalyptus trees is just beautiful. There are two sides to the trails that are separated by Monroe (and, by the way, they don't connect, so you should park on the side you want to walk on). Both sides are mostly shaded, but there are more trees on the west side and it is therefore more shaded than the east side. I prefer the west side not only because it's more shaded but also because it's a clearer trail path. It feels more like you're following an actual trail that will eventually loop back instead of just walking around haphazardly, like you do on the east grove. The west grove also feels a little more removed from the residential area surrounding it. Both sides are stroller friendly provided you have a quality jogger stroller and a strong man. I could probably push the stroller for a small portion of the east grove trails but the large majority of the west grove trails are just too steep for me to push 100+ pounds of stroller and babies up. The west side trails are narrower than the east side and there are definitely a few points where it's a little sticky to get our double jogger through, but the whole thing is accessible with a little strength and creativity. These trails are totally kid friendly, which I love. My three and five year old have no trouble doing these loops. It's too steep for my one and a half year old twins in most parts though, so they are bound to the stroller. Overall, a great short family hike for a weekend morning or afternoon. read more

The East and West Grove trails are easy, taking only about 100ft in elevation through mature eucalyptus that was planted in 1908 for the railroad. The pathways are mostly a sandy loam with solid footing, but a few sections are slipperier than others. Bikes, runners, and dog walkers may be encountered on the trail, but don't expect to see much in the way of native wildlife or native plants as there isn't much to speak of. The hillsides are bare with the exception of sparse cactus and the eucalyptus, along the northeast section of the East Grove trail there is a good overview of the native plants that should be all throughout the hillside: oak, lemonade berry, sage, etc. The two sections are great for anyone wanting to get outside and into nature with the west trail looking down into the Buena Vista Lagoon. For dog walkers, there are plastic bag dispensers at both sections and trash collection to dispose of any waste. There are no facilities at either grove other than the port-a-potties at the West Grove parking lot. However both sections have a picnic area and the West Grove even has a playground for the little ones. Both sections (East and West) have a fair amount of parking so getting a spot shouldn't be an issue. In summer expect to see snakes on the hillsides and always keep a look out for poison oak and stinging nettles. read more

See all

I am in love with this park! The play area for my 16 month old is the perfect size and I just love the natural feel of this park-so serene. My son loves playing with all the sticks on the ground and there's no trash on the ground (there's a ton of trash at Pine Ave park which I'm not fond of.) I have yet to walk up the trails but I'm looking forward to giving it a try soon. read more

Hosp Grove Park - The playground. It has two baby sized swings as well (no swings for big kids.) - Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Tiny playground, two swings, one gross porta potty...if you're coming here to hike or to bring your dog it seems like a decent park. If you are here with a 6 year old kid this park is boring and will occupy them for all of 5 minutes. My friend's kid had to pee as soon as we arrived - of course! The option was a disgusting porta potty that hadn't been emptied in several days from what it looked and smelled like. The kid opted to squat in the mulch. That says it all. read more

This is a nicely shaded, almost completely forested park in north Carlsbad near the Shoppes of Carlsbad mall. There's a little playground, a small parking lot, and a surprisingly long hiking trail (around 1 or 1.5 miles is my guess). However, the City of Carlsbad needs to come in and remove the non-native succulents that have been planted by residents on the slopes and help restore native plants. (The whole forest is non-native Eucalyptus, though. Oh well.) read more

This park is so tranquil, what's not to love? The playground structure for the kiddos takes nothing away from the natural beauty of this spot, located just across the street from the lagoon (where we once fed ducks and squirrels our bread once upon a 15 or so years ago). With that I add, the play structure is on the small side, especially on a day when every mom and grandmother decides to bring every girl, boy, toddler twins, and their toddler friends here. More often than not, my son and I enjoy just walking around the area, playing tag between the trees, or making a balancing act out of fallen branches. Ample amount of picnic tables and a relaxing place to bring a lunch! Very shady with the abundance of trees and the breeze that sneaks through from the west, so it can be chilly even when it's plenty sunny and warm out. Definitely pack a jacket for the little ones. Parking, the lot is not the largest. Restroom, every lady's nightmare: the portable potty. BUT hiking trails! Fun to follow; clearly depicted and safe. read more

This is a great park away from the busy streets nearby, close to walking trails, and surrounded by nature! Beautiful view of the lagoon. Equipment is older but clean. There's a lot of sand which isn't my favorite. Cute little wood bridge from the parking lot. Parking is VERY limited. Not good for parties or group gatherings of any sort. Nonetheless, the location is extremely convenient and beautiful and the area feels safe. If the play area itself gets newer equipment, I would give this park another star. :) read more

Great place to take your dog. There are a few trail options throughout, none too difficult or strenuous. The eucalyptus trees provide nice shade during the summer and seem to help the park stay green & lush despite the dry weather. There is a dedicated parking lot, but there always seems to be people just sitting in their cars. Despite the full parking lot, the trails are rarely crowded, and I usually only encounter 1 or 2 other people when I come here. read more

A splendid park that provides a nice workout, nice views, and greenspace in an otherwise urbanized area.

This park is excellent really well located and has plenty of area for the kids to play. I also enjoy the trails and all of the areas to walk very peaceful with lots of trees. you need to look out for some critters, I have come across a couple raccoons and squirrels. If you're in Carlsbad and have a couple extra minutes you should definitely stop by and take a cruise around the park very nice. Its right off highway 78 - which is easy to get to. I took my nephew and he had a total blast playing on the jungle gym and monkey bars, he keeps asking me when we can go back next. I would bring some water or some snacks for some drinks because there's not much around to snack on. read more

Hosp Grove Park - Hosp grove park - Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Love this location! Quiet...small but fits everything i need in a park. Kids playground area. Short trail that the kids can go on and enjoy. Good parking. The only thing it lacks is a good bathroom. Interestingly this park contains elycaptus trees planted long ago and is maintained while the others in the area came down. We will definitely be back! read more

Hosp Grove Park - Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

My fiancé and I absolutely love this trail/park. We have had a few picnics here and hiked many times with our little puppy. My only complaint is it seems small. Other than that I love it! read more