Nice, breezy, plenty of shade, clean, friendly atmosphere and tucked away.. This park is a hidden gem. It's safe and fun for the kids. There are BBQs, restrooms, and plenty of grassy areas if you wanted to take your pets or children to burn off some energy. read more

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We're traveling the country and for a few weeks are at the RV park connected to this place. It adds a nice overlook, paved path, playground and open ground. The infrastructure is worn but is in okay shape. What it needs is some health and safety enforcement: the glass to stop being dropped by visitors, dogs to be leashed by visitors, and the homeless to be kept from living on the hillside. I just started to explore a trail and turned around not wanting to walk past a homeless "camper." read more

This is a chill, tucked-away park with a jungle gym for the kiddos, plenty of grass areas, a concrete walkway for scooters etc. A flight of wide steps leads up to the top of the little hill behind the park where my boys like to climb on boulders. It's a nice lookout point and I have my kids pose for pics when we are up there. A lot of people don't even know this park exists because it's off the beaten path, so it's usually pretty quiet. That is nice except when my kids are hoping to find friends to play with. It's very open and expansive with trees and bushes surrounding it, and there are a few benches and picnic tables in the shade and sun. Why only 3 stars? - Homeless sometimes hang out or sleep on open grass areas and near the playground where the trees are. Haven't witnessed any concerning behavior but something to keep in mind. - On one occasion my son brought to me drug paraphernalia that he found under the jungle gym. - Trash bins are sometimes overflowing. - I've found beer containers and graffiti in the brush and boulders above the stairs. - I used the restroom once and it looked clean but smelled of urine. - People come with their dogs and take them off-leash to play fetch sometimes. 1) This presents a safety concern. If a dog becomes ornery or afraid for some reason it may attack a child or anyone for that matter. 2) I've seen dogs defecate and urinate on the grass. The dog owners usually pick up after them but residue is left behind on the grass. Just saying, bring a picnic mat or blanket if you plan to sit on the grass areas. 3 stars may seem somewhat generous considering all the cons but we still come here anyway. I think 3 is fair and the concerns could be reduced/eliminated if someone in authority would stop by occasionally to enforce the clearly posted rules. That said, we have also enjoyed this park many times without issue. I hope to see some improvement so I may increase my rating. :) Check it out and enjoy! read more

I have lived in Escondido for more than 20 years and I had no idea this park was here! The drive up to the park is really pretty with gorgeous pepper trees on both sides of the driveway. When you reach the peak of the hill it opens up to a fairly large parking area and a huge park with a great view and sounds of the freeway. The grassy area is uneven so be careful when walking or running. Holes in the ground make it unsafe and a majority of the grass area is on a slight slant. The playground is simply and great for my toddler but not so much for older children. The equipment was faded and looked dated but still in great enough condition to play on with no safety hazards. I'm not a big fan of wood chips because they literally get everywhere. And splinters splinters splinters. The bathrooms were dark and definitely felt sketchy. But thanks to the other families it didn't feel unsafe. This park was empty with only 2 other families when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon. Awesome that it isn't crazily packed! City of Escondido! Let's get this park a new structure and me and my family will frequently attend. read more

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Great place for having a get-together from 5 to 50 people!!! A little hidden gem in Escondido that's available for fun or relaxation with a very non-descript entrance of South Iris Lane. If heading north from El Norte Parkway, it's right past the ARCO station on the left hand side. There''s a playground for the kiddies right near the restrooms and a LARGE open field for sport activities. Up the steps on the west side of the park is a lookout that looks over the adjacent mobile home park and great views of the freeway!!! And for those with wheels, there's a great smooth sidewalk that winds around the open field. Lot's of mature trees that provide ample shade all over the park. Note: -No kite flying because of the HIGH POWER lines overhead. -No DOGS allowed. (But, the locals still bring their dogs, or maybe, the dogs bring their owners, sometimes can't really tell!) -Because of the terrain, it gets pretty windy at times with gusts that can easily blow over a tent or canopy (secure with tent stakes or weigh it down). -If you want a JUMPER, need to secure a permit at the Escondido Parks and Recreation desk at City Hall. -If there's no parking stalls available, got permission from the Parks and Recreation desk that it's okay to park on the dirt pad next to the parking lot. -Gates open a little after dawn (around 6:30 am) and closes at dusk (around + or - 30 minutes of the official sunset). -During the spring season, all the flowers or fruit of the trees attract lots and lots of bees. Just bee-aware of them buzzing around! :-) Each morning, the rangers come out open up and clean and change trash bags at the receptacles. Unfortuately, there's only one picnic table (with a broken bench) near the bathroom. All the other tables are gone, but, what's left is the concrete slab where the picnic tables used to be (there's at least 1/2 dozen around), so bring your own tables and chairs for parties. The City of Escondido does provide some pretty nice venues for families to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding areas of Escondido, and with the great weather that we enjoy, it's simply...AWESOME!!! :-p read more

Rod McLeod Park - The Entrance - Parks Near Me - Escondido, California

This is one of Escondido's nicer parks. Because of it's location on top of a hill its pretty well insolated from the riffraff of other Esco parks. Main features - The park mainly consists of a sloping grass park with a walking path around it. There is also a series of steps ascending to a top concrete city viewpoint. Judging by the all bottle caps and broken glass this viewpoint is primarily used as a "blueberry hill" for kids after dark. - Weekends usually have two or three large parties. - Generally considered safe for kids. read more

Rod McLeod Park - View from the top of the park. - Parks Near Me - Escondido, California

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Yes it's a park, Just as, as Shakespeare put it, hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, mutts, shaggy lapdogs, swimming dogs, and wolf-dog crossbreeds are all dogs, but otherwise - it isn't much of a park. It does have a plateau panoramic view of central Escondido (which includes the freeway), but that's not saying much. There is a concrete walkway that encircled the park, and at the top there are some dirt trails that wind across the steppe and end up - mostly nowhere, or near some gang graffiti painted rock formations, but unless you have some magic nostalgia for this place, there are better parks. Parking is always available, and the park is mostly uncrowded. It was clean when we went there, at least in the grassy areas, that is a plus, but at the top in the dirt areas there is tons of broken glass. Look closely and you will find a cell tower disguised as a palm tree. read more

Such a cute tucked away park! My friend recently moved nearby and was excited to find this place because its away from the rush of the city. You see the sign drive up a hill and a beautiful park comes up before you. When I went there, there were lots of moms and dads with kids. There is a trail that goes around the park for walking/exercising. There also is cement stairs that leads to a beautiful city view. The trees are big and easy to climb, the playground area was clean and there are picnic tables and bathrooms. I saw a couple reviews say this was a dirty park but maybe it was a day after a big party because the grass and grounds were CLEAN. Nothing but grass dirt and leaves. This is going to be one of my go to spots now so if you see a mother with no shoes laying on a blanket in the grass, say hello. Its me. lol read more

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This is a well kept park in the Escondido Area. There is ample parking a excellent views from every location. I attended a wedding with 200+ people and this was well suited for the occasion. read more

Rod McLeod Park - Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Dario! - Parks Near Me - Escondido, California

Terrible park! It is away from the main street. It is up on a hill and isolated with graffiti. Men like to hang around in this park. Men with no children!!!! I took my daughter there and something wasn't just right. And as I decided to leave, random men just appeared from no where with no children. read more

Weve been coming here since i was a little kid in escondido. How i remember going up and down the windy pavement on my brand new razor scooter. Great childhood memories and even till now we visit it. It is kind of hidden but its the only park off of Iris Ln so there is no way to get lost. The park itself is very well maintained by the city and by its visitors. This in most part is due to the location of the park. Unlike other parks like Washington park and grape day park you dont worry about all the homeless here. However if you are going to go up on the dirt trails you should take precautions. Never let your kids go alone. That is at times a place where homeless people will stay. I remembee as a kid finding their little shacks. So just be careful. Great park for picnics and BBQs. You might want to insure you get a table and big enough area so come early. read more

Very clean park. Plenty of parking. We had our daughters baby shower here & there was plenty of room for everyone. The kids had a blast at the playground & we were able to spread out to accommodate everyone who joined us! read more

I love this park. I always bring my dogs here. Or do yoga. It is beautiful and relaxing. Never to much going on at this park