Harry Griffen Park
0 Reviews
Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
9550 Milden St, La Mesa, CA 91942
32.784564812, -116.9886530670
Kid-Friendly: Yes Dog-Friendly: Yes
Hike: .There’s various trails winding around the park Level: Easy
619-667-1300
About Harry Griffen Park
Harry Griffen Park was such a great spot to visit with lots of unexpected surprises. It sits quietly in the Grossmont Summit area, right where La Mesa and El Cajon blur into one another. It’s the kind of place you don’t stumble upon by accident. You have to know it’s there. And once you do, it’s hard to believe it stayed under the radar for so long! 
At 53 acres, it’s the largest park within La Mesa’s city limits with easy hiking trails that are exceptionally beautiful in winter and spring. This is a hot spot for dog walkers, many off-leash so please keep that in mind. 
There is also a playground, a huge grassy field and amphitheater that seats up to 360 people. You can attend summer concerts here and it’s also perfect for private events such as a wedding. 
Beneath that grass, hidden in plain sight, sits the underground Grossmont Reservoir, still storing drinking water for much of East County. Turns out the park itself was once a fenced-off reservoir, first built in 1893. It later expanded in the 1950s and in the 1970s, as development grew closer, the reservoir was fully enclosed and buried beneath the landscape. What emerged above it was Harry Griffen Park, named after a longtime Helix Water District leader known simply as “Mr. Water.”
While you’re in the area, visit Briercrest Park nearby!
Locations Nearby:
None found