Big Rock Park in Santee

I usually like to take my kid there in Summer, because there are lots of huge trees which give you many shaded places, so you do not feel hot at all. Kids like the creek as well if after raining. They may find little fish, too.

Hidden gem in Santee. This lovely park submerges you in nature. The giant trees offer ample shade. The atmosphere here is peaceful too. Great for all ages. Bonus points for the pickleball courts.

Played pickle ball clinic. Nice courts and friendly people. Lots of parking on Mesa Dr.

Nice park...lots of amenities and great parking

Its an amazing park. Its new and beautiful and packed with park like amenitues. There are sports and slides and swings. The dog park is fenced but mulched but the water fountain for the dogs is so cool. Its ground level and when you push the button the bowl fills up with water like a water bowl. Outside the park is a stamped concrete border that is labeled every few steps with "Sit" "jump," etc so my dog and I walked the border a few time and I was teaching him to do whatever the section was labeled. Theres a parkour course for humans and one for dogs.The world would be a better place if every park were as nice as this one!

Cool park with a basketball court & several pickleball courts. Watch out for snakes though! Just wish the bathrooms were cleaner

Always a great place to just relax and its dog friendly

Great picnic and family park. Has bathrooms and drinking fountains. Also its where the big rock trailhead starts. There are some big trees near the pickle ball courts. A great shade advantage for a couple of the courts.

Great child playground, clean lots of shade

Great place for kids to play, great place for parties, n get togethers. Conveniently located

This is a very fun park, off the maim streets with a huge playground, nice picnic areas with a ton of tables, and a small outdoor stage. I really likes the atmosphere of the park and especially the many different shaded areas, which is very nice on hot days.

Beautiful Park. Lots for shade from eucalyptus trees. Many Hiking trails that connect to Cowels Mtn..

Pickleball Courts were a little rough. Overall setup was good for public courts.

There isnt a cleaner place on the area for the littles to galavant about. I would enjoy a date here, with a fellow hiker as well (lots of trails to hike to the south. Remember to bring plenty of warer

Whenever it rains, which is rare around here, great spot because the creek is flowing and few people are there.

Great park. Pickleball courts are good not great. Here is current pickle play schedule for those interested. Park very family friendly.

Really nice park. Can play Pickleball there. Can hike up the backside of Mission Trails. Can also let your dog off there leash early in the morning.

Good little park. Kind of hidden good people buying elementary school. Nice neighborhood. Im going there since I was a kid. Havent seen any homeless before

This quite park is very popular for friendly neighborhood. Dogs too are welcome. Come and have birthdays picnics and enjoy.

Its a good park! Great for birthdays, basketball ball, tennis, trail hiking, playground fun, and photography. You can reserve party area close to the bathrooms. Lots of trees, playground is mostly shaded, which is very nice! Parking is limited, but has never been an issue for us. Park is clean and feels safe. The school next to the park has additional parking spots. Street parking available on street just before the park, in the neighborhood.

Small park with a swing set for kids. It wasn’t anything large. It was good for a picnic, but nothing fantastic. It’s located by the learning center.

Playground: Dated structures with tons to do. One structure for younger kids and one for older kids. The flooring is tanbark and rubber. There was plenty of shade from large mature trees in the morning. A few benches to sit on. There is also a dry creek bed with climbable rocks.Bathrooms: A large bathroom structure is by the parking lot.Parking: Free small parking lot.Location: A medium sized park that is beautiful. Located in a neighborhood next to the Adult Enrichment Center.Safety: No unhoused, no trash, many kids, and many adults exercising or walking dogs.

Great park clean and pretty scenery

I used it to start the hike to Cowles. Less busy than other trail heads. The park is a nice neighborhood park. Especially if you like pickle ball.

We did a photo shoot for my granddaughters first birthday there and it was the perfect place! The pictures came out beautiful against the back drop of the park.

Fun little park with a lot to do. Playground, tennis courts, large field, picnic area, and depending on the weather, there is a little creek that frogs and even crayfish frequent.

A convenient location in SanteeHas many types of playground equipment for multiple age groups. I take my granddaughter a couple days a week and she always has a great time.

Excellent Park with something for the young and old. Plenty of playground items and nice picnic tables for adults with good cover for shade.

Nice park. Small Walking path, pickle ball/ tennis court, basketball court, playground and volleyball pit. Tables and shade. Parking connects with a school parking lot but there is more parking outside.

Awesome decent sized park with multiple jungle gyms, a creek, tennis courts, a basketball court, a big grassy area, party style benches, a bathroom, drinking fountain and mostly covered in tree shade! Ive been coming here since I was very young and now I bring my kids here. The creek (when there us waterhas tadpoles and frogs in some places too! Great for some "kids being kids" time!

For the size of the park it offers everyone adults and children plenty to do. Tennis, B.B court, great play area for little ones, Lots of grass and shaded area, Restrooms centrally located. BBQs. grills (small but so whatand plenty of tables to allow small and large gatherings. Really nice there.

Really nice park. Covered tables, cooking grills, play areas. Plenty of room for multiple groups. We had a great birthday party.

Wish I took some photos but the hike to Cowels from here is fantastic!!

This is a really nice park very spacious very well Maintain and clean even the bathrooms werent that bad in comparison to other parksThe playground is great nicely well shaded which you definitely need in the heat in the SanteeIt is a great place to bring kids or dogsIts always nice and green just beautifulTheres tennis courts in basketball courtsTheres a big open area where I go with my son to practice baseballTheres a little stream that runs through the park. It has a smalle parking lot that can be accessed from the street on the other side as wellI would definitely recommend this place

Great park, nice open space that is taken care of. The stream running through the side and the park is my kids favorite attraction. The kids playground is fairly big.However, bathrooms are absolutely awful for a park in Santee. Theyre similar to bathrooms on a beach. Not impossible to use but worth noting.

Very clean park full of fun activities like pickle ball and an open field for recreational use. The trail is great for hiking and goes on for a very long distance. Love coming here on Saturdays with my family

Used to play here as a kid!! Its fun to bring my daughter to the same park, I grew up playing at! Very clean and friendly!!

Very family friendly, there is a very beautiful playground and basketball court. Lots of trees so you can sit on a shade. There is a hiking place near it so you can walk and enjoy the beautiful nature.

Love that its never crazy crowded! Nice place to take a leisurely walk, play some tennis, basketball or just sit and relax in the beautiful weather! Enjoy watching children enjoying outdoor play time during the pandemic. Ground squirrels and small jack rabbits are also good entertainment!

I had a great time hiking up this trail. A huge plus is the abundance of shade at least halve of the time. It took around an hour to get up and an hour to get down. (Guide books may say three hours but that would be at a slower pace than almost all the hikers I saw)This is the East side of the Cowls mountain and the third possible way up to the peak. You wont be able to see downtown or the main parts of San Diego city for the most part going up this trail, as you would on the most popular and most crowded trail on the south side of the mountain. On the other hand you get great views of the enormous landscape of mountains surrounding the city, which you dont get on the south trail.I think this is the best way up the mountain if you are taking kids. Because of the shade on a large part of the trail even during the hottest midday hours, and also because its the least steep trail (other than at the very end on the service roadand well serviced with wooden steps.There are several parts on the trails where you can veer off. For example, about a fifth way up the mountain you can take another trail to to Lake Murray! Imagine hiking up and down the mountain followed by a picnic at the lake :))

This is our favorite local park. It has a seasonal creek, nice large paved loop, dog park, and two structures for different ages. Great for picnics and parties too, lots of tables and areas to choose from. And of course, the big rocks in the middle are fun for the bigger kids to climb on.

Great park with partly shaded playgrounds and woodchips instead of sand. Theres a little stream in front of it for the kids to explore with varying levels of water depending on the rain during the season. There is a bench area with shade and lots of trees. There are also tennis courts and a sand volleyball court to play in. Two playgrounds for younger and older kids. Parking is limited, so you may have to park on the street and there isnt a lot of that either.

Big rock park is a great place to set up an inflatible for a birthday party. There is a fun playground, tennis courts, basketball court and tables. There is an entrance to hike here and a creek that sometimes has water. Kids love to play in it either way. This is also a dog park with off leash and on leash designated times. There is usually parking but the park is next to elementary school so you may want to avoid school drop off and pick up times.

this is a beautiful park with a creek running through it! The playground was very big and is next to the creek so kids can have a variety of activities to do. The restrooms were very clean considering being at a park. There are a lot of tables so if you want to host a birthday party this is a good choice

Awesome park! Great place for the whole family and theres always plenty of room and space to set yourself up. The trees offer plenty of shade and theres usually a nice breeze. Its great in the spring time because there usually a river flowing.

I always love this park. Theres a seasonal creek that the kids love to play in. Its dog friendly and in the mornings they allow off leash. Groups of adults often play pickle ball here at the tennis court and it has a gate the leads to the Mission Trails on the backside of Cowels Mtn. Lots of picnic tables and some BBQs. Open space for lounging and my yoga practice. Playground is split between toddlers, small school age kids and larger kids up to age 12 as well. Great place to bring the family, pets, or have birthday parties and get-togethers.

I would not call this Big Rock Park...more like Medium Rock Park. Despite the obvious false advertising of big rocks, it is in fact an EXCELLENT park. Lots of places for the little ones to explore and has a great play ground area. Nice gazebo areas for parties etc. Bring rain boots so the little ones can play in the creek.

Very nice park. Next to a school. Leads to many hiking trails. Fenced in tennis are. I noticed a dog in their possibly a "dog run" when not in use of the tennis palyers.

Great park for the family and the dogs. From dawn till 9am you dont have to have a leash on your dog or dogs. All week. Right next to cowls mountain trail.

Difficult trail if youre not in shape. Trekking poles are useful. Dont bring your dogs, its too hard on them.