Fairview Park
Managed by City of Costa Mesa
214 acres5.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: pelle68 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Costa Mesa
9% of Costa Mesa’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
19 miles of mapped trail cross Costa Mesa, 1.2 per square mile of land. 9% of Costa Mesa’s land is conserved, about 945 acres. The biggest trail networks: Fairview Park (5.2 mi), Talbert Regional Park (4.2 mi), Canyon Park (1.5 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #280 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
945 acres · of 15.8 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
790 ac
7.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
54 mi
34 mi lanes · 17 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
13
What kind of outdoors town is Costa Mesa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Costa Mesa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Costa Mesa is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #280 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Costa Mesa’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land7.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (790 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 81%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 67%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Costa Mesa ranks #187 on Outdoors.
Park acres per resident are where Costa Mesa trails most U.S. towns: 7.2 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 108,881 people share 790 acres.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Fairview Park, with 5.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Talbert Regional Park
Park
207 acres4.2 mi of trail
Trail DTrail ETrail CTrail B+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Canyon Park
Managed by City of Costa Mesa
35 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Estancia Park
Managed by City of Costa Mesa
9 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Shiffer Park
Managed by City of Costa Mesa
7 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Tanager Park
Managed by City of Costa Mesa
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 30 parks & preserves
Fairview Park214 acres · 5.2 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsTalbert Regional Park207 acres · 4.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCanyon Park35 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsEstancia Park9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsShiffer Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsTanager Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsTeWinkle Park48 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsMesa Verde Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Heller Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Marina View Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Wakeham Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsLindbergh School Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Harper Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsBrentwood Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Paularino Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsPinkley Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Del Mesa Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Moon Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Costa Mesa
Randall Preserve1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Lions Park13 acres · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsBalearic Park11 acres · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsGisler Park5 acres · City of Costa Mesa
Halecrest Park5 acres
DirectionsWimbledon Park5 acres · City of Costa Mesa
DirectionsVista Park4 acres
DirectionsWilson Park4 acres · City of Costa Mesa
Smallwood Park3 acres · City of Costa Mesa
Jordan Park3 acres · City of Costa Mesa
Neth Park2 acres · City of Costa Mesa
California Scenario2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
945 conserved acres
9% of Costa Mesa’s land. Who manages Costa Mesa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city652 ac
County293 ac
Local Park · 398 acLocal Recreation Area · 364 acLocal Conservation Area · 183 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf and Country Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 236 | Restricted |
| Fairview Park Local Park | Town or city | 197 | Open |
| Talbert Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 183 | Open |
| Santa Ana River Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 110 | Open |
| TeWinkle Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Canyon Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Harbor Rest Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Wakeham Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Estancia Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
100 places to go in Costa Mesa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Costa Mesa
4 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Costa Mesa
Angels PlaygroundIn TeWinkle Park
DirectionsHeller Park PlaygroundIn Heller Park
DirectionsLions Park PlaygroundIn Lions Park
Directions84 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa Bark ParkIn TeWinkle Park
DirectionsCosta Mesa Bark Park (Small Dog)In TeWinkle Park
DirectionsPlus 3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Costa Mesa
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Costa Mesa
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.1 mi
Trail D0.7 mi
Trail C0.5 mi
Trail A0.4 mi
Trail E0.4 mi
Trail B0.4 mi
Santa Ana Heights Trail0.3 mi
Trail I0.2 mi
Trail F0.2 mi
Trail G0.1 mi
Trail H0.1 mi
Biking & sports
54 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
34 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
17 mi
off-road bike paths
3.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
77Basketball
69Tennis
45Pickleball
26Baseball
19Soccer
7Beach volleyball
6Softball
5Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Costa Mesa: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 68 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 71 | 74 | 78 | 80 | 80 | 77 | 73 | 68 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.0 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 2.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Costa Mesa →
Next door
Costa Mesa and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa | 9% | 1.2 | 7 | 96% | A− |
| Newport Beach | 19% | 1.7 | 35 | 99% | A+ |
| Santa Ana | 4% | 0.6 | 2 | 96% | B |
| Irvine | 22% | 1.9 | 12 | 99% | A |
| Huntington Beach | 8% | 0.7 | 6 | 99% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Costa Mesa
Where can I hike in Costa Mesa?
The longest trail networks: Fairview Park, 5.2 miles; Talbert Regional Park, 4.2 miles; Canyon Park, 1.5 miles; Estancia Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Costa Mesa is conserved land?
9% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Costa Mesa’s trails?
Fairview Park and Talbert Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Costa Mesa?
54 miles of bike routes are on the map: 34 of painted or protected lanes, 17 of off-road paths and 3.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Costa Mesa?
23,659 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Costa Mesa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 790 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Costa Mesa have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #280 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Costa Mesa neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →