Harry Griffen Regional Park
Park
41 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Stickpen · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in La Mesa
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park in La Mesa
The biggest trail networks: Harry Griffen Regional Park (1 mi), Briercrest Park (0.5 mi). 146 acres are parks and preserves, 2.4 per 1,000 residents. 2.4 miles of mapped trail cross La Mesa, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #547 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
188 acres · of 9.1 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
146 ac
2.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
31 mi
27 mi lanes
Highest peak
843 ft
Mount Nebo
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is La Mesa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does La Mesa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, La Mesa is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #547 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of La Mesa’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land2.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (146 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 48%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 35%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Harry Griffen Regional Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 15 parks & preserves
Harry Griffen Regional Park41 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBriercrest Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsAztec Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthmont Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLa Mesita Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJackson Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMacArthur Park21 acres
DirectionsSunset Park7 acres
DirectionsCollier Park7 acres
Highwood Park5 acres
DirectionsRolando Park3 acres
DirectionsSunshine Park3 acres
DirectionsVista La Mesa Park2 acres
Mission Trails Regional Park1 acres
Porter Park1 acres
Who protects it
188 conserved acres
3% of La Mesa’s land. Who manages La Mesa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city93 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government50 ac
Regional Water Districts44 ac
Local Park · 137 acUnknown Easement · 50 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 50 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Griffen Park Local Park | Regional Water Districts | 44 | Open |
| MacArthur Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Sunshine Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| La Mesita Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Highwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Collier Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Jackson Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Briercrest Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Northmont Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in La Mesa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in La Mesa
La Mesa Municipal PoolIn MacArthur Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in La Mesa
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in La Mesa
Canine Corners Dog ParkIn Harry Griffen Regional Park
DirectionsPeaks in La Mesa
Mount Nebo843 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in La Mesa
(PLANNED) Westerman Trails Disc Golf Course (No infrastructure yet exists)
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
31 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
27 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
19Tennis
11Baseball
7Basketball
4Pickleball
2Soccer
1Football
1Tracks
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in La 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) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 69 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 74 | 78 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 80 | 74 | 68 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 2.6 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in La Mesa →
Next door
La Mesa and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
San Diego725 miSpring Valley9.7 miEl Cajon3.2 miLa Mesa2.4 miLemon Grove1.5 miCasa de Oro-Mount Helix1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Mesa | 3% | 0.3 | 2 | 96% | B− |
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 64% | C− |
| San Diego | 26% | 2.2 | 28 | 97% | A+ |
| El Cajon | 3% | 0.2 | 2 | 73% | C+ |
| Lemon Grove | 1% | 0.4 | 1 | 93% | C+ |
| Spring Valley | 29% | 1.3 | 6 | 83% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in La Mesa
Where can I hike in La Mesa?
The longest trail networks: Harry Griffen Regional Park, 1 miles; Briercrest Park, 0.5 miles; La Mesita Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of La Mesa is conserved land?
3% 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 La Mesa’s trails?
Harry Griffen Regional Park and Briercrest Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in La Mesa?
31 miles of bike routes are on the map: 27 of painted or protected lanes and 4.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near La Mesa?
40,651 acres of parks and open public land lie inside La Mesa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 146 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does La Mesa have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #547 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 La 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 →