San Diego River
Nature preserve
103 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Edgemoor Farm Dairy Barn · Photo: Somewikistuff · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Santee
Santee has 65 miles of mapped trails, 3.9 for every square mile of land
11% of Santee’s land is conserved, about 1,145 acres. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: San Diego River (2.9 mi), Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve (1.4 mi), Walker Preserve Trail (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #193 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,145 acres · of 16.5 sq mi of land
Trails
65 mi
3.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
761 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
27 mi
23 mi lanes · 3.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
What kind of outdoors town is Santee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Santee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Santee is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #193 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Santee’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (65 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (761 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home91% 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 89%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 77%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 San Diego River, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve
Managed by Padre Dam Municipal Water District
183 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Walker Preserve Trail
Park
9 acres1.2 mi of trail
San Diego River TrailWalker Preserve
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sportsplex USA
Managed by City of Santee
16 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Town Center Community Park East
Managed by City of Santee
33 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
San Diego River103 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSantee Lakes Recreation Preserve183 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Padre Dam Municipal Water District
Walker Preserve Trail9 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMast Park29 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSportsplex USA16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Santee
DirectionsShadow Hills Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Rock Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Center Community Park East33 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Santee
DirectionsWoodglen Vista Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Hills Park11 acres
DirectionsTown Center Community Park West10 acres · City of Santee
DirectionsMission Trails Regional Park8 acres
DirectionsSky Ranch Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,145 conserved acres
11% of Santee’s land. Who manages Santee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city543 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits413 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government191 ac
Regional Water Districts99 ac
State fish & wildlife43 ac
Local Park · 544 acPrivate Conservation · 372 acUnknown Easement · 277 acLocal Conservation Area · 87 acLocal Other or Unknown · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 175 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rattlesnake Mountain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 329 | Closed |
| Mission Trails Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 198 | Open |
| Mast Park Local Park | Town or city | 102 | Open |
| Santee Lakes Regional Park Local Park | Regional Water Districts | 99 | Open |
| Walker Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 87 | Open |
| Land Pres/Mitigation Bank - The Environmental Trust Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 43 | Open |
| Mast Park West Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Town Center Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Radio Towers Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Closed |
| Santee Mini Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Santee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Santee
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Santee
Mast Dog ParkIn Mast Park
DirectionsWoodglen Dog ParkIn Woodglen Vista Park
DirectionsTrails & water
18 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 miUnpaved · 15.6 mi
San Diego River Trail1.6 mi
Druidia1.4 mi
High And Dry1.2 mi
King Roland's Trail0.9 mi
Clark Canyon0.7 mi
Big Rock Trail0.6 mi
Periscope0.6 mi
Mesa Trail0.4 mi
Birdshot0.4 mi
Slugs0.4 mi
8 more trails
Bones
0.4 miJaws
0.3 miUpper Buckshot
0.3 miWest Mast Park Trail / SD River Trail
0.3 miComb The Desert
0.2 miLower Buckshot
0.2 miWest Mast Park Trail
0.1 miWalker Preserve
0.1 miBiking & sports
27 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
23 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
34Tennis
26Baseball
19Basketball
8Pickleball
4Soccer
3Football
2Equestrian
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Edgemoor Farm Dairy BarnBuilding · listed 1985
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Santee: April to June
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 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 70 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 77 | 81 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 75 | 69 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 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 89 °F). 2.7 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Santee →
Next door
Santee and its neighbors
Santee has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santee | 11% | 3.9 | 13 | 91% | A |
| San Diego | 26% | 2.2 | 28 | 97% | A+ |
| El Cajon | 3% | 0.2 | 2 | 73% | C+ |
| Eucalyptus Hills | 2% | 0.6 | under 1 | 19% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Santee
Where can I hike in Santee?
The longest trail networks: San Diego River, 2.9 miles; Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve, 1.4 miles; Walker Preserve Trail, 1.2 miles; Mast Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Santee is conserved land?
11% 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 Santee’s trails?
San Diego River and Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Santee?
27 miles of bike routes are on the map: 23 of painted or protected lanes, 3.1 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Santee?
53,278 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Santee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 761 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Santee have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #193 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 Santee 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 →