Not so much a park. More of a walking trail around a flood…read morecontrol basin The Good: a convenient hiking/walking trail for the residents of Huntington Beach. It's maintained twice a year, once before and once after bird nesting season. Lots of wildlife in this small natural space in the urban jungle. The Bad: This is a basin, which means it holds water, which means it's a breeding site for mosquitoes. Dress accordingly. Also, they only maintain the vegetation twice a year. It becomes quite overgrown, and it invites undesirable natural and urban predators, like coyotes or meth creatures, homethheads addictedus Also, the dog owners that don't leash their dog. It's very annoying but typical HB resident behaviors. Be alert of both dog and owner when suggesting they follow the rules. The Ugly: the filthy meth creatures (homethheads addictedus) that not only disturb the residents and park goers, but the wildlife. You gotta have some "situational awareness" at this park. Especially if you're alone or have kids. Keep them close.

When I moved here 13 years ago, I wanted to be part of the community, so I responded to an ad in…read morethe paper for a cleanup day at Bartlett Park. My kids now just call it the dirt park. When we arrived for cleanup day, we began to learn about this little bit of open space in the "walled city" of HB. Lots of homeless people live in the park. They were given time to clear out their personal belongings and the suckers brought in had the lovely chore of clearing out their garbage. The next day, the homeless were allowed back in. Just great. Hey, I realize the homeless need to be able to sleep somewhere, but I don't want to be the one to clean up their crap and welcome them back home with open arms. I started studying about the history of this park. Most know about the historic Newland House and Newland Barn in the rear of the Newland Center mall. But the lower portion, the undeveloped area is quite a mess. The area behind the main mall, the upper portion, is owned by the city and the lower portion, down near Adams Ave. is owned by the county. The city portion is a protected Indian burial ground, tree sanctuary and home to some kinds of protected insects, as well as home to a bunch of coyotes. The lower area is similar but is also a flood control channel, formerly operated by the county. Recent development has rendered the flood control useless but it still fills up with water and produces some lovely moss covered mosquito breeding grounds. Kids use the open space for various unsanctioned activities. There have been bmx bike jumps and ramps dug into the ground with shovels, paintball and pellet ball areas and there is a big nightlife in here for teenagers to do what teenagers do. The sound of helicopters in the area remind us about this activity and folks know cat burglars forage for goods in cars and open garages and stash them in the unpatroled park. Its actually a great area for folks to walk their dogs during daylight and people are generally cool about picking up after them. They have a few trash bins and a dog waste bag dispenser. There was a study conducted years ago about potential development. The most popular thing neighbors wanted was a golf course, to replace a closed down course on PCH 20 years ago. The least wanted thing neighbors wanted was also a golf course. Pretty funny. Ball field or soccer fields are sorely needed but the city has decided to create some walking trails, a tot-lot park, some picnic areas and leave it relatively undeveloped. Since this was voted on, 3 years ago, next to nothing has happened yet. We will see what the future holds.

Green Park spans 4 acres and is named after Peter Green, the city council mayor of Huntington Beach…read morein the 1990s. There is a private parking lot and ample street parking. Tucked in a nice residential neighborhood, it has a sand volleyball court, basketball court, kids playground, tennis court, and grassy areas. It's not a big park but it has what you need.

Green Park is a very nice park. Me and my girlfriend come up here sometimes to hang out. Lots of…read moreteenage skaters and bikers come up here to do their stunts and all. Lots of grass and sand. Parents bring their children here too. No bathrooms here so, that could be an inconvenience, but its still a great park.

Helm Park named after my maternal grandfather, Thomas Edward Helm, 1871-1927, who owned a lima…read morebean, tomato farm there in the early 1900s.

A great neighborhood park for kids. The playground is large. There are picnic tables, basketball…read morecourt, a large field, and plenty of street parking. There is access to the park from both Magnolia and Ellis. Entrance from Ellis into the neighborhood would provide the most parking and be closer to the playground. The picnic tables are not covered. But there are a few large trees that provide shade.

Bushard Park spans 2.38 acres and is a small park surrounded by houses in a residential…read moreneighborhood. There's no private parking lot but has ample street parking around the exterior. It has a small kids playground, some tables and shaded areas, and large grass patches. There aren't many amenities but there's a lot of grass and it's an especially good place for dogs.

This is a cute little park nestled inside a neighborhood. It has a nice-sized structure that you…read morecan use for shade and a beautiful tree right next to it. Parking on the street is plentiful but there are no restroom facilities.

This is a private park intended for the residents of Portola Springs village…read more This is such a cool neighbourhood park. It's one of the biggest ones I've seen in Portola. There are so many different types of equipment in this one. There are things for ages 2-5 and 5-12. I was able to sit my babe (11 months) on the spring mounted rocking chair, she loved it. We also swung on the big circular swing together. Unfortunately, no infant swings here. Toilets require a key fob.

Very pretty little park with a playground for kids and benches for the parents. Looks to be a safe…read moreplace to bring your kids or just go for a walk. The neighborhood is very quaint, with lots of upscale homes and attractive gardens. It also has what looks like a small community building, perhaps for events and summertime happenings. Overall, a neat little park.

Quaint little park in the heart of HB. It's not huge, but the diversity of trees give it a lot of…read morecharacter (which most people don't consider). There is a huge grassy area with enough room for groups to hang out and others to play a pick up game. A decent amount of benches for sitting, and other for having lunch on the weekend. Not sure the city ordinance on bbqs here, but would love to come on the weekend!

Fairview Park is one of my favorite places to walk and run because there are endless route options…read more You can stay around the park on dirt or paved trails, climb the stairs for a workout, enjoy the grassy open areas, or connect to the Santa Ana River Trail and head all the way to the beach. The trails also connect by bridge into Costa Mesa, where you can grab coffee or food after your workout. The people on the trails are friendly, and the park workers are always courteous, stopping their trucks to let pedestrians pass. Wildlife is part of the experience, so be aware of coyotes, snakes, rabbits, and squirrels. I also recommend staying aware of your surroundings and avoiding walking alone in the early morning or late evening. Whether you're looking for a relaxing walk with a friend, a quick mile, or marathon training, Fairview Park is awesome!

Huge park with hiking trails. Plenty of parking spaces. Very nice neighborhood place to hang out…read more They have public restrooms and tennis/baseball courts there. People go here to have photoshoot sessions. I love going here.

Helme Park is one of Surf City's wonderful neighborhood parks. They feature a small parking lot…read moreand plenty of street parking for residents to enjoy the park. Note: be careful to avoid parking across the street under the pine trees. Indeed, they do actively drip sap which is super hard to clean off of your car. The park is open during daylight hours (HB Park Rules: http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/residents/parks_facilities/parks/huntington_central_park/park_rules.cfm) and is a very family friendly park. There are swing sets and picnic benches to make the most of the park. Not a huge space for significant walking, so this is not a hiker's park. But the open green space does make it friendly for playing fetch with your dog, tossing the frisbee around, or light tossing of a ball for a little arm practice. If you're going to Sunday services at St Wilfred's Episcopal or the Lutheran Church on Chapel Lane, this park would offer an lovely apres-church location for a late morning or early afternoon picnic.