It's a shame that the San Pasqual Battlefield State Park is currently closed for restoration and maintenance. As a history buff, I enjoy visiting here, the site of the only Mexican American War battle fought in the United States (December 6, 1846). It has a nice Visitor Center, public restrooms, and walking trails in the 50-ish acre park. This is also the ancestral land of the First People, the Kumeyaay. Part of the park restoration is to incorporate the history, culture, and traditional ecological knowledge of the Kumeyaay people into the Park's Visitor Center and trails. I'm looking forward to seeing the results when the park reopens. read more

San Pasqual Battlefield - Entrance sign - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Escondido, California

See all

I always would see signs pointing to the direction of the San Pasqual Battlefield. I always wondered what battle was here in Escondido. I learned it was the bloodiest battle in California during the Mexican-American war in 1846. I probably learned about this when I was in school but that was so many years a go. I like refreshing my memory on history so I like going to museums when I can. The museum/visitor center is only opened on the weekends. The park is here as a reminder of the human ideals, actions, and passions that can drive nations to bloodshed. It's really interesting to check out. The museum is very small and the walking trail is really short but I did enjoy my visit and speaking to the man working there. He was telling me of the various individuals that were involved in this battle and the places in San Diego that were named after all these people. I hope to see the battle day the next time they have a re-enactment. read more

See all

The San Pasqual Battlefield is a place you've probably driven past a few times if you live in Escondido. It's right past the Wild Animal Park on the way to Ramona. It's a pretty small museum but for those of you that love history, especially that of the West, I found this to be a great stop. The working docent is a treasure trove of information will tell you interesting facts and stories about this and other battles that fulfilled the Manifest Destiny. LIVING HISTORY DAYS Experience re-enactors and cultural events along with live Cannons! BATTLE DAY ( check out spbva.org for details) Dec 4 2016 this year. This is a battle re-enactment. - There's a 10 minute movie to watch inside the building ( don't expect any fancy graphics or narrations from Bill O'Reilly) - This is a FREE museum, but you can donate if you like. NOTE - The walking trail is closed ( we hiked it anyway), but maybe if you ask the docent you might be able to get approval to hike it . Some areas of the trail have been washed out but if you have good shoes it's not a problem. read more

See all

I was sorely disappointed to see this park was closed. It is closed supposedly for restoration, but there was no evidence anything had been done since it was closed due to Covid. The trail was walkable but neglected. The parking lot and driveways were full of weeds. There were lovely picnic tables and an attractive visitor center, all unused. Having read about the harrowing experience of Kit Carson as he snuck, barefoot, past sleeping Californians in the dark to walk to Stockton 30 miles away in San Diego harbor, I was anxious to be able to walk the battlefield to get a feel for what must have happened there. Unfortunately, the park was shuttered tight, probably to never open again. When there seem to be plenty of volunteers who would do what it takes to keep this park open, it's closure is a big disappointment. To ignore such an important part of our history is a sad statement on the government of CA. In the meantime, the path was very interesting and the walk to the top was wonderful and offered beautiful views of the San Pasqual Valley and epic, ancient prickly pear cactus. For that reason, it is worth it to visit this park. read more

See all

(Disclaimer- I am an employee of San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park) San Pasqual is now open to visitors! Friday-Sunday, from 10am-4pm, you can explore our trails and visit our temporary "outdoor museum." Our indoor facilities are temporarily closed, but fortunately, we have a makeshift museum set up in our amphitheater. Masks are required for both visitors and employees, and we are committed to following the CDC standards. read more

See all

Fantastic piece of California history! Also, a clean and friendly place to stretch your feet, use the *clean* restroom and have a picnic lunch. Absolutely free but they accept donations. When we stopped by in the Visitor's Center, we were greeted by Gil. Not sure if he is an employee or volunteer but he is wonderful. Gave us a historic rundown of the San Pascual Battle during the Mexican-American war with oral history, pictures and handouts. A short video was played upon request. If you're in the area, it is worth a stop. Plus, they have a trail in the vicinity to explore. Watch out for snakes though. Open weekends 10am-4pm. read more

San Pasqual Battlefield - Monument on trail - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Escondido, California

My 250th review should be a worthwhile one. Sadly here in Southern Cali. Many historical events and sites are not remembered. Thankfully, this Battle site has been preserved(As best as past past city/State officials would allow).when I went some time back, I expected to see more. But how can you really preserve a place out in the open? I was shocked to see these depictions of California's history that the Public schools barely teached. There were skirmishes,Battles and massacres in this war with Mexico,including; Americans,Mexicans, Native Americans and Californio's. The museum has artifacts,nice stained glass depictions and lots more. At one sign telling you the Battle was nearby(I just stood there standing at the land and imagined it happening. Don't get me wrong, I am not glorifying War, but at same time We should never forget Our History. Did not see the re-enactmentsw read more

See all

I have always wanted to watch a battle re-enactment, but living in California, you can imagine my frustration. I've been on the lookout for an event like that for years, but had never come across anything, until I heard about BATTLE DAY at San Pascual State Historic Park. It sounded like fun, so a few friends & I headed over last Sunday. We had no idea what to expect. We knew nothing about this battle. Funny thing is, even afterwards, none of us seemed to know anything more about it. Lol. I arrived right at 11:30am, the start of the 1st re-enactment of the day. I saw about a dozen men riding horses around in the dirt. It was very dusty. We parked and I anxiously walked over to the viewing area (which is across the street). It was distracting to see cars pass through during the performance. But that wasn't the real problem. The re-enactment lasted about five minutes (or so my friends told me). I didn't get to see any part of it and it was only about 11:40am. Nooooooooooo! So disappointing. I did enjoy the various booths around there though! I got some ice cold, Sarsaparilla Root Beer. Yay! Some homecooked/old fashioned meals were being prepared & sold. Cool (I regret not trying it)! I got to stamp leather. Yay! I got to pet and feed some horses. Yay! I learned about the vaqueros from locals. Yay! There were also some talks throughout the event but that was pretty boring. Not Yay! Overall, it was a fun, cultural experience and I'm glad I went. In the future, though, make sure to get there right on time to watch the battle. It's VERY SHORT! I wish I knew that before going. Oh well. Maybe next year! read more

I wish these guys would straighten out the information they have online as far as when they're open and not. On this Yelp page it says they are Open right now - sitting in front and, guess what , they are not. Nice waste of a long drive. On the CA Parks page it said they are closed but the trails are Open. Well, the entrance is gated off and there's a No Stopping Any Time sign in front near the road so where do you park to get to the trails? Again, on their Facebook page it says Open Now (being a Saturday afternoon) - no, they are not open. I know it's because of COVID but, please update all your info out there or at least open that gate so people can park and get to the trails as it's stated. There's also some more trails just west of here related to the Battlefield but near the top of the hill it looks as if someone chopped up a large amount of the cactus and placed them on the trails making them practically impassable. read more

I can't believe it took me so many years to finally stop in here and learn more about the history of our area. Learned quite a bit. This museum marks the site of a battle in the Mexican-American war. They do a great job of explaining it thoroughly. There is also a hiking trail, though we did not take this time. Admission to the museum is donation-based-- you can give whatever you feel is appropriate. Check it out someday on your way to Ramona/Julian, or perhaps before/after the Safari Park--it's just down the road. read more

See all

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit this site of historic Californian history during its yearly event of the Battle of San Pasqual reenactment between the Americans and Californios. My first thoughts of hearing "reenactment" I believed it would be an actual reenactment of the battle which is considered the bloodiest battle in California. I was quite disappointed since it was not a all out battle but my disappointment was filled with my home state history which I had no clue about. As I arrived I was greeted with the smell of cow manure, farm lands, and mountains which brought me back to my childhood in Mexico. It was incredible how I was standing in soil that was tainted with American blood. The event had a number of dedicated volunteers who enjoy the history of the Battle of San Pasqual and have been doing it for more than 20 years. Tents and canopies were set up with relics and antiques of items which were used during the Mexican-American War. There was also a blacksmith demonstration from real present day blacksmiths from Old Town San Diego. Plenty demonstrations were set such as the type of cooking, weapon instructions, vaquero lassos, horseback riding, and of course the permanent visitor center. The visitor center is a museum of the battle which gives thorough descriptions on what happened on that day of December 6, 1846. read more

On Sunday, December 3rd, 2017, I attended the San Pasqual Battlefield's Battle Day, an annual commemoration of the battle of San Pasqual, the bloodiest battle fought in California during the Mexican-American war. Having never attended a war reenactment before, I made way to the battle site from my home near Central San Diego in great anticipation. The thirty-two mile drive to the event was pleasant, albeit somewhat long. As this was a Sunday morning, traffic was not an issue. Upon arrival to the site, I sensed a small deal of confusion regarding parking- turns out that the main parking area near the museum was reserved for people who had disabilities. Unfortunately, the sign stating this was face-down in the middle of the highway, and thus was unreadable- so I, like many people before and after me, mistakenly drove in to this area, only to be directed to the elementary school parking lot next door. Once I managed to get turned around, I was assigned a parking spot in the field next to the elementary school by a friendly volunteer, and, once parked, I made haste towards the event. I quickly learned that, not all was well. The first event listed was the Flag Ceremony, to honor both the American and Mexican soldiers who had participated in the skirmish. There was a typo in the brochure, however- turns out that the ceremony wasn't supposed to happen at the amphitheater, where everyone had already gathered, but was supposed to happen just outside of the site where the flags were raised. Eventually, the flag ceremony was cancelled, due to a lack of staff. This would unfortunately become a common theme at this years San Pasqual Battle Day, with opening ceremonies also being cancelled, and the equestrian demonstration being severely scaled back since only one person who could ride a horse showed up. Most disappointing of all, there was no actual reenactment- instead, a video of a previous reenactment was displayed inside of the museum, which by the way, is cash-only. Not everything was a disappointment, however. The staff that *did* show up were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. One could easily tell that they love their jobs, and they have a true passion for California history. The museum, while small, was enjoyable and has several displays that are quite interesting. There were multiple booths with small displays- one for blacksmithing, another for the Mormon regiment, still another with artifacts from the time period- they were all very interesting, and the staff was, again, extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their jobs. I took the trail up to the top of the hill and soaked in the fantastic view of the valley below, and the cannon firing was definitely the highlight of my day. In conclusion, despite the various problems that were present during the event, I still very much enjoyed it. I plan on returning soon, this time with my family. While there isn't enough here to fill up an entire days worth of activities, what is here is very interesting, and quite enjoyable. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out! Just make sure you bring some cash with you. read more