I live across from the park and I will state that the trails are amazing. There are trails for…read moreeveryone with different types of difficulty. Go early in the morning or after 5ish as it gets very hot in the summer. Happy hiking!

I was excited to discover this park recently, and had a fun time checking out the Visitor's Center…read more(mostly the outside as it closes at 5 pm and we arrived a few minutes before on our first visit) .We took a short hike nearby (the Visitor's Loop, about 1.5 miles). This park encompasses a mind-boggling 6,000+ acres, with 43+ miles of trails...the rugged, hilly landscape is pretty amazing. We're looking forward to hiking some of the other trails, one near a historic dam (Old Mission Dam) and a lake or two (or more). There is a campground somewhere. I'd bring water and sunscreen and a hat, as there isn't a lot of shade. There are several places I think you can park but it's confusing...I'd start with the Visitor's Center parking lot. There was construction going on when we last visited. Most of the parking lots closest to the Center and nearest the trailheads close at 7 during the summer (earlier during the winter months, check out the website for accurate hours). I'm only giving the park four stars for its limited and confusing parking after hours and lack of helpful information provided when I was at the visitor's center on a subsequent visit. There is no parking or entrance fee, though, so that is a plus....

This is only my second year coming to Starlight circle but it has quickly become one of my favorite…read moreplaces to see lights. It is located right by Santana High School, which they open for parking and bathrooms! So there will always be a spot to park, even if it's a little far. We usually drive it though, since it's like one huge circle of a street. There's beautifully lit houses, light shows, art, and blow ups out! A good portion of the houses also had stands in front of them where they sold hot chocolate, tameles (one of the best I've ever had), macrons, kettle corn, cup of noodles, hot apple cider, and other holiday snacks! You can drive it as many times as you want, just look out for people walking! I highly recommend this is a free holiday must see in San Diego.

Our favorite family holiday outing! This was our 13th year and the houses never disappoint! Fun…read moreholiday lights and decor with neighbors selling yummy treats and crafts. Parking is made easy with a convenient lot at the nigh school down the street.

If you need help finding this place read this review!! I got lost about 3 times because there's no…read moresigns or directions online anywhere. There is a small parking lot if you drive down Cara way, the parking lot is in front of the area where you'll see a gate, and a path under the bridge. Although if you want a little more of a workout park by Wendy's and walk on down. So I mistakenly went on the left dirt side that went on the bridge, I walked down a path in complete forest trying to find this place which was an adventure in itself. Lots of odd finds, like car batteries, trash, and whatever else kids are up to these days. Then ended back up on the bridge and went down a steep path under the bridge which lead to a pretty nice hike that went over a couple bridges with running water. It was a beautiful hike but I was still trying to find the garden..... 4 miles later and almost willing to give up, we finally found the garden. When you are at the area where you can park you will see a gate on the right or a dirt/concrete path to the left. GO RIGHT, go through the gate and walk on down. You'll see an art wall on your way down. I originally did not think this is where it was because google maps showed a large building, but that's exactly where it is. As you keep going down the path you'll see tons of trees and a gazebo. Oh wow was this place breathtaking, so many memorials of crime victims. Cara knotts area was the largest and it was amazing to see how kept up it was. Her father that also passed had a bench next to her as well. It was a really peaceful and beautiful experience but also very emotional. A great stop for a hike (that I didn't prepare for) or to visit the beautiful garden. Hope this review helps you find it!

I have a connection to this place and love coming here to walk the dog. We try and leave a toy for…read moreothers at the site and give respects to those taken too early from us.

Good hike, the trails get a little confusing and could be marked a little better, but a nice hike,…read morenot very challenging, but a nice walk through nature, one trail, that starts to climb is fairly narrow, be careful. I saw a snake, didn't look threatening, but I don't know much about snakes, other favorite being the black mamba #Kobe!!! Another hiker alerted us that she had seen a few snakes on the way coming up, we were headed down, but didn't run into them. One trail runs along a creek, very peaceful. A wedding was taking place at the oak trail center. There's also a nice lap you could do around the reservoir, check out the personalized rock collection or leave one of your own!

If you're looking to do an easy nature trail walk, I recommend this one! Right from the start you…read moresee a lake scenery with lots of trees and plants on the water. There were trees with yellow leaves because it's fall. Didn't see much wild life. There were bridges and streams. No steep hills. Beautiful views and atmosphere.

Cute little library and friendly staff. But they are definitely in need of a new location, seems…read morelike they have been there forever. They're raising funds for a new library and I hope that can happen soon!

For many years, I voted at the Santee branch of the San Diego County Library. The ladies there were…read moreknowledgeable and helpful, and I always enjoyed the childhood memories that the smell of the library brought back for me. But shame on me: in recent years, I've contributed to the slow unraveling of American society by shunning the small but community-centric offerings of the local public library. I want to blame TV and the internet, Amazon and TikTok, but that's a childish dodge, obvious and irresponsible, like blaming the rain for ruining my car's interior, instead of myself, for not putting up my windows. Libraries are - have always been - more than simple book repositories. They're classrooms; study halls; venues for public meetings; and "third places", where people can relax and interact with folks other than those they know from home and at work. Like many Americans, I've found technologies and places to stand in for the library. Much of the research and reading I do, I do online; and when I want the bustle of strangers, I sit in coffee shops. [half-hour long pause] I was going to add something here about the charming old-fashioned American tradition of submitting ballots at a library or other public venue, and I was going to ruefully assert that COVID-19 is to blame for my having stopped doing so. But COVID-19 isn't the threat it used to be, and the ugly truth is that I'm afraid to go into crowds of gun-totin', antisocial, right-wing extremist MAGA nutjobs whose attention is focused on politics, and who would rather see their fellow citizens shot dead than to see their candidates lose fair elections. I miss the library, but I'm not willing to die for it.

Impossible to contact…read more Attempted to call their office for weeks without any luck. I then contact the enlisted recruiting office in El Cajon and asked for their direct lines. Got 3 of them and yet they still do not answer. I guess the don't want any new recruits.

They are really helpful but extremely busy. Make sure you call multiple times to get ahold of them…read moreto schedule an appointment. Sometimes walk in is fine but extremely rare, I suggest call ahead multiple times to schedule an appoinment.

This park is a great place to walk your dog ( they have 3 different sections for what size dog you…read morehave) , have a birthday gathering , shoot some hoops , disk golf , or get some steps in . What is not great is the parking .... Especially on weekend it's a challenge to get a spot even with a handicapped pass . It's nice when the snack bar is open for a fresh beverage deep inside the park and the dog will love the fountain down at floor level to indulge padre dam high quality h20

What a fun park. We took our dog and grandson here last Friday. School was out somewhere because…read morethere were a ton of teenagers there. And it was a delight to see them playing on the large structure and enjoying the swings. My grandson is 18 months so we stuck to the smaller playground structure and had fun. My daughter took our dog to the dog park area where he had such fun playing with two other puppies. It was a great afternoon. We lucked out on parking but both lots were maxed out. The snack shack was open and disc golf players were having a ball.

KaffeeMeister Supervisor has assured me they follow ADA & service dogs are allowed…read more Thank you for taking care of all customers equally to include intelligentual disabled persons.

Cutest place you'll miss if you're not looking! I got the banana bread latte, very delicious and…read morenot too sweet. Service was amazing as well and the cashier that took my order was so kind. A must try for anyone driving through Santee/El Cajon area!

It's a monument to the KCBQ radio station when it was located in Santee. Lots of radio…read morepersonalities were on the air from this station and some are still on the air in San Diego and other cities. Like Wolfman Jack, Shotgun Tom who is now working in Los Angeles and Gene Knight who works at KYXY and a lot of other DJ's. Just a little monument with a lot of the people's names. Kind of cool. Located on Mission Gorge Rd in front of the Kohl's store between the sidewalk and the street.

Welp. It's there. It's small. It outlines a more significant part of San Diego's history than this…read moretiny little monument provides. Nice thing is that you can see from the road if you aren't distracted by the In-N-Out directly behind it.

I go to Kennedy Park often now. Never crowded, very clean. Good parking available and clean…read morebathrooms. It's never overrun with dogs, but a good walking area with lots of shade and good picnic tables and playground equipment.

One trip to Kennedy Park and you may never return to Wells Park. Especially if you appreciate a…read moreclean well maintained private restroom. Kennedy Park has a shaded picnic area with 8 tables there's 3 hot coal receptacles suggesting barbeques are welcome, but you'll have to bring your own grill .There are lots of benches throughout the park some in the sun and some in the shade. I saw several groups of kids playing soccer. They have a play structure that kids seemed to enjoy. I saw walkers, joggers, people sitting on the share, some reading some reflecting some relaxing and one man enjoying a late breakfast, wait, that was me. I had a nice relaxing visit ,eating my breakfast and people watching This is a good park to visit in El Cajon.