Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Talbert Regional Park

    3.8 (29 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Talbert Regional Park Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Talbert Regional Park

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Trash and mud
    Kathrine W.

    Oh boy. Talbert Regional Park is better suited for a murder mystery movie set than a nice morning stroll. We were in the area and wanted to go on a little hike or walk, and decided to check out Talbert. It looked huge and pretty from the maps. It started out really green and nice, then quickly turned into pure mud and trash. There looked to be some fun dirt jumps built for kids to ride bikes on, but other than that this park was pretty post-apocalyptic. We had to turn back and go around several times because the road/trail was totally washed out with 6-inch deep water and sticky mud. It hadn't even rained recently, it was just stagnant dirty water. There was also trash EVERYWHERE. Some was just loose, but some was in bags and thrown off to the side, like some public employees had forgotten to drag out the bags. Overall this needs a lot of cleanup but has potential. Until then, I really wouldn't feel comfortable walking alone here even during the day.

    Such a beautiful and peaceful park! Love that you can only get to the Nature Center by foot or bike. It's not called Squirrel Park for no reason. Keep your food airtight or you lose lunch and possibly a finger!

    One of the many places in the fence that OC Parks & Rec refuse to repair.
    Jami R.

    I live near this place and let me tell you, it's a dump. OC Parks & Rec do NOT do their job! I've tried and tried to get them out there to repair the fences, clean up graffiti, etc and they ignored me every single time. They only bothered to respond when I took my complaints to Facebook. Besides the homeless people who cause wildfires all the time, the BMXers are completely destroying it with the Sheephills, which needs to be flattened out. And there are people illegally fishing in Victoria Pond! And OC Parks & Rec REFUSE to take these complaints seriously! As someone who fishes myself it's not the fishing that bothers me, it's the fact it's ILLEGAL to fish there! If fishing was legal there I'd be down there all the time. In fact, considering that so many cities charge to do any freshwater fishing in their lakes and ponds, OC Parks & Rec are losing out on a lot of money by not making fishing legal there. Yes, the pond would have to be stocked, but make the fishing free and just put in a bait & snack shop that also sells fishing licenses or charge but a LOT less than other places (like say $10 as opposed to the $27 other places charge) they could be making a lot of money. Plus the fact that this would mean a lot more people down there would drive out the homeless as they'd know the area was more heavily patrolled. It's becoming clear to me that the reason OC P&R doesn't care for this area is because my neighborhood is not rich enough for them. Since they can't do their job, they should give control and ownership of the land to Costa Mesa. If you compare TNP to Canyon Park, you'd see Costa Mesa P&R does a FAR superior job. They actually care!

    Crystal S.

    When I was looking for Talbert I totally passed it the first time. It looked just like a bike trail next to a long, dried canal (the Santa Ana river). I was slightly disappointed after hearing it was a 91.5 acre reserve with 6 zones of differing wildlife. I parked in a the small park's parking lot (where Victoria St and Pacific Ave intersected) and walked downhill towards the canal onto the bike path. After walking 5 minutes up the canal path, I took the walking / biking / equestrian riding detour to the right and the sound of cars started fading away and it started looking more and more pretty. There are 6 different zones (i.e. wetlands, sand dunes, woodlands), which was quite nice to see (though the contrast wasn't that great). Following the path there were lush bushes, grasses and trees behind a roped pathway (weird, but I guess for plant reservation). After walking for a mile off a smaller pathway, I started hearing only the chirping of birds, the constant breeze, the rustling leaves from lizards and the occasional biker. Rabbits, birds, lizards and squirrels were common as there weren't many people around. I'd rank Talbert slightly above average. It was a pretty and peaceful respite right close to home.

    Shrub Island information
    John S.

    Sometimes I'll take my breaks here whether it be to take my lunch and enjoy the picnic area or take a nature walk for some exercise. They have random signs of what that specific area of the "preserve" is suppose to be, but they're not. It would be useful information if the land was setup like that but, without maintenance it's just a mess. I did read there are homeless people there but they usually keep to themselves. Of course my visits are during the day so it's not as scary at night. The picnic area is pleasent. Its shaded and has tables where I am currently writing this review. You can enjoy "squirrel fight club". Those little flea infested, plague hosting bastards throw down! Who'd think such cute little rodents can be so violent? Well I knew but did you? Now you do! I really just use this "nature preserve" as a pathway to get to the real gem: Fairview Park and Wetlands!

    Stays really muddy long after it rains.
    Tracy N.

    Came here yesterday afternoon and, not sure if I just picked a crappy day to come, but I thought it was just ok. A week after rains, and the trails were still really muddy -- not good for my small dogs or my 3 year old. In the middle of the "preserve" they have a designated area, where the sand has been formed to create like a skate park. Honestly, I am not quite sure what this is doing in the middle of a nature preserve? Saw a bunch of kids hanging out here, surrounded by tall grasses, no supervision. Seems like an invitation to trouble and trash -- which we saw evidence of throughout the trails. Pros: Trails are dog friendly (from the entrance I came in, I saw no baggies-- bring your own). Trails are flat, which make this easy for kids, everyone (but not after the rain, of course). Assuming its been dry, I can see a stroller coming through here with no problem. Cons: Trails are really muddy for extended periods of time after it rains. I didn't see any trail maps, or clear signs. The OC parks links aren't working right now either. While I didn't see much dog poop, we did encounter plenty of litter on the trails. Things to note: I didn't see any bathrooms here. I came in from the entrance at Victoria St, which means we parked on the street off of Valley Rd and walked down. There seems to be street parking on the southern end of the preserve, off of Balboa Blvd, that looks like a better alternative. Eh, I dunno if it was the muddy trails or the roudy skate kids, but this place just has potential. I'd much rather go down the street to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, even if I can't bring my pups. For the kids, Vista Park up the street is a small but great park-- they have a playground, bathrooms, and picnic benches at the west side of the park to check out the sunset before heading home.

    Kay E.

    Nice morning at the park. Things are blooming. It's quite muddy, we ventured into mud.

    Jasmine L.

    I didn't think this place was that bad. Then again my dog Zulu and I only walked around the outside edges of the preserve, we didn't take any of the trails through the middle of it. (Yet, though I plan on coming back). Parking was pretty easy I thought. It's right behind Fairview Park so we just parked at the lot there and then took a trail to the Talbert Nature Preserve. There seem to be quite a few trails hear though perhaps not as nice as Fairview Park itself, but still long trails. Its all flat, and I believe you can get to the Santa Ana River Bike/Trail from this park as well. Overall I liked it, it's "nature-y" though not as interesting to look at as other parks. We will be back again sometime.

    Walking in the mud

    See all

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Javier R.
    2
    273
    2980

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 2
    Love this 7
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 23
    Thanks 2
    Love this 11
    Oh no 2

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jami R.
    105
    150
    151

    12 years ago

    Helpful 10
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    17 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tracy N.
    120
    52
    86

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kay E.
    0
    17
    10

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jasmine L.
    80
    119
    203

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Great place for a hike. Love the scenery, the hidden little gems throughout the place. Just wish the homeless problem wasn't so rampant.

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Beautiful nature preserve. You can take a nice long walk and hit many beautiful flowers and wildlife.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Audrey L.
    19
    64
    39

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Alien M.
    2
    104
    87

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dina C.
    24
    62
    25

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jimmy T.
    308
    35
    47

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Talbert Regional Park

    Is it dog friendly?

    There are a lot of people walking dogs

    Is the trail jogger stroller friendly ? Thx✨

    View All 4 Questions

    Review Highlights - Talbert Regional Park

    Fun bike trail, nice hidden peaceful park, great hill on a bike when going to Fairview park to hit the bluffs.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Parks 28,252 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Talbert Regional Park - parks - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...