Lopez Park near Penasquitos Canyon


Lopez Park is located on Calle Cristobal in Mira Mesa. This park overlooks Lopez Canyon, which is a tributary to Penasquitos Canyon in Mira Mesa. As you drive by, it at first seems like a generic suburban park, and in many ways it is. There is a baseball field, a small playground, friendly families, park benches and tables, a small recreation center facility, and lots of SUVs in the parking lot. But if you take a moment to stop at Lopez Park, you will find it offers more than meets the eye.

In addition to the facilities you notice immediately, there is a paved walkway around the perimeter of the park, which has a trail par course with four stops around the park. You can add pull ups, push ups, bar hops, walking with your hands, gymnastics rings, sit ups, and many other exercises to your lap or laps around the park.

Also, the park expands to the edge of a small plateau, and from there you have a great view down into Lopez Canyon, a beautiful preserve that is part of the Penasquitos Park system. Though there are housing developments around the plateau (and across the plateau on the other side as well), it is lovely to see everything in between still growing wild.

The very perimeter of the park is maintained flower beds, but with an emphasis on native plants. This creates a beautiful transition to the wild lands just on the other side of the fence that spill into the canyon. Instead of looking contrasted against artificially green landscaping, the landscaping highlights the natural beauty of the region, even if this means it gets dry in the summer. The wildflowers and native vegetation are beautiful, and the park service gives them just a little more water than nature to keep the edge of the park look fresh, even though beyond the edge it might be extremely dry. This is the perfect combination of tended and wild.

Overall, the park is a delightful surprise in the depths of suburbia, but not worth going out of your way for. Located on the south side of Sorrento Valley Blvd / Calle Cristobal, about halfway between Caminos Ruiz and Santa Fe.