Hike of the week: Discover a sweet network of trails at Harry Griffen Regional Park

Harry Griffen Regional Park surprised me this week.

The 53-acre open space in the northeastern corner of La Mesa has the classic public park essentials: a large grassy field, a playground and a dog park. But it’s also home to a network of crisscrossing dirt trails that can make for an ideal summer evening stroll or run.

It was about time that I checked it out, too. My sister and her family live within walking distance of the park and they’re often there with their dog, Elio. Since I was pet sitting for them this week, Harry Griffen seemed like the natural choice for this column.

The park is named after a prominent figure in the area’s history. Harry Griffen was part of several regional water groups from the 1950s to the 1990s, including the Helix Water District Board of Directors and the Association of California Water Agencies, according to the Lemon Grove Historical Society. He was perhaps aptly nicknamed “Mr. Water.”

While there is no body of water at the regional park where I hiked, the lush grass seemed to help the temperature drop significantly on a warm August evening.

I accessed the park from Blackthorne Avenue, just east of the park where La Mesa meets El Cajon. There’s a small side street connecting the neighborhood to the open space. The park also has a large parking lot, in case you’re driving in.

I walked straight and across the grass, heading west, for about 500 feet before reaching the trail network. I turned left to pass under some shady trees that created an archway over the path and continued walking south toward the park’s amphitheater.

At 0.2 miles, I headed into the trail network. There is a sweet little wooden bridge to walk over and the whole space seemed to shine with the setting sun behind it. All the while I kept thinking, “I can’t believe I didn’t know this was here!”

I meandered along the dirt path for a total of about a mile, first heading west and then north before heading back toward where I began. By the end I created a type of figure eight shape of a route since I wanted to explore most of the different paths in the area.

While you can follow my exact route, I’d suggest you follow your own inspiration to see where the path takes you.