Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor’s Center
Mission Trails Regional Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. At its heart is a state-of-the-art visitor’s center. This should be your first stop when visiting Mission Trails.
WEBSITE: https://mtrp.org/visitor-center/
The Mission Trails area is massive and expanding. However, unlike the expansion in much of urban San Diego, Mission Trails Regional Park is all about preserving open space. It was established slowly from the 1960s through the 1980s. A complete history can be found on the web site.
The park vision really came alive with the 1995 opening of the Mission Trails Visitor and Interpretive Center. The visitor’s center is centrally located and provides a great introduction to the Mission Trails area.
At over 7,000 acres, with plans to grow to 10,000 acres, Mission Trails is huge. Like most National Parks, the Mission Trails Visitor’s Center provides a place to get your bearings. There are free maps, programs, exhibits and videos shown in the 94-seat theater.
The exhibits are spread over two floors. The focus is on the geology of the area, native plants and animals and the history of the Kumeyaay people who lived here as long as 10,000 years ago.
There are also quite a few exhibits on the history of the Old Mission Dam and early efforts bringing water to San Diego. The Old Mission Dam is in Mission Trails about 2 miles down Father Junipero Serra Trail.
There are also regular art exhibits and a large research library. Of course, there is also the obligatory gift shop. You can go to this website for the latest art exhibits.
The large windows have telescopes you can use to see the surrounding mountains of Mission Trails. This is also where you can find out detailed information on the 5-Peak Challenge. Check out our hiking guide for additional information.
Many special events are held at the visitor’s center. We have been to music concerts in the theater and star observation parties on the large outdoor deck. On Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays there are free ranger-led walks.
On the outside of the visitor’s center there are more exhibits and a small outdoor auditorium. There are also several hikes you can take from here, most notably the Visitor’s Center Loop Trail.
In many cases when visiting a park like Mission Trails we would simply head straight for the hiking trails. However, we urge visitors to check out the visitor’s center. It has helped provide us with a deep understanding of the rich history of this area that would have otherwise eluded us.
To see more look at our pictures below on the visitor’s center both inside and outside.
Click Here for Information on Nature Walks in Mission Trails
For our full guide to Mission Trails Regional Park Click Here.
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