Menifee Parks Directory

I added a new feature to Menifee 24/7, a directory of parks in and around the Menifee Valley...

http://parks.menifee247.com

I found 20 parks in all, 19 of which are public parks, and one other park in the Sun Ranch community, which I believe is a private park, but is totally accessible to the public. There's actually a 21st park, located inside the Canyon Heights community in Quail Valley, but it's fenced and gated, appears to require a key to get in. I didn't include it.

I visited each park and took photographs, and noted their significant features. I've noted the name of the administrative body that manages each park and provided a phone number, in case you want to a reserve a gazebo, or a baseball diamond, or just need to speak your mind.

Some of these parks are teenie-weenie, and it's hard to even think of them as public parks, but they are indeed managed and administered as public parks. Perhaps the one park that you would never think of as a "public park" is Pepita Square Park, which looks like a green strip, kinda like how some center dividers are greened over with grass and shrubs.

My personal favorite in terms of the most scenic of parks is Mira Park, in the southern area, near the area of Scott Rd and Linderberger Rd. It offers great views of the Menifee Valley, has a basebase diamond, and lots of flowering shrubs. La Ladera Park is perhaps my second favorite in terms of scenery with its red bougainvilleas and purple sage.

Wheatfield Park is hands down the largest park, and offers the most amenities, but it's largely a sports park, with six baseball diamonds, two of which are lighted. There's tennis courts, a handball court, a basketball court, volleyball court, and a horseshoe pit. It's partly funded by the Menifee Lakes Master Assocation, and hence, some of it is in their control, or, their residents have priority on reservations.

Aldergate Park offers the valley's only off-leash dog park. Technically, it's not really a dog park, but it's completely fenced, has a doggie poop bag dispenser, and Valley Wide doesn't mind people using it as such.

A couple of parks could qualify as "secret parks" because they are totally hidden from public view, being tucked behind housing tracts, and well away from major roads. McCall Canyon Park and Hidden Meadows Park are those two.

If you want to ride your horse, that's what Kabian Park is primarily for. It has 640 acres of equestrian trails throughout the hills north of Quail Valley. It's also a wildlife viewing area.

Valley Wide Recreation and Parks administers most of the parks; their district boundaries are limited to the east of I-215. On the west side, the parks are administered by Riverside County Economic Development Agency, County Service Area #145. There's also Kabian Park (Roy W. Kabian Memorial Park), administered by Riverside County Regional Parks District.

There are several more parks currently in the planning stages; I'll be adding those parks to this directory as they reach completion.

There are a couple of parks in this directory that are technically outside the proposed boundaries of Menifee Valley, as defined by LAFCO. One is Kabian Park, which sits on the border, just outside of Quail Valley. The other is Woodbine Park, just beyond the southern border, east of J-Bar Ranch, and within the Berkshire community. I included them here because they primarily serve Menifee Valley residents.

The information in this directory was compiled by myself from visiting each park, as well as information provided to me by Valley Wide Recreation & Parks and the Riverside County EDA (CSA 145), as well as documents published by Riverside County LAFCO.

If you know of any parks that should be included in the Menifee Parks Directory, click on "Post a Comment" below, tell me about it, and I'll give it a consideration. Or, let me know if there is any information that needs to be corrected.