Golden Hill Park
4 Reviews
Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
2590-2596 Golden Hill Dr.
San Diego, CA 92102
Phone: (619) 268-6307
32.719638, -117.141187
Hike: There are multiple trails on this land Level: Each trail varies in level of difficulty
Dog-Friendly: Yes Kid-Friendly: Yes
Golden Hill Park is an extension of Balboa Park. "The earliest recreational developments in the park were in the "Golden Hill Park" area off of 25th street. The National Register listed the rustic stone fountain designed by architect Henry Lord Gay as the oldest surviving designed feature in the park. Other attractions in the area included a children's park, walking trails, and a redwood bird aviary. Make sure to check out the Victorian homes around the corner too!
The Golden Hill Park section of Balboa Park was developed and largely financed by nearby residents before anything but chaparral was in the Park's center. The National Register Golden Hill fountain is actually a rustic Arts & Crafts style inglenook with benches, rock double stairways, walls and radiating trails. The site was designed in 1907 by architect Henry Lord Gay, best known in town for designing the Western Metal Supply Company Building, now a part of Petco Park.
Other than weed abatement and trash pickup, the area has been neglected by the City, its owner, for 50 or more years. The wood benches are long gone, the native stone and concrete stairs are decomposing and a safety hazard, and the fountain last worked in perhaps the 1930s. There is no identifying signage and the view from the road is blocked by random, rogue bushes. The City needs to start treating the Park's east side with the same respect and care as the Prado area. This 102-year-old site can and should be brought back to the neighborhood amenity and tourist attraction that it was in the pre-Expo days."
This area is on SOHO's most endangered list: http://sohosandiego.org/endangered/mel2010/fountain.htm
There is a nice community garden here:
Evan
They’re in the process of re-doing this and will have running water in the fountain!
September 28, 2015
khylli
i was sent here by faze rug and holy love it had me shaking !!!!
July 18, 2016
Kary
The wooden benches are back, the area has been landscaped, and we are just awaiting the return of the water!
September 5, 2016
Anonymous
Golden Hill Park has a number of unusual trees, bushes, and palms in it. I haven’t identified them all, but the large pines on the south side are Bunya Pines from Northeastern Australia. The gardeners have to harvest the cones from those trees when they grow, to prevent the huge 10 pound cones from falling on people. The cones produce large seeds that are edible and the trees are sacred to the Aboriginal people.
August 24, 2019