Kit Carson Park

Kit Carson Park
The golf course at Kit Carson Park
Type	Urban park
Location	Escondido, California
Coordinates	33°4′48″N 117°3′46″W
Area	285 acres (115 ha)
Created	1967
Operated by	City of Escondido

Kit Carson Park is a 285-acre (115 ha) municipal park in Escondido, California, United States. The park was named after Christopher (Kit) Carson, the famous scout who guided Captain John C. Frémont over the Sierra Nevada during a government exploration expedition.^[1] The park sits in a valley that is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of where Kit Carson fought in the Battle of San Pasqual. A historical monument commemorating the battle is located on Mule Hill, one mile southeast of the park.

History

The City of Escondido acquired the land for its largest regional park from the City of San Diego in 1967. 100 acres (40 ha) of the park have been developed, and 185 acres (75 ha) have been preserved as natural habitat. The park has been described as the "city's recreation hub" with a "giant recreation complex".^[2]

Duck Lake at Kit Carson Park

A Sports Center opened in 1997^[3] which includes a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m²) skate park, a soccer arena and an arena for inline hockey.^[4] Solar panels are being installed at the sports center, as well as near the softball fields, as part of a bigger project to generate energy atop Escondido city facilities.^[5]

Escondido Skate Park features wooden ramps rather than concrete, found in typical skate parks. The wooden ramp make the park more flexible when it comes to adding ramps and other features, but also makes it prone to weather damage. The city of Escondido renovated the 22,000-square-foot park in 2009, removing rotted plywood, replacing hardware and waterproofing the new wood. More than 10,000 in-line skaters, skateboarders and BMX riders from age 6 to adult use the park each year.^[6]

Queen Califia's Magical Circle, the only American sculpture garden by the internationally acclaimed artist Niki de Saint Phalle, opened in 2003 at the park.^[7][8]

The park has been used as a command post and staging area during wildfires in the area.^[9][10]

Park features

• Walking / hiking trails
• 5-acre arboretum: The Iris Sankey Magical Garden
• 3 ponds: Tree Lake, Duck Lake, and Sand Lake
• Tot lot / playground
• Shaded picnic areas with tables / barbecues
• Covered picnic shelter
• Open turf areas
• Lighted youth baseball and softball fields
• Lighted adult softball fields
• Lighted soccer fields
• Lighted tennis courts
• 3,000 capacity outdoor amphitheater
• Queen Califia's Magical Circle sculpture garden
• Eucalyptus Leaf Court public art piece
• Sports Center complex with pro shop
• 22,000 square-foot skate park
• 2 full-size covered roller hockey arenas
• 1 full-size soccer arena
• 1 "mini" soccer arena
• Girl Scouts of the USA Program Center, located at the north end of the park
• Disc Golf course

Location

The park's entrance is located five minutes from I-15 (off exit 27 for Via Rancho Parkway) at the corner of Bear Valley Parkway and Mary Lane, and opposite from San Pasqual High School.

See also

• Urban wild
• Urban park

References

1. Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Frémont, John Charles" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
2. "Kit Carson Park set to try new frontiers; Escondido OKs giant recreation complex"^{[dead link‍]}, San Diego Union Tribune, September 14, 1995
3. "Grand opening set tomorrow for Escondido's sports center"^{[dead link‍]}, San Diego Union-Tribune, October 24, 1997
4. "Escondido rolls out skate park to teen cheers"^{[dead link‍]}, San Diego Union-Tribune, October 26, 1997
5. "Solar panels going up at park", San Diego Union-Tribune, March 17, 2012
6. "ESCONDIDO: City's lone skate park facing closure" Archived 2011-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, San Diego North County Times, March 30, 2011
7. "Sculpture garden by late artist opens in Escondido" Archived 2009-08-17 at the Wayback Machine, North County Times, October 22, 2003
8. Kit Carson Park. http://www.escondido.org/kit-carson-park.aspx
9. "Bush Tours Fire-Ravaged Region", San Diego 10 News, October 25, 2007
10. "Local Crews Reflect", Union Democrat, October 25, 2007