Kit Carson Park is a 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 The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

during a government exploration expedition. The park sits in a valley that is approximately west of where Kit Carson fought in the

Battle of San Pasqual The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican–American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley community of the city of San Diego, California. The series of military skirmishes ...

. A historical monument commemorating the battle is located on

Mule Hill Mule Hill, is a historical site in San Pasqual Valley, San Diego, California. Mule Hill site is a California Historical Landmark No. 452, listed on November 2, 1949. The Mule Hill, a low hill, was the site of a battle during the Mexican–Amer ...

, 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. of the park have been developed, and have been preserved as natural habitat. The park has been described as the "city's recreation hub" with a "giant recreation complex". Duck Lake at Kit Carson Park

A Sports Center opened in 1997 which includes a skate park, a soccer arena and an arena for inline hockey. 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. 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. 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. The park has been used as a command post and staging area during wildfires in the area."Local Crews Reflect"
''Union Democrat'', October 25, 2007

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 A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

* Shaded

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

areas with tables / barbecues * Covered picnic shelter * Open turf areas * Lighted youth baseball and softball fields * Lighted adult softball fields * Lighted

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

fields * Lighted tennis courts * 3,000 capacity outdoor

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

* 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 Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...

Program Center, located at the north end of the park *

Disc Golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course

Location

The park's entrance is located five minutes from

I-15 I15 may refer to: * Interstate 15, a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States of America * Polikarpov I-15, a Soviet fighter aircraft * I15 (band) "Soulja Girl" is the second single from American rapper Soulja Boy's studio album '' ...

(via Rancho Parkway Exit) at the corner of Bear Valley Parkway and Mary Lane, and opposite from San Pasqual High School.

References

{{reflist, 2 Municipal parks in California Urban public parks Escondido, California Protected areas established in 1967 1967 establishments in California Parks in San Diego County, California

History

Park features

Location

See also

References