William R. Mason Regional Park

+beautiful park
+wild life
+pond
+great for a run
+many gazebos
+butterfly garden
+restrooms
+pic-​nik tables and grills
–pay to park

I’ve been to this park many time, beautiful place for family portraits and engagement sessions.
Never over overcrowded and I also love riding my bike here on the long winding trails.

Suzie Q’s Fun Facts:
William R. Mason isn’t a politician, as I would have assumed — he’s the former president of the Irvine Company (from 1966 until 1973, when he died at the too-​young age of 54). If Mason bequeathed the funds to build this park, the citizens of Irvine owe him a debt of gratitude.
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If you have kids, and you want an inexpensive (read: essentially free) way to spend a glorious weekday afternoon or weekend, it doesn’t get much better than William R. Mason Regional Park.
Me? No kids. But friends and their rugrats were visiting from out of town, and I needed an inexpensive activity to keep them occupied for the afternoon until they flew out of John Wayne Airport that Sunday evening. So we Googled, and randomly stumbled upon this park.
If you designed a utopian playground in Disney’s Tomorrowland, it wouldn’t get much prettier than this: Acres of rolling hills, a huge lake complete with ducks and turtles, picturesque bridges, lots of pavilions for gathering and birthday parties, clean and feature-​filled playgrounds, grill stations, and inexpensive parking ($ 5 all day on weekends, $ 3 all day on weekdays). Otherwise, no entrance fee.
Happy-​looking families were frolicking in the sun, playing bocce ball and other lawn games. Bunches of jewel-​toned balloons bounced against the robin’s egg sky, and kids’ laughter and squeals floated on the breeze.
If only every city had a park like this one, maybe road rage would die out and kids would grow up happier, healthier, and less glued to their various iDevices.