Pioneer Park

This is one of the inland parks without any views, but you can drink here from 8am — 8pm. They just don’t allow glass here. There’s tons of shade here, so it’s great for a hot day.
The parking lot is small, but there’s plenty of street parking.
The restrooms don’t seem to be very well kept but at least there are restrooms.
Only downside is that this used to be a cemetery, so there’s 3000+ coffins you’re chillin on top of. All the tombstones were removed from the site.
Also, there seems to be tours going on at night time since it could be a «spooky» park.
Overall, I’d come back here to have more BBQs as this is a nice place to have one.

So many parks in San Diego have outlawed drinking. Well not Pioneer Park. I guess since the park essentially sits on 3000 + dead bodies they aren’t one to forbid much… except glass.
I came here on a sweltering humid day and the shade of the many trees actually kept me somewhat cool. Plenty of shade and plenty of parking make this a very appealing park. That and the restrooms and playgrounds make it a 5 star park. Yes the gravestones are a little creepy but it does add an interesting flavor to it.
I have been to numerous BBQs here starting in 2008 when the old Unilocalers used to do UYEs here. Those days are gone but the memories are strong.

This is a solid park but the unkept toilets have knocked off two stars for this place for me. The couple of times I’ve been here they haven’t had enough toilet paper. Not to mention that the stalls themselves don’t have doors!
The park is very spacious and there is enough grills and tables for multiple parties to have fun at once. The kids seem to enjoy the playground and the pups love the large roaming space. It’s a great park; just make sure you try to use the facilities before you come here!

This park is at the end of mission hills with a cool location for an open space. I did not know about this ground being a past cemetery, but honestly with concerts in the park going on right now im sure the dead are happy to be listening to some good tunes. I actually find that pretty poetic. This park is huge and this last friday was our first visit for a tom petty cover band during concerts at the park. Tons of people were out with their families having a great time. It was an awesome vibe and everyone was happy and just hanging around engaging in end of week festivities and some snacks. definitely recommend for concerts at the park

Peaceful park for our dusky stroll. We went on a weekday night around 6 and it wasn’t crowded. We stuck to the sidewalk because I felt a little uncomfortable running around on the grass (just my personal preference) given the park’s history of being a graveyard back in the day .
Pluses:
Pretty scenery
Playground for the kids
Parking lot with plenty of spaces (at least on a weekday night)
Ability to enjoy adult beverages during the daytime

It’s funny to read all the not-​so-​great reviews of this place, especially the comments about this being a cemetery, because I actually got married here! Yup, that’s right, I had a full-​blown wedding here and it was awesome! Was it a goth wedding? Nope, just your average wedding. The theme was Garden Party/​Day of the Dead to go with the cemetery part of it but it was awesome and I still get compliments to this day. Like others have said, this is one of the few park where you can drink, which was one of the reasons my husband and I picked it. (You do need a park permit to throw events here but that was such an easy process at the SD Parks & Rec dept.) This park is semi-​secluded which is nice and it has some awesome trees here. There is a playground for kids and it’s relatively big so you can get your space from other park goers. The one downside of the park is that the bathroom doesn’t have doors on the stalls. Overall though, I love this park!

This is such a peaceful park. A hidden gem in Mission Hills. There are tombstones at the edge of the park because this used to be a Catholic cemetery. I don’t find that creepy though. If anything, it adds character to the park.
Located next to Grant Elementary School, this park is good for families, pets, and exercise. The kids can play on the playground, dogs are often seen running around unleashed, and there’s a path around the park you can jog (3 laps is approximately 1 mile).

Oh the tales this park would tell if it could! Parties of debauchery, chicken, neat ladies and cheese! Great little park to have a little get together and grill.
Nice little play land too if you have little ones. onsite bathrooms as well. You can’t go without making a trip to the grave stones. Perfect selfie spot.
I believe you can enjoy alcoholic beverages at this little park but don’t quote me on it I can be wrong. I’d check the parks rules and regulations before throwing a kegger… invite me too when you do! I’ll bring some cheeeeese!!!

Want to trample on the (now) unmarked, desicrated graves of San Diego’s earliest settlers? Want to be surrounded by kids with no manners, and parents completely lacking in parenting skills? THIS is the place to be!

This park does it’s job. My children love it. My only complaint is if you come when the school next door lets out there are a lot of big kids that will play and trample the littles. Also the area in General is just busy and hectic in the afternoon. But like I said my kids love it so we will keep going back

Who knew about this gem of a neighborhood park in Mission Hills? Came here for UYE Cheesefest II. Sooo convenient to Venissimo Cheese. Small, but boasts the requisite picnic table and sandy playground. Alcohol is permitted ’til 8pm (what?!) and dogs are allowed too, on leashes.
Fun to watch happy families doing the family thing. I was just happy to nosh on an abundance of cheese while enjoying the company of a few new friends!

Nice wide open and spacious park. Would be a great spot for a picnic or run. The groms love the playground and all the equipment seems to be upkept. Definitely one of the safer parks in the area. There is also a tennis court across the street if that’s your thing.

I like this park
I work with clients who want photographs of family there all the time
There is parking and a very relaxed atmosphere especially for children…
you can find me on:

This park is pretty amazing… it’s spacious with green grass and lots of trees, there’s a playground for children, a dirty but functional bathroom, and it’s one of the few parks in San Diego that allows alcohol consumption (but remember NO GLASS!).
What is even more amazing about this park is the history of it. From the 1870’s to 1960 this «park» was a functional cemetery. In 1970 the city decided that the rundown cemetery was a «public danger» and that it needed to go. So the city trashed all but a handful of the headstones (you can see the remaining headstones in the SE corner of the park), and then didn’t move the bodies. Yes that’s right this park that USED to be a cemetery is STILL a cemetery (without headstones) and what is even crazier is that over 4,000 people were buried here from the 1870’s up to 1960. Many notable people are buried in this park: Sea Captains, War Heroes, men and women that played important roles in the history of San Diego, wealthy San Diego area families, and local Catholic Priests and Nuns.
I think the history of this place is part of the reason why I love this park so much, that and I have had some really good times here with some really good friends!

I see drunk people.
There’s a graveyard at this park but it’s one of just a few that allow alcohol, between 8am and 8pm anyway. After that the dead arise and party with glow sticks until the sun comes up. How stupid is that? Well what did you expect me to say… what can you say about a park: it’s got grass, trees, benches, bbq’s and restrooms with a huge turd peeking out of the toilet. No I didn’t try to flush, it wasn’t mine and I didn’t want anyone to walk in while the toilet runs over washing clay snakes across the floor thinking I clogged the pipes. I don’t eat that much fiber. Ugh, I almost threw up in my mouth while writing that.
On to the good stuff. Ok, so this is the second Unofficial Unilocal Event, (UYE) I’ve attended here and both were a great time. Thanks Nick. You did an awesome job and there was so much food nobody went home hungry. Even the guy collecting aluminum cans got to get in on the food. He was one happy and polite recycler.
So to sum it up, we had fun, ate lots of food, drank alcohol, met new faces and saw old feces. Good Times!!!

Pretty spacious park! Even after school, with the moms and dads and kids in their spots of choice around the park, the park is pretty beautiful and worth visiting for a walk around.
Great for dog owners! Saw happy dogs and their humans going for strolls through the park. WOOF WOOF!
Benches for sitting down and reading a book! Or just looking around and taking in the green grass, leafy trees and gorgeous blue skies of San Diego.
COOL GRAVEYARD! Who knew you’d find one in a park that also houses a playground? It’s super interesting to walk by, read the tombstones, and imagine what the people must have been like a hundred years ago. San Diego had to have been pretty different. :)

As a relative newbie to the neighborhood, I’ve grown quite fond of this little park. It’s clean, the people are friendly, the grass is green, and there are stands with plastic bags to use when picking up the poops. Oh, apparently, there are also dead people under the grass, but I have yet to make their acquaintance.
Even with the shyness of the deceased, I still enjoy an evening stroll through the park on my way to and from wherever. Some may consider it macabre or disrespectful to turn a graveyard into a park, but not me. I hope that one day, when I’m no longer on this side of the grass, that my resting place can do double duty as a place where people find whatever they need, whether it be a spot to kick back and relax, play a game, or hang out with a friend. That would bring joy to my dusty bones.

One of my favorite parks in SD.
–lots of open space in the grass
–quiet, not very crowded (most days)
–its a graveyard.
I am fond of taking strolls through cemeteries, so when I found out about this park a few years ago, I had to come here. Its usually pretty dead during weekdays, and there’s lots of grass to play Frisbee, or have a picnic. During weekends it gets crowded and theres often large groups of people playing beer games or having bbqs. I just read a review that said all the bodies are still under the grass. EVEN BETTER! I love Pioneer Park!!!

Its a park complete with swings and a slide! It’s also a cemetery! Wow cool! Oh wait… what???
Yes Pioneer Park, though I don’t have all the history on it used to be a cemetery. Years later it was converted to a park, a rather nice one in fact. You can have picnics, let the kids run around, and they have a jungle gym. and wait what’s that on the other side? Oh yeah. the tombstones… and so you know YES the bodies of the 3000 or so people are still beneath you where you walk. You can sometimes make out the outline of the graves where they once were. They moved a number of tombstones off to the side and everything else is just grass and well fertilized trees (if you know what I mean) I love the place and it is sort of a all day/​night cemetery if you want to get technical with it. Parking is pretty decent. I don’t normally go during the day but at the evening and that’s when it can get dicey. Most evenings people are just walking the dogs, but as it gets later you may seem some shady folks and possibly a drug deal. But that is sort of what is expected from a park that sort of doesn’t close. (even though gate for parking lot closes by 10pm I believe, it is still accessible by foot)
So just be careful otherwise and enjoy yourself. It’s a neat place. 4.5 out of 5

Pioneer Park is a park close to my house and of all the parks in San Diego that is inland (not overlooking the ocean/​beach), it is the best.
I don’t often give 5 stars and I have gone to this park several times and feel this one is one of the best because of the neighborhood, the parking availability and of course the dogs that hang around. Of course, this means I love it because its perfect for Apricot to hang out. The most recent visit was when a friend had a small gathering here.
You can review the best restaurant, the best clubs and the best stores in town but for something free, nothing is better than Pioneer Park. Its clean, it has a playground area for younger kids but most of all its quiet and not too busy. And don’t be shocked at the gravestones in one area of the park, its a tribute to the past when this park used to be one of the first cemeteries in the San Diego area.
Truly a nice place to have a small picnic or a big gathering (a large group was having a party with brew and bbq). Lucky to live closeby and enjoy that there is a clean park that you know will be reliable to just walk around in a neighborhood park.