Jack’s Pond Park

An interesting park that’s good for family walks.
— Two play sets that should keep your kid’s attention. Just be aware that on hot days the slides are very very hot!
— Unless you venture past the barn you wouldn’t know there’s a trail to the actual Jack’s Pond.
— Fortunately, that walking trail is paved with asphalt so pretty much anyone can walk it or use a Jazzy or any other electric wheelchair.
— If you want to get up close to Jack’s pond you have to go off the paved path. Be careful, the dirt sandy paths can be very slippery with poorly treaded shoes.
— Some people fish here. Why? Hopfully it’s for sport and not for consumption. -

Great Park! We hosted a BBQ here today and had a wonderful time. The playground is so large and safe for the kids to play on. There are plenty of tables, benches to accommodate large groups, and has a lot of shaded area.
The only down side is the bathroom situation in my opinion. You have to walk across the parking lot and up the hill to go to the bathroom. Wish it was right in the same area as the park.

Jack’s Pond is in my backyard. I’m here about 4 – 5 times a week walking my dog.
The path is .66 miles, so round trip it’s just over 1.2 miles, completely paved. There isn’t a ton of shade, so on those hot days, you’ll want to go later.
There are two doggy poop bag locations provided for you and most of the time, they are full. So, c’mon dog owners, no excuse that you forgot your bag!
There are two parks, one at the beginning of the path on my end (Alder Glen tot lot) and one at the other end (where most people start– that’s the official parking lot for Jack’s Pond).
You’ll see wildlife here– rabbits, ducks, coyotes, and lizards.
Come check it out. It’s a nice spot.

I remember Jacks Pond Park before the park… and new housing was put in.
It is great to see this type of park here in North County. This park does a fantastic job of mixing the natural landscape features, such as the paths, pond etc with new park amenities such as paved and gravel paths, play structures, decent bathrooms and more. It was great to walk both the flat paths and the more natural hiking type paths… but it was great, especially when walking with a child… to come upon the Nature Center at the «top» that had a great play area, tons of shade and grass.
This will be our go to walking spot I can guess, so it is going to be a fun summer!

We came to picnic after a long hike. This little park is off the beaten path and you wouldn’t know of it unless you were a local.
Small parking lot with a playground, 1 picnic table and bathrooms. There is a trail, however, wasn’t able to view it from the park. I did see a couple walkers and runners along the side trail running parallel from the park.
Definitely will check out the scenic route the next time I’m in the area.

The playground area is pretty good but a bit advanced for a very young toddler because the play structure goes up pretty high!
For me and my active one year old, the best part is the nature walk /​garden that has a path for exploring. We have seen lots of birds and lizards there. Very exciting stuff for my son.
The wide open fenced grassy area is great to bring bubbles or just do some spinning and running.
The barn that has the nature education was interesting but perhaps better for older kids. My little guy did love the live bug collection, the plastic bug collection, and touching the various furs on display.
Overall, a great place for exploring.

Jack’s Pond is a fun, secluded 23 acre park that’s great for everyone. Like some other North County parks, it has a 24-​hour live-​in caretaker (at a city owned residence near the entrance), to keep the place clean and safe. I can’t imagine being stoked on the idea when I was in high school, but now that I’ve got a kid, I appreciate having nice places around to take her.
The playground is super fun and almost brand new. There are two big slides, and two little ones side-​by-​side for racing, a suspension bridge and miscellaneous spinning objects (eg. tic-​tac-​toe.) Although there are no swings, its still one of the better playgrounds north of Balboa Park.
Besides a huge barn to look at, there are great walking trails and a reasonably clean bathroom that’s open as long as the park is. Closes at sunset.
Another feature I appreciate is a reserved smoking area that’s well away from the playground. As a smoker, I’m annoyed that many parks ban smoking outright, so having a little 30 foot area, means that I can smoke legally for once. I can stand right under the sign, and smile when people walk by. (They don’t call me El Fumar for nothing.) This means that you’re less likely to see smokers near the playground or back by the pond. Tangent: Do you really think we won’t smoke at all while in a park? Pffft. Good job San Marcos, everyone wins.
The best part: events require a permit so visitors are limited to small families and couples walking. I’ve never seen a single piñata.