Whether you like paddle boats, jogging, or archery, this park has everything to offer, and that’s not an understatement.
Mile Square Park is a beautiful 607 acres of land located in Fountain Valley. The public has tons of amenities to choose from, some of which include 2 fishing lakes, 3 golf courses, the popular Palm Island, an auditorium, and a wide variety of restaurants conveniently located across the street. The park is very well kept, safe, and always bustling with visitors.
Amenities
- Archery
- 6 Baseball Fields
- Barbeques
- Bike Rentals
- Camping
- Dogs (must be on a leash)
- 2 Fishing Lakes
- Fitness Par Course
- Interpretive Programs
- Paddle Boat Rentals
- Picnic Areas & Tables
- Picnic Shelters For Reservation
- Multiple Playgrounds
- Multiple Restrooms
- Shelters
- Soccer Fields
- Volleyball Courts
- Wedding Events
To stay up to date with current events, click the link here, and for info on each of the amenities, click here.
You may have noticed the Fountain Valley Sports Park adjacent to the golf course. Although the Sports Park is located within the same block as Mile Square Regional Park, it is a separate facility.
Mile Square Recreational Park
For the sake of simplicity, I’m dividing the regional park into two parts, the recreational park, and the golf course. Let’s start with the recreational park’s basic info.
Entrance Fee
An entrance fee of $3 is required Mon-Fri and $5 Sat-Sun.
If you find parking on the street it’s free!
Directions
To get directions, click the link HERE.
Or type 16801 Euclid St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 into your GPS
Hours
Spring-Summer: 7am – 9pm
Fall-Winter: 7am – 6pm
Park Office Hours & Phone Number: Mon-Fri 8am – 3:30pm (714) 973-6600
Map
Fitness Loops
If you’re looking to enjoy a nice walk and/or improve your fitness levels, Mile Square offers a 1.6-mile Fitness Loop in the southern portion of the park with directional arrows and multiple fitness stations scattered throughout the loop.
If half a mile isn’t enough, you can extend the loop by adding an additional 1.5 miles. This loop basically covers the entire perimeter of the park. Check out the maps below to see the loops.
We parked on the southeast parking lot shown below and proceeded to walk a loop around the park. We were instantly greeted with beautiful scenery including a lake, giant pelicans, and palm trees lining the side of the lake.
You can fish off the pier or rent a bike the second you get off your car. A fishing license is required.
Bike & Boat Rentals
Don’t have a bike? Rent one at the park from Wheel Fun Rentals. They have two locations within Mile Square.
The north location (closest to Edinger Ave) is open all week and also offers boat rentals, while the south location (closer to Warner Ave) is only open on weekends.
North Location Hours of Operation:
South Location Hours of Operation:
For more prices and info, check out their website at Wheelfunrentals.com/edinger or Wheelfunrentals.com/warner. Or you can call 805-650-7770.
Baseball Fields
All ball fields and soccer fields are closed until March 1, 2022 for maintenance.
Looking to play ball? Mile Square offers 6 baseball fields (not including the sports complex which is it’s own facility). All of the fields are exceptionally well kept and maintained.
However, reservations are required and possibly a permit as well.
To the east of the park, you have Santiago Peak towering over the valley (shown below). It’s the tallest peak in the Cleveland National Forest and adds to the beauty of the park.
To the north, you have the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests.
Archery Range
As we walked further into the park, we came across a 24 lane archery range. The range is set up in a way that the lanes to the left of the range have targets placed further away. As you move towards the right of the structure, the targets are placed closer to the archer.
Each archer gets a lane to themselves, separated by a pillar and a black gate. If you’d rather spectate, concrete seats are immediately located behind the archers.
The archery range is open to the public every day from 7 am to sunset, but is closed every Wednesday from 7 am to 11 am for weekly maintenance. You must bring your own equipment. Only large groups are required to make reservations.
For more information regarding the archery range, feel free to call the park office during hours of operation at 714-973-6600. Want to register for an archery class? You can find more info here.
Camp Sycamore
Located immedaitely to the west of the archery range is the urban Camp Sycamore, a camp ground reserved for children ages 6-12 years of age.
Camp Sycamore is intended to provide children with their first camping experience. The camp offers 24 hour restrooms, picnic tables and shelter, sinks, a camp fire ring, and bbq areas.
A security fence lines the entire perimeter of the camp to ensure the children’s safety.
For youth group reservations please call the park office during hours of operation at 714-973-6600.
Freedom Hall
Closely located to the archery range is the Freedom Hall, which is home to multiple basketball courts and an auditorium.
This is where the community is known to host various events
Behind the Freedom Hall is what I personally believe to be the nicest area of the park, Palm Island.
Palm Island
The island is adorned with various types of palm and eucalyptus trees, lamp posts, and a beautiful gazebo.
The gazebo is a great place for wedding shots, portraits, and other special events!
Here’s a sunset shot from the inside of the kiosk.
If you head right at the fork after crossing the bridge, you get a better view of the lake, Freedom Hall, and the paddle boats.
Here’s a shot of the back of Freedom Hall and Palm Island in the back.
Here you can see the water source, most likely diverging from the Santa Ana River and emptying into the back of Palm Island to fill the lakes.
Mile Square Golf Course
The 3 golf courses are open daily from 5:30am to 10:00pm. You can check their tee times HERE.
For more info regarding the course, don’t hesitate to call 714-962-5541.
The 18-hole golf course located on the west side of the block offers one-on-one instructors, group lessons, a driving range, senior club membership, and tournaments.
It also boasts an elegant Clubhouse with full-service banquet facilities for celebrating life’s most treasured moments, such as weddings and special events.
Their rental facilities, which accommodate up to 400 guests, include a water fountain to greet guests as they enter, a wedding garden for ceremonies, chandeliers, and more.
Feel free to read more HERE, or contact their catering office at 714-962-5541 or [email protected] to schedule an appointment.
Want to relieve some stress? Perhaps their night driving range is most suitable for you.
Their current prices include:
- Small Range Balls: $7 for 55
- Large Range Balls: $14 for 110
However, feel free to check HERE, to ensure the prices haven’t changed.
History of Mile Square
During the earlier days of World War 2, the land at Mile Square, which was originally agricultural land, was bought by the Navy and used to construct military airfields.
These airfields, along with the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and the Santa Ana Marina Corps Air Base Facilities were home to three landing fields measuring roughly 2200 feet in length and built-in triangular form within the land.
The fields were specifically used to train WW2 pilots. Can you believe there are still residents in OC who at one point in their life used the airfields to pilot the Navy Corsairs! (propeller aircraft).
After the war, the fields were used as either a practice area or helicopter touchdown for the Santa Ana Marine Corps Air Station.
In 1967, Orange County leased the land from the Navy Department, which allowed the county to develop the acreage as a regional park.
In 1970, baseball fields were built.
On March 28, 1973, Orange County received the official title of the land, followed by the construction of a children’s playground. Military operations ceased in 1974.
In 1976, the third phase of the development extended the park to the north side of the block (Edinger Ave).
The fourth and final phase of the park took place in the spring of 1987 when the 18-hole golf course was completed, along with its driving range and special events facilities.
In June of 1999, we saw the last great add-on to the park with a third 18 hole golf course.
