Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park is located in the surfside city of Huntington Beach. It is on the smaller side of just four-acres, but the unique play equipment offers more fun than some of the other local parks with standard structures. The park’s amenities include restrooms, open space for picnicking and lawn games, decomposed granite and packed dirt pathways, playground equipment to accommodate toddlers and older youth, outdoor exercise equipment, native plants, and scenic views.
This is a popular park, especially on weekends and weekday mornings and the parking lot fills up quickly. There are only 24 parking spots here and there is limited street parking along Seapoint. There are several picnic tables here, and a few benches around the playground. Keep in mind, the squirrels here have been known to sneak into strollers and backpacks to steal snacks, and are quite brave when approaching people, so keep your food locked up tight, and remind the kids to keep their distance and not feed the critters.
Wieder Regional Park is sometimes confused with nearby Wieder Park, located at 16662 Lynn Lane, Huntington Beach. The Lynn Lane park is a neighborhood park and is not part of the OC Regional Parks system.
Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park Details
Address: 19251 Seapoint Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Park Hours: Sun – Sat: 7:00 AM – Sunset
Parking: No fees are collected at this time
Website: https://www.ocparks.com/parks-trails/harriett-m-wieder-regional-park
Phone: 949-923-2250
Dogs: Permitted on leash
Things To Do At Wieder Regional Park
Trails
There is no formal trail system here as of yet, but there are quite a few footpaths that are easy to follow along the wetlands. You can explore an easy dirt trail heading south toward and along Seapoint Avenue.
There’s not much hiking to do here, but if you want to take a short walk with the kids, follow the sidewalk along Seapoint Ave., and head up the hill to Overlook Park. Here, you can take in views of Bolsa Chica, the ocean, Catalina, and North to the Queen Mary and Palos Verdes.
There are packed dirt trails around the playground that little ones like to explore. Parents may want to keep the kids on the inside of the fenced area, especially little ones. The dirt trails outside of the fences extend into adjacent private property, down to the wetlands, and towards the equestrian trails that connect to the Huntington Beach Equestrian Center. These “outside the fence” trails are also open to the street along Seapoint Avenue.
If you’d like to do some exploring on the trails of the nearby Bolsa Chica Wetlands, head to the nature center near the corner of PCH and Warner. Here you can take a walk along the dirt trails and visit the educational exhibits inside the center.
Playgrounds & Fitness Area
The park has two play structures for big kids as well as toddlers. They have a unique design and the toddler lot is sheltered from the street by plants and fencing. There are bench swings, toddler swings, climbing structures as well as mini-motorcycle style ride-on toys.
The toddler structure is made predominantly of plastic, with three slides and several climbing elements.
The structure for older youth is made of metal, plastic, and rope features for climbing, swinging, spinning, and imaginative play.
Adults can get a workout here too! The county installed new outdoor fitness equipment a few years back for strength and cardio exercise. The outdoor workout area is located on the opposite end of the grass, away from the kids’ playgrounds. But don’t be surprised if the kids want to check these out as well.
Environmental
A unique thing about Harriett M. Regional Park is how it was designed to harmonize with the area’s environment through the use of native plants. The park was also graded to recycle water run-off. Rain and irrigation water is collected here using a bioswale system to replenish groundwater.
History and Future Plans for Wieder Regional Park
Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park is named for the first female elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors (1978). The idea for the park was originally conceived in the 1970s, but the plan for development was not completed until 1992, and the park wasn’t officially opened to the public until 2004.
The County owns about 33 acres of park land, with Wieder Regional Park and the surrounding area. This land is part of a larger 106-acre site that the county hopes to eventually gain access to, in order to create additional open park space and connect to other nearby park lands in Huntington Beach. Currently, the surrounding land is part of private development and long term oil leases.
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