Central OC parks and playgrounds encompass Huntington Beach and Irvine along with smaller cities. It’s a little weird to have on-the-ocean Seal Beach on the same list as Tustin and Orange, but I’m trying to stick with conventions already set up by other Orange County publications. Plus, I think it generally applies to how you move around your section of the county. It’s easy to get from Orange to Huntington Beach. If you live in central Orange County, please recommend your favorite parks so we can build on your insider information!

I’ve also provided links to OCParks.com regional parks in Central OC and city park pages.

OCParks.com Regional Parks

Our regional parks require a $3-$5 entrance fee – but they are worth every penny!

Buy your annual pass online. I always get the $80 one that I can use at all the parks and beaches governed by OCParks.

Irvine Ranch Open Space (Irvine)

Irvine Regional Park (Orange)

William R. Mason Regional Park (Irvine)

Mile Square Regional Park (Fountain Valley)

Peters Canyon Regional Park (Orange)

Talbert Regional Park (Costa Mesa)

Upper Newport Bay Preserve (Newport Beach)

Harriet Wieder Regional Park (Huntington Beach)

Central Orange County City Park Links:

Costa Mesa (map of city parks)
Fountain Valley (link to PDF map)
Huntington Beach (text links to 75 parks)
Irvine (links to park facilities and maps)
Los Alamitos (text list of parks with descriptions)
Newport Beach / Corona Del Mar (table with all the amenities, plus links to maps a few photos for each park)
City of Orange (list of parks which link to PDF flyers with photos)
Santa Ana (list of parks with a map)
Seal Beach (table with all the amenities)
Tustin (list linked to pages with photos and more info about the parks)