CLIPBOARD : DISCOVERY : HILLCREST PARK

“Happy is the man to whom every tree is a friend. . . . Great as they are . . . we may carry them about with us in our hearts.” --John Muir, U.S. naturalist, explorer and writer.

In what was described in 1914 as the largest “naturalistic beauty spot” in Fullerton, Hillcrest Park is a sleeping giant awakened by the laughter of children racing across its grassy hillsides, playgrounds and picnic areas. Today, the tree-studded park stands firmly rooted in Fullerton’s history.

Set then on the city’s northern boundary, Hillcrest spent the early 1920s as an auto park. “There weren’t many hotels or motels in Fullerton back then,” explained Fullerton librarian Jane Mueller. “So citrus pickers, oil field workers and farmhands lived in tents, trucks and cars.”

As the city grew in wealth and size, the needs of the community grew as well. In 1931, a small-animal zoo was added to the park facilities that had come to include an amphitheater, aviary and squirrel cage. Later that year, the Izaak Walton League requested a building at Hillcrest for use by their club. “The Izaak Walton League was a John Muir group,” said Wes Morgan, Fullerton Community Services superintendent. “They were called the ‘mystics of the forest.’ ” The log cabin, owned by the city, still houses Boy Scout and American Legion meetings.

As Morgan explained, the construction at Hillcrest is aDepression-era blessing. “The intricate stone steps and walls were built by the WPA. That’s why it’s such beautiful work,” he said.

Hillcrest Park encompasses 42.7 acres of picnic tables and grills, playgrounds, a ball field, an amphitheater and a recreation center. Eucalyptus, jacaranda and pine trees blend with more than 200 varieties of native plant life to bathe the park in a myriad of colors and scents. For group outings, family reunions or company picnics, it can comfortably hold anywhere from 50 to 200 people. The shaded grass bowls offer isolation, a place for kids to play safely out of range of traffic and enough room for tag football games or tossing a Frisbee. These amenities, coupled with a central location, create the perfect park site.

“I can’t say I’m impartial,” Morgan said, “but to me, all those trees and grassy fields make Hillcrest the quintessential picnic park.”

Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Address: 1300 Harbor Blvd., Fullerton

Telephone: (714) 738-6575

Miscellaneous information: Ball field can be reserved at number listed above.