Carl Thorton Park

I personally thought it was great. Shelter area was a little dirty and weather was a bit chilly but other than that it was a perfect spot for my kids, family and I to have fun and have so many activities to do with the kids.

I’ve been coming to this park since I was born in 1998, and if its one thing I learned is you have to follow the ducks, they’ll show you the way.

I really like walking there. It’s quiet and nice park. There are a lot of ducks and other birds. And you feel relaxing there.

I love how the water flows like an S. The pond seems really clean every time I come here. Good place for exercising and spending time with nature. There’s always a bunch of coots hanging in the pond furthest back. All in all, it’s a pretty chill place to be at. There’s never a crowd of people there just few.

Great place to watch grown men sit in their cars and peep on small children. Or to see human filth walk their pit bulls, letting them shit all over without picking it up. Or how about the teens smoking weed next to the playground?
Or the fact that Santa Ana Police never ever come here… maybe that’s why all of the above is happening in a place that is designed for families to enjoy.
WTF

I love this park, the lake, the openness. so many people occupy this park and take in all its beauty. the only downfall I cant STAND is when negligent parents let their kids feed the ducks, (you are NOT supposed to feed ducks, birds, turtles bread, it kills them!) or play in the water, or sit near the edge and put your feet in!
I saw a parent not paying attention to her small child and he was dipping his hand in the water laying next to the lake. it’s insanely filthy with bird feces and the water is NOT drinkable. he could of easily fell in, And to make it worse, his little sister walks up and dumps an entire bag of bread into the «lake» then drops the bag in.
I got so mad I asked the parents to please not feed the ducks, and her child littered. they didn’t speak any English. she just took them and walked away. I fished the bag out because I was so pissed off. Fish and turtles live in there, that’s their home!
I love this park, but I wish the city would take more control over protecting the wildlife there. birds come to migrate, breed, and just live. they deserve a beautiful place to do so, in peace.
It is a beautiful park, lots of families go to play in the kid area, lots of sports, its a great place to jog, run with your dog, or just relax. I walk here almost everyday. its beautiful.

There can be magic made anywhere, I suppose.
Carl Thorton Park is dog friendly, so we ended up there one day for a short walk. The photos had me thinking that this place was a bit more of a natural space than it really is.
This park is a combination of picnic place, playgrounds, sports complex, and man-​made duck pond with a creek. It is the latter that saved the day for us.
Our dogs had a great time here. Playing in the creek on a hot day was fun for them. If you have a kid in a stroller and a dog, you can get them both out in the sunshine here. If you want a bit more nature, then you may have to go further afield.

I spend a lot of time at this park, yeah there’s usually lots of bird poo but thats because there are beautiful migratory birds that come and go as seasons pass, the lake is actually a little bit of a hiden jewel for bass, ive never caught a thing but i did see a dude snag a big one once, there’s also red ear sliders (turtles). Its also an awesome place to run as it has a well established and wide path going around the entire park which makes it fun to run through been doing that for years

Supre nice park. Not as big as Square Mile park or as green. But this is a nice place to just relax and take a break. A lot of people come here for their lunch break and just sit in the car eating. But there are a lot of birds, a stream that flows into the lake, two playgrounds and bridges. They also have some picnic tables only thing to be wary of is the bird poop… its mostly by the lake. So dont run around bare foot and bring an old towel to sit on the grass.

Carl Thornton Park has some very nice soccer and baseball fields. It also has two serviceable playgrounds for younger kids. The lake is pretty and has a running creek feeding into it. It attracts a large variety of waterfowl which are cool to see. It is fairly big an has nice running paths.
I have seen some people trying to fish but the water looks pretty barren, never really seen any large fish cruising the shore line and hardly any minnows either. I have been looking for somewhere to teach my son to fish but I think I will go elsewhere. The bathrooms were pretty disgusting, I would recommend avoiding them, certainly not the place to change a diaper.

It has a beautiful pond area but unless you enjoy watching bums slaughtering the hapless creatures they fish out of the pond or seeing geese disabled by the fishing line these losers leave behind, stay away. Too bad since Santa Ana already has so little in the way of green spaces.

This huge park has many fields to play soccer, perfect for walking and running and has a lake with a running stream.
Last time I went I saw flocks of 9 different bird species covering basically the whole park, which was pretty cool.
This park also has a playground for kids and I even see fishing going on here. Stay away from the parking lot at night, this park gets sketchy when its dark.

Very open park, slightly limited parking on both sides of the park. There is a walking/​running trail that guides through a majority of the park, every time I go here people are using the dirt trails to exercise. As for the greenery there are open areas for sports activities in the grass and the foliage of the trees provide plenty of shade and places to set up a small picnic. Carl Thorton Park has many attractions, recreational, physical and even trivial. There is a playground next to the lake/​pond and there appears to be a man-​made river that is connected to the lake. It’s a little easily to tell how fake the structure of the river is but it’s very gorgeous and a nice addition.
Attached to the park itself is another smaller park that houses a larger playground, several benches as well as two fire pits. Appears to be extremely family friendly.

I really like coming to this park to do morning runs, as it is a pleasure to do when the sun is the right angle and the air is cool. The only downside is that a lot of the paths are muddy during this time, so you might have to re-​route yourself around them into the grass to avoid making a mess. It clears up once the weather warms up around noon. It is a great place to go with family — it is always pleasant with other runners, walkers and the usual duck crossing in your path.

Cool spot to run. Nice playground. Restrooms be hella stinky and shit but its all good. Oh and there’s a stream and lake.

A tad dirty from time to time but hey, you have to realize you’re in the outdoors. A great place for chill afternoon walks, duck feeding, and just hanging out with friends for talks and whatnot.

I love this park. Its so relaxing and gorgeous.
I have had many picnics in this park, and just hung out and watched the ducks, listened to the water, watched the water…
They have trash cans set up conveniently around the grass areas as well, which is awesome.
The only complaint I have is parking, during softball season. In the past I have seen (and done it myself) cars parked on the dirt /​grass area next to the softball fields, however yesterday a team was practicing in that area, which was kind of annoying, there were NO spots available anywhere close.
Definitely pack some bread to feed the ducks — they will come up to you pretty close to get it.

My daughter is a big fan of this park. Lots of water features, ducks, and a large playground.