Ensen Community Park
99 La Posada Drive, Salinas
(831) 758-7306, salinas.gov
A century ago, a series of lakes in Salinas were drained to make way for agriculture. For generations, families farmed the land, despite the routine flooding. The city, meanwhile, expanded around the fields. This story becomes the best because a decade ago, the Big Sur Land Trust leapt in with $4 million to buy 73 acres, a dream and a promise to create a community-serving park. In August 2025, they fulfilled phase one of that promise, with the grand opening of six-acre park that was gifted to the City of Salinas. It’s got all the bells and whistles for you and Fido to play your favorite game – a skatepark, basketball court, slides, a shaded zumba pavilion, a dog run. And the best gets even better, with construction underway on a 67-acre habitat area that will offer walking paths and a place for wildlife, and for humans, to thrive.
