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VISITING THE PARK

The Friends are committed to maintaining a presence on the U.S. side of Friendship Park, even while access to federal property is disallowed.

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Since February 2020 (before the COVID pandemic lockdowns), Border Patrol has failed to keep its word to allow visitors on Saturdays and Sundays. Nobody is currently allowed to gather on the US side of Friendship Park. 

 

Yet, many friends still want to gather regularly to visit Border Field State Park, work in the Binational Garden (when possible), worship across the walls for Border Church, and stand in solidarity with families who want to meet at this transnational meeting place.

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To learn more about upcoming activities onsite in the United States, contact us or join our advocacy efforts.  


DIRECTIONS TO THE U.S. SIDE OF FRIENDSHIP PARK

 

To get to the U.S. side of Friendship Park you must:

  • Travel TO Border Field State Park 

  • Travel THROUGH Border Field to Monument Mesa (currently possible, weather permitting)

  • Enter INTO Friendship Park (currently not allowed in by Border Patrol)

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QUESTIONS?  CHECK OUR FAQ's HERE.

DIRECTIONS TO BORDER FIELD STATE PARK

 

IMPORTANT: To learn whether Border Field State Park is open: visit this page.

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FROM INTERSTATE 5 SOUTH

  • Take I-5 South, exit at Dairy Mart Road

  • Turn right (west), cross over the bridge - Dairy Mart Road will curve to the right and turn into Monument Road

  • Follow this winding road until you arrive at a parking lot. At the west end of the parking lot, you will see an entrance gate and, further ahead, a kiosk. This is the entrance to Border Field State Park
     

FROM IMPERIAL BEACH

  • Exit the freeway at Coronado Avenue (exit #4) in Imperial Beach. Go straight from the off-ramp onto Hollister Street.   

  • Continue south on Hollister until you reach Monument Road. Turn right (west) on Monument Road until you reach the parking lot.

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ENTERING BORDER FIELD STATE PARK

  • During summer months, the vehicle road through Border Field State Park is open and you can drive all the way in to Friendship Park.

  • The cost to drive in to the State Park is $7 per vehicle.

  • For most of the year, visitors must hike through Border Field State Park. Plan ahead for a 30-45 min walk through Border Field State Park. The hike from the parking lot is mostly on level ground. Through the beach it is 1.93m. The road the walk is 1.54m.

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Friendship Park Access Map

FROM BORDER FIELD TO MONUMENT MESA
To reach Friendship Park, you must travel through Border Field State Park. The distance from the entrance gate to Friendship Park is 1.6 miles. You may walk, drive (weather permitting), bicycle, or ride horses through Border Field State Park.

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VEHICLE ACCESS

  • The State Park entrance gate is open and accessible to vehicles on Saturdays and Sundays as weather permits, roughly from May through November.

  • Border Field State Park typically charges a $7 admission fee per vehicle to drive up the Monument Mesa. To learn whether Border Field State Park is open to vehicles this weekend, visit this page.

 
WHEN NON-ACCESSIBLE BY CAR

  • The vehicle road is subject to frequent flooding in winter months, and the park gate is closed to vehicle traffic most days during the winter, roughly from November through April.

  • When the gate is closed you must park at the Border Field State Park entrance and hike or bicycle about 1.6 miles each way on level ground. Pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians may still enter the park, even when the gate is closed but the state park is open.

ENTERING FRIENDSHIP PARK

  • At the end of the vehicle road (and at the south end of the beach), you will find Monument Mesa, the westernmost mesa overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Atop Monument Mesa, you will find a beautiful picnic area and bathroom facilities that Border Field State Park provides.

  • You will also see the border wall, which is on U.S. federal property and under the jurisdiction of U.S. Border Patrol. A gate in this wall is your entrance to the binational meeting place.

  • The U.S. side of Friendship Park is open to the public year-round on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 AM-2 PM.

  • Border Patrol may request proof of U.S. residence from visitors to Friendship Park and the surrounding area, which is heavily patrolled.

  • Border Patrol rules prohibit passing items, including food, money, gifts, notes, or any other objects through the fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

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