Friends of Horizon West Regional Park is an informal group of Orange County residents. Each one of us discovered the park almost accidentally: Until 2025, Orange County posted no identifying sign at the entrance gate. That gate provided access to a small graveled-surface parking area. Beyond the parking area, the only “amenities” were about 7 miles of unpaved hiking trails, which were mowed at monthly intervals during the summer.
Eventually, the park was discovered by more residents, who shared their visits on local Facebook groups. By the time the park closed for construction in 2023, HWRP had been used as a meeting place for church Easter egg hunters and Halloween partiers; a large meetup of one-wheel board riders; a troupe of LARPers; and many other gatherings that escaped our notice. Family photographers and amateur videographers have used the park’s scenic areas for their shoots. Horizon West’s residents exhibited their creative side in the absence of any park facilities! We expect them to enjoy the park even more, now that those facilities have been built.
Although the park has been a natural space for many years, the space hasn’t been maintained. Maintaining native plants and trees is an ongoing and deliberate effort. To keep invasive vines in check, park volunteers clip out the wild grape vines and briars which overrun tree saplings, criss-cross the pathways, and trip unwary hikers. Such efforts, though small, had made a noticeable difference by the time the park closed for construction.
After the park re-opens, we hope to organize an “Adopt-A-Park” group for HWRP. Maintaining the trails and the space around them will aid the growth of native grasses, shrubs, and trees. Larger restoration projects are included in the park’s master plan—but many years may pass before funds for restoration are allocated.
The park’s master plan envisioned the expansion of the parking areas and picnic areas, as well as creating space for outdoor community events and farmer’s markets. Most of the areas where these amenities are planned were cleared and leveled in 2024, and $4.1 million is budgeted for these soon-to-be-built features.
The original intention of park planners was to create the infrastructure needed for future development during Phase 1. After the Covid pandemic, Phase 1 was split into “1A” and “1B” phases. In the years since the pandemic, inflation reduced the value of the $15 million originally budgeted for Phase 1. As a result, some of those basic facilities must now wait for further funding before they can be built.
In 2025, county spending has come under increased scrutiny from Florida’s state government. Securing funds for county park projects may require more effort from citizens. Our hope is that, when more funding is allocated for improvements in Horizon West Regional Park, a public hearing / “town hall” meeting will be held in Horizon West. Citizens who use the park should be given more consideration in deciding how those funds will be spent.
Urgently needed park facilities:
Another 40-ft. picnic/event pavilion, on the west side of the park (which is where the current pavilion should have been built in the first place). At present, the park’s only pavilion is in the southeast corner of the park, over ⅓ mile from the playground and restrooms. Families hoping to plan events at that pavilion have already noticed this problem, and are expressing their disappointment. A smaller pavilion and parking area was initially planned for Phase 1B, but that pavilion is no longer in the plans.
A connecting sidewalk between the east and central sections of the park. This critical 360-ft. section of sidewalk—originally part of Phase 1B—was somehow left out of the final plans, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to use the driveway instead. We aren’t interested in assigning blame for that. We do consider it a safety issue, which should be corrected as soon as possible. Until that happens, the east side of HWRP will be less safe for pedestrians and bicycle traffic than the west side.
Other amenities which residents have asked for include:
A dog park, located close to one of the parking lots;
Affordable recreational facilities, such as sand volleyball nets and a disc golf course.
Sidewalk access to the park, from the west side of Hamlin Groves Trail (about ¼ mile);
Over the past several years, we’ve discovered that the park has more “nature”, and a greater potential for natural use, than planners realized when HWRP’s master plan was drafted. For example, the four natural wetlands in the north half of the park are too “silted in” to support a permanent fish population. As a result, ducks and cranes rarely make an appearance within the park’s boundaries. Those four ponds could be made deeper and re-contoured. Tree-planting along the north and northeast boundary of the park would screen those ponds from the sight and sound of traffic. Such a project would make the park more attractive to wildlife and visitors alike.
However, wetland restoration is a major undertaking. Environmental studies are required. Much excavation and re-landscaping would have to be done. Such a project is costly. Horizon West’s residents must organize a united and dedicated campaign before county officials will even take such a project under consideration.
After the formal re-opening of the park (later this year), watch this space for opportunities to get involved with Friends of Horizon West Regional Park!