The Park

More Than a Border

A Living Monument

The Story of the Border Begins Here

Over 50 million people trace their American story not to the Mayflower, slave ships, or Ellis Island — but to the creation or crossing of the U.S.-Mexico border. And yet, there is no national monument commemorating the Mexican-American War, the 19th-century war that established the national boundary and gave the United States one third of its national territory. Where can we gather to contend with this complex legacy? Where can we work together to fulfill the “peace and Friendship” promised in the Treaty that brought this War to an end? This site, so rich in history, is the right place for such a monument. Someday, it will be known worldwide as International Friendship Park.

The Past:  More Than a Place. A Promise. 

At the western end of the U.S.-Mexico border, atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, stands a marble monument commemorating the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. This Treaty brought an end to the Mexican-American War, establishing a new international boundary and bisecting the ancestral lands of the Kumeyaay people. Across generations, people of good will gathered peaceably here — at the “birthplace of the border.”

The site has long been recognized for its unique historic and cultural significance. On August 18, 1971, First Lady Pat Nixon inaugurated the surrounding land in the United States as a California State Park. She called it the first phase of an “International Friendship Park,” and declared, “I hope there won’t be a fence too long here.”

I do hope this will be a common beach — we are such good friends with our neighbors in Mexico.” 

– First Lady Pat Nixon, August 18, 1971

Since 2007, our coalition has worked to preserve this vision. We’ve created a community by:

  • helping thousands of families reunite across the border.
  • hosting hundreds of events and performances by schools, churches, and other organizations from both sides of the border.
  • celebrating the culture of la frontera through cross-border events like the Fandango Fronterizo, the Día de Muertos, and La Posada Sin Fronteras.
  • organizing anniversary events marking Pat Nixon’s historic inaugural visit.
  • tending to the Friendship Garden as part of a larger “ecological corridor” that spans the Park.

Now, we have created a nonprofit with the mission of creating a truly international park at this iconic location. We are the Friends of International Friendship Park, and we invite you to join us.

The Present:  A Divided View

The current state of the park reflects the strain in U.S.–Mexico relations, and a missed opportunity to work together for a better future.

On the Mexico side, the Park remains alive and vibrant and open to the public. It’s a hub of creativity—art, music, dance, food, and tourism. On weekends, thousands pass by to enjoy the ocean views and beachfront life.

In the United States, by contrast, the Park has been closed to the public since February 2020. Two 30-foot border walls now mar the landscape. Visitos in the United States can no longer see the historic border Monument, nor catch even a glimpse of friends and family gathering freely in Mexico.

The Future:  A Choice Between Two Narratives

The Park tells two stories. One is a story of conquest—the idea of Manifest Destiny, inscribed into the land with fences, walls, razor wire, and armed agents. But the other story is a promise, as stated in the very title of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo: “A treaty of peace, friendship, limits and settlement… to establish relations which shall confer reciprocal benefits upon the citizens of both nations.” 

The Park Now

Unable to gather at the historic monument, the Friends of International Friendship Park stage an artistic intervention on the beach below Monument Mesa at the 54th Anniversary, International Friendship Park, August 16, 2025. Prohibited from approaching the international boundary, friends in the United States fly a giant puppet of an Eagle. Friends in Mexico fly a condor. They conjure an indigenous legend of the eagle and the condor flying together, foretelling a day of peace and unity for the peoples of North America. 

An Inspiring Precedent

We find inspiration in the several international parks that already exist on the U.S.-Canada border. Join Executive Director John Fanestil as he takes a walk through the Peace Arch International Park, a site safely and routinely accessible from both a Provincial Park in the Canadian province of British Columbia and a State Park in the state of Washington in the United States. 

55th Anniversary: Friday, August 14, 2026

For 55 years, a unique site at the western end of the US-Mexico border has stood as a powerful witness to human dignity and connection across borders. On August 18,1971, First Lady Pat Nixon inaugurated what she called “International Friendship Park.” This cross-border gathering place has now given birth to a lasting movement rooted in “amistad”: the Friends of International Friendship Park.  Join us on August 14 to celebrate this remarkable story of hope and resilience, and to honor the legacy of our founding Executive Director, John Fanestil, on the occasion of his retirement.

JOIN WITH
FRIENDS!

On Friday, Aug. 14, we will gather in downtown San Diego to celebrate the Park’s 55th Anniversary and to honor John Fanestil on the occasion of his retirement.

BUY TICKETS

BUILD A
LEGACY!

In honor of John’s leadership and commitment, we have established the Peace & Friendship Legacy Fund to support the organization’s next generation of impact.

DONATE


The Friends of International Friendship Park know which story we choose.



We choose history that heals.
We choose hope.
We choose you.
Join us.

Membership

We value friendship overall and want to make more friends.

If you believe that friendship should cross borders, join us! See how you can get involved to support International Friendship Park as a place where families and friends can commune safely across the border. 

Join Us

FAQ

The FAQ is your go-to resource for understanding the location, history, present challenges, and future plans for International Friendship Park — and your role in its story.

Where is International Friendship Park?

International Friendship Park is located at the western end of the U.S.-Mexico border, atop a mesa (“Monument Mesa”), overlooking the iconic spot where the border wall dives into the Pacific Ocean.

Both. International Friendship Park (“El Parque de la Amistad” in Spanish) is what locals on both sides of the border call the binational meeting place that spans the international boundary. At the center of International Friendship Park stands a stone monument that sits precisely on the international boundary, its base half in the United States and half in Mexico. 

On the U.S. side of International Friendship Park, the binational meeting place has been located on federal property since 2006, when the federal government took the land adjacent to the border from the State of California by eminent domain. This strip of land, now enclosed between two border walls, is heavily monitored 24/7 by San Diego Border Patrol agents. On the Mexican side of International Friendship Park, the land is part of “Playas de Tijuana,” a “colonia” within the larger city of Tijuana.

Thousands of people residing legally in the United States lack a status that would allow them to travel to Mexico. People with DACA, people with immigration cases pending before U.S. courts, people on parole — if people like these have family and friends in Mexico who cannot secure a visa to visit the United States, International Friendship Park becomes the only place they can be reunited in person. International Friendship Park is also a preferred location for many residents of the San Diego-Tijuana region, who gather here to work in the Binational Friendship Garden of Native Plants, to worship at The Border Church, or to celebrate with friends at annual events. International Friendship Park is a landmark location of great cultural and historical significance to the entire border region

No. Traveling in Mexico entails certain risks, as is true of traveling anywhere, including in the United States. That said, hundreds of thousands of people cross back and forth from the United States to Mexico each day without incident. Crossing from San Diego into Tijuana is easy, safe and secure. Every taxi driver in Tijuana knows where International Friendship Park is located – in the shadow of the famous Tijuana lighthouse, “El Faro en Playas de Tijuana.”  This is an enormously popular, beautiful destination, visited by thousands of locals and tourists each weekend. Visitors to the Mexican side of Friendship Park invariably have a fabulous time. On the weekends, especially, the Mexican side of International Friendship Park feels like a “perpetual fiesta.”

No. Thousands upon thousands of visitors have visited the U.S. side of International Friendship Park across many years and to our knowledge there has never been a single instance of injury or harm. The members of the Friends of International Friendship Park have themselves spent tens of thousands of hours at the park and not one of us has ever felt endangered in any way. To the contrary, we find it affirming and inspiring to make friends with people on both sides of the border, which is why we advocate continually for improved public access to the U.S. side of International Friendship Park.

Sadly, the U.S. side of International Friendship Park has been closed to the public since 2020.  Because the area surrounding the park is so heavily surveilled by Border Patrol agents, people without legal residency in the United States should not travel to the U.S. side of International Friendship Park or should exercise extreme caution in doing so.

What locals call “International Friendship Park” is the binational meeting place located precisely on the international boundary, half in Mexico and half in the United States. The much larger surrounding area in the United States is Border Field State Park, a State Park in California. Learn more about Border Field State Park here. 

Border Field State Park is part of California’s expansive State Parks system and is run by State Parks officials. The roads leading to Border Field State Park include State freeways and roads belonging to the Cities of San Diego and Imperial Beach, and the County of San Diego. Learn more about Border Field State Park here. 

The State Park is intended to be open to the public in the United States during daylight hours. Recently, severe rain events and irregular cross-border flows of polluted waters have caused the State Park to be closed temporarily. Learn the current status of Border Field State Park here. 

The entrance to Border Field State Park can be found at this address: 1250 Monument Road, San Diego CA 92154. Learn more about visiting Border Field State Park and International Friendship Park on the U.S. side here.

Vehicle access to Border Field State Park varies seasonally. The road running through the State Park is open to vehicles on weekends during the summer months when the road is not typically flooded, usually June through October. During the winter months, usually November through May, the State Park is open only to pedestrians, which means visitors wanting to visit International Friendship Park will have to hike in and out. Learn more about visiting the park on the U.S. side here.

There are two principal hiking routes that will take you from the entrance to Border Field State Park to International Friendship Park. The round trip for each route is under just over 3 miles and mostly on level ground, but there is an ascent to reach Friendship Park, which is located atop a coastal mesa (“Monument Mesa”). You should plan a full half-hour each way if you plan to hike into International Friendship Park. Learn more about visiting the park on the U.S. side here.

Sometimes the vehicle gate is closed only because the road running through Border Field State Park is flooded. On these occasions you can still enter the State Park on foot or bicycle or horse during daylight hours. This does not necessarily mean that International Friendship Park (the binational meeting place on federal property) is closed for visiting hours, which for many years were Saturdays and Sundays, 10am – 2pm. Learn more about visiting the park on the U.S. side here.

In the immediate aftermath of the US-Mexico War. A binational commission chartered by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo first met at this location in 1849. The monument at the center of International Friendship Park was originally established in 1851. Because it was the first such monument put in place to demarcate the new international boundary, some people call this “the birthplace of the border.” People from both nations have met at this location for generations.

Imagine with us a Park where people can:

  • learn about the Kumeyaay native peoples whose ancestors stewarded this land for over 12,000 years
  • contend with the legacy of the Mexican-American War, one of the most consequential wars in North American history
  • honor the contributions of millions comprising a vast Mexican and Mexican-American diaspora
  • bring alive the values of peace and friendship heralded in the historic Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo