Harbison Canyon is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Harbison Canyon census-designated place (CDP) has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26 km2), all land.

After spending some years in other California locations, he eventually arrived in San Diego aboard the ship Orizaba with one hundred and ten colonies of bees on November 28, 1869.

In the spring of 1874 he moved with his wife and daughter to a homestead near the Sweetwater River twenty-three miles east of San Diego in a small valley now known as Harbison Canyon.

[7] John Harbison was a major contributor to the theory of bee culture with his development of new tools and methods that characterized the remarkable advances made in nineteenth century apicultural science.

Harbison and his brother William were both important 19th century American authors on bee keeping science.

[8][9] Furthermore, he opened up the great retail markets east of the Mississippi River needed to absorb the tremendous honey crops produced in California.

[10] Harbison, known as the "King of the Beekeepers" died on October 12, 1912, in San Diego at the age of eighty-six.

The president arrived by helicopter which landed on the grounds of the Shadow Hills Elementary School.

The community received help in rebuilding from many organizations, most notably from the New York Says Thank You Foundation which was created in response to the tremendous support given to New Yorkers from people all over the United States after the September 11 attacks.

Since 2003, the Harbison Canyon Lions Club has participated in numerous post-disaster rebuilding projects around the U.S. sponsored by the NYSTY Foundation.

The park has a playground, basketball court, picnic tables (some covered), restrooms, and a municipal hall for different community and civic groups to meet.

[12] Ancient Kumeyaay relics have occasionally been found near the stream that runs through the park and canyon.