Our Favorite Bay Area Playgrounds... and How We Found Them

One of the many things I miss about the Bay Area are the many playgrounds you can find anywhere and everywhere. There are so many fun ones so I had to share some of our favorite and most unique ones with you along with some tricks to easily find your own regardless of where you go.

First a general message: In Mountain View, and I'm assuming other areas, the water features are turned off for the winter and during drought warnings. Also don't forget to bring a flattened cardboard box with you. Many of the California parks we visited have some type of hill covered in artificial turf which we discovered is perfect for sliding down especially if you bring a cardboard to use as a sled... or snowboard. If you've forgotten to bring a box many people leave theirs behind and I even noticed a labelled area for them at one of the Magical Bridge playgrounds. We got to the point where I always tried to leave a couple of torn up boxes in our trunk for any impromptu park visits... just in case.

How I Found Playgrounds

Before sharing the parks themselves I wanted to do a quick aside an how I found many of these places.

Magical Bridges

The Magical Bridges Foundation is a non-profit organization that's headquartered in Palo Alto, California and "creates multigenerational playgrounds, parks, and programs for more inclusive communities". They have many playgrounds all over the Bay Area offering fun spots with anticipated layouts and structures. As such, I had to include them here as we frequently visited the Palo Alto location and, by simply checking their website, visited two more parks the year before we moved. You can find an up to date list of their current locations and future expansions (including in the Maryland Zoo, one park in New Zealand, and two in Singapore). Plus if you're curious you can read up on their different play zones here.

City Website

You could always check the website for the city you live in to find the official list of parks. For instance if I look online for city of mountain view playgrounds the top result brought me to a list of all the city parks including the ability to filter by amenities. Apparently if you filter by playground the list of 51 goes down to 36 results.

Facebook Groups

I found many parks through my local Facebook groups over the years whether there's someone sharing something they liked about one or asking for particular recommendations. For example Shoup Park was really popular as it was time sensitive based on the water levels so people shared when it was the perfect time or asked the group before making plans to go. Additionally, back when Zoey was just a baby, there was a local mom online who liked creating workouts which lead to me discovering both Cuesta and Sylvan parks when she hosted free mommy and me workouts. Because of these and other cases I've repeatedly turned to Facebook to see what groups there are whenever I add a hobby or to find new local groups when we last moved.

Quick aside: If you're a mom and local to the South Bay Area there's an amazing Mountain View Mom group that I highly recommend.

Yelp

I've found that Yelp is a handy resource beyond just restaurants. This is particularly helpful when we're new to an area and have no concept of where the parks are. I used this years ago when we roadtripped up to Canada and needed to find parks on the way to let the kids stretch their legs. This was also used on overnight and even day trips too. Our first time going to Monterey Aquarium we used Yelp to find playgrounds near where we stayed overnight and got to walk over to the Dennis the Menace Park. More recently, when I needed to go to Walnut Creek to get my sewing machines cleaned, we found the Heather Farm Park and their gardens.

Friends

And don't forget friends. It's always helpful having playground buddies both to justify heading out, have fun chatting, and to help find new interesting places. My one friend was amazing at finding parks including finding Schaefer Park which I still don't see on Yelp even now. Additionally, a group of us moms started a recurring Friday playground playdate after school where we walked together, or drove for convenience, to a close by park. It gave us a much bigger and better understanding of the playgrounds within a half hour walk of our home.

Maps

Years ago that same friend told me to look for green on the map and you'll find playgrounds. I find that doesn't help me anymore now that I'm in Washington but back in Mountain View it definitely did. Thus I had to share this tip in case you live in a less green area too.

In the above photo of downtown Mountain View the green spots match up to playgrounds. In case it's hard to see these circled parks they are Mariposa, Dana, Eagle, Pioneer, Schaefer, and Mercy-Bush. The vertical strip of green to the right is Stevens Creek Trail an awesome connection point that I checked out previously while walking and scootering.

I added the orange circles in case you're local to the South Bay Area. They show the Caltrain Station where the Mountain View farmers market is held all year round on Sundays, the alternative spot when they need the station for games, and the spot where city events are often hosted. By the way if you do go to the farmers market I highly recommend Ginger Lab and have even had it shipped up to Washington once when I really missed it.

The Playgrounds Themselves!

And with no further ado here are the parks in alphabetical order with the Yelp link in the header or, if a larger location, it's subheading:

Los Altos: Shoup Park

Overview

I absolutely adore this park but I didn't like the parking situation. The road is on a hill going down and although I always managed to snag a spot, as I only went on weekdays, I worried it might be too full and how I'd turn around. That said, once I parked it was a perfect place!

The black circles on the map show the parking lots at the end of the driveway down. The closest grey circle is a toddler park next to a bathroom while the older kid playground is just a bit further away. The larger oval at the top right is the perfect place to wade into the stream while the largest oval on the left consist of paths through the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve.

Playground

I just now realized I don't have many photos of the park itself... but it is a fun playground and instead here's a shot of the local seeds.

Adobe Creek

The creek is what we came to this park for whether there's water for wading or a dry creek bed for exploring. Since the water flow fluctuates it was handy to be a member of a local Facebook group to check if anyone else knows the current water levels before packing everyone up to visit.

Redwood Grove Nature Preserve

If you walk past the Garden House at Shoup Park and through the BBQ area you'll find the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve. This was my favorite part of Shoup park and I'd load up my car with the picnic stuff, sand toys, and water stuff so I'd have less stuff with me before doing a loop on these trails. It was perfect with a stroller and when the kids were older it became the perfect activity when you know you need to end the trip soon but the kids aren't quite ready to go.

Monterey: Dennis The Menace Park

We came across this park years ago when we stayed overnight to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and were looking for additional places the kids would enjoy. At the time the suspension bridge Ada raced over felt so scary though when we went back later it didn't seem bad. It's been years since we've last been and I couldn't find any photos so I did an image search online to show you some of the views. We loved how unique it was when we went.

Mountain View: Cuesta Park

Cuesta Park is a big green area with several parking lots but we mainly just used the same two each time so I only marked those two down. The larger grey circle is the park that feels almost like two as it's split by sand, trees, and some standalone structures. There's also, near the bottom of the circle, a covered raised pavilion and, over the hill where the smaller circle is, some swings by one of the many gathering areas.

Mountain View: Eagle and Pioneer Park

Overview

These two areas in downtown Mountain View were our favorite ones for years but as Pioneer Park technically doesn't have a playground and they're so close together I decided to group them together here.

All the black circles on the map show the parking lots in the immediate area of these two parks though there's also street parking available too. The grey circles show both the playground and the playable rocks while the orange circles show the pool, library, center for the performing arts, and downtown Castro Street used for parking and sometimes closed for big events.

Eagle Park

Eagle Park has been a favorite for years. I couldn't find a photo but the taller structure has some stairs that used to scare me as I pictured the girls falling out. It then became my favorite part of the playground once I realized how truly useful it was as a toddler treadmill. I could visit with friends standing next to them while Zoey climbed up them and, once she reached head level, I'd pull her out and put her down so she could run back and repeat the process. In addition to these awesome stairs this park also has fields, a bathroom, and Eagle Park Pool which was perfect as you could combine the pool and park together into one simple outing.

Pioneer Memorial Park

A short walk away is Pioneer Memorial Park. It has no playground but does include the Mountain View Public Library, a zen garden, plenty of space, and Toad's Book Club statues. Close by is also the city hall, center for the performing arts, and a plethora of restaurants and potential road closing fun events.

Mountain View: Mariposa Park

Mariposa Park is a small neighborhood park with street parking and no bathroom that I only came across as we lived nearby. It was a great place to take the kids or stop at quickly if we wanted to extend whatever outing we walked to downtown. Mariposa is the Spanish word for butterfly and this park was aptly named with butterfly information, butterfly friendly plants, and caterpillar statues.. that my kids called poopies. Excerpt for a quick goodbye outing we hadn't been to this park in years but I remember fondly splurging on a couple of tamales whenever I went a bit further to California Street Market and either eating them at home or bringing food for the kids so we could picnic together on the grass.

Mountain View: Mercy-Bush Park

I wasn't going to include this one at first as it's a small park that doesn't have bathrooms and I couldn't find any good photos of it on my phone or online... but then I remembered the hours on hours the kids spent sitting and blocking the water in the awesome sandy water feature and had to at least mention it. If you're in the area anyway this is a perfectly messy spot when the water is on. Just a warning it's on an open street corner so it might be stressful if your kid is a runner.

Mountain View: Schaefer Park

Like the above playground I almost didn't include this one but then I remembered the gated playground, water feature, and nearby bathrooms and had to share. I wasn't able to find it on Yelp so the link goes to its City of Mountain View page.

Mountain View: Sylvan Park

Sylvan Park is another great park with a bathroom right by the playgrounds and a lowered sitting area with a ramp that the kids used to scooter down and in. I always used the larger parking lot in the lower left side of the map but my friends often used street parking closer to the park.

Palo Alto: Cornelis Bol Park

Overview

This is a smaller park that we only visited a couple times as the parking was limited along the street and there's no bathroom. That said, it lays alongside Matadero Creek where we went wading after I sewed the girls their first swimming suit and if you walk along the trail a bit you can find donkeys! So definitely had to include.

The Playground

The playground is decently sized and the fact that they have little donkeys to ride is perfect!

Matadero Creek

Like Shoup Park above this park also has a creek though we've only explored it the one time when the kids were little and a bit cold. This creek didn't seem to have as gradual of a bank so I could see it being better for older kids or if you're going in with them.

Barron Park Donkeys

But the Barron Park Donkeys! This was why I first came to the park though back then the kids were too cold so we didn't go far enough to find them. I went back twice in 2022 with the girls. The first time we brought scooters and quickly found the donkey enclosure along the trail and waited for the donkeys to hopefully come closer while having a snack before going back to the park. The second time I did a bit more research online first and made sure to come when the donkeys took their weekly walk. At that time they were kept on the path so they wouldn't snack along the way.

I had heard about these donkeys as Perry was the model they used for Donkey in the movie Shrek. If you want to know more I found this 2022 article in SFGate about them (Obscure Bay Area: This Palo Alto park is home to the world's most famous donkey) and you can check out the main website to the Barron Park Donkeys here.

Palo Alto: Mitchell Park

Overview

The Mitchel Park playground in Palo Alto was a big destination over the years. The kids loved playground and the fact that the pathway there included a bridge. I love that there was a bathroom on the way to the park, the amount of parking, and the walking distance proximity of two other playgrounds and a library.

If it was a hot day we might skip Magical Bridges and go straight to the spray park and playground at the top right of the above photo. We absolutely loved the elephant statue and the concrete gopher holes there so on really good days we might include this along with Magical Bridges. When going to Magical Bridges (far left circle) I often made the kids skip the the smaller park on the way (second from the left) so I could use it as a stopping point on the way home. There's three bathrooms that I can remember: by the small park on the left, by the spray park on the right, and at the library.

I absolutely adored that with one parking spot I could have a complete outing! If you bring a picnic lunch theres tables and benches at Magical Bridges and copious other spots along with a cafe (Ada's Cafe currently closed Mondays) at the library.

Parking

There a long parking lot joining two of the main roads and I've always been able to find a spot... that said, I mainly came on weekdays and according to Yelp the parking lot can fill up on weekends and holidays.

Small Park

On the walk over to Magical Bridges you pass a small park to the right of the path. Across the path from it are two locking bathrooms. We normally stopped at the bathrooms on the way to the Magical Bridges playground and I used this smaller playground to entice the girls to leave Magical Bridges when we needed to leave... or go to the bathroom.

Magical Bridge Playground

This is the magical bridge playground we spent the most time at though I especially loved it on colder weekdays when it wasn't quite as crowded. To get to it from the parking lot you follow the path past the tennis courts, the smaller playground, and then go over a bridge. There you'll see a 3D map of the park and a gate to get in. Once through you have a ramp going down to the main playground or you can run to the right to go directly to the upstairs of the playhouse or to the top of the hill.

Mitchell Playground

The kids loved the Magical Bridges playground but I adored the Mitchell Park playground so much more. You'll find it if you walk away from both Magical Bridges and the Mitchell Park Library. It has a water area, stone elephant, a sandy play area with a bridge, and concrete gopher holes to play at. The perfect open ended play! Like the smaller playground the swings are a bit further from the main area but this park was my absolute favorite and sometimes we came to Mitchell park just for this one.

Palo Alto: Rinconada Park

Overview

Rinconada Park was my favorite area for different reasons over the time we lived in the Bay Area. Though somehow I can't find any photos I took of the places.

Playground

It's been awhile since we checked out the playgrounds but I remember them being at the two sandy and grey circled areas in the green. The left one was a bigger kid park we skipped out on while the right one was a smaller gated park that we absolutely loved.

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

When the girls were little we absolutely loved the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo and visited frequently with friends where we'd start there but end at the toddler playground in the back for a picnic with food we brought and play until the kids got too grumpy. On this map the black lower left circle is parking while the grey circle next to it is the Museum and Zoo. Before Covid the Museum and Zoo closed for renovations and it wasn't the same visiting the temporary exhibit at the nearby community center so we just stopped doing any of it. That said, they've since reopened and the girls attended a birthday party there right atfter so we were able to check it out. It all looked amazing and was bigger and more involved than before so it understandably costs more and I could see needing to justify a longer visit and not being able to pack as much in as we used to if the kids were still as little. If you're interested their main website can be found here.

Libraries

When I started researching libraries nearby I found both a children's library within toddler walking distance and a slightly further away main branch called Rinconada Library.

Rinconada Pool

I don't think I ever checked out this pool until peak pandemic when they opened the kiddie section for two families at a time. The change rooms were closed and it was a straight in and out of the one pool but it was our saving grace that summer. They later opened it to larger groups but we then stopped going. That said, I had to include it because of its proximity and awesomeness at that time.

Sunnyvale: Fair Oaks Park

Overview

I must admit that we only checked out the Magical Bridges playground at the Fair Oaks Park in Sunnyvale and nothing else there but based on Yelp it has soccer fields, a skate board park, and tons of room. We never had issues parking but we also went at less busy times too.

Magical Bridge Playground

The first time we went to this playground we stayed for hours and we only went home because my phone was close to dying. The kids absolutely adored it because in addition to the stuff similar to their regular location this park also had a water play section with raised areas that the kids dubbed showers. They were soaked through and having a blast!

Redwood City: Red Morton Park

Overview

The Friday before moving we were in the general area of Redwood City to use up our trampoline park voucher from the girls' birthday party. Our friends weren't available and Matt was working so I wanted to make a day of it just us three for old times sake. I knew there was another Magical Bridges Playground on the way home so after the trampoline park and a lunch at In 'n Out we checked out Red Morton Park... thus I've only visited this park once, but it was a great one!

There was tons of parking available close to the park that early Friday afternoon (the circles on the left) that said I made the kids walk over to check out the roses (circle to the right) before playing.

Roses

When researching the park I found out there was a rose garden so I had the girls detour over to it with me before we headed to the playground.

If you do live in the area and love roses a while back, pre-covid, when I decided to check out all the libraries around us I found the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden which made for an awesome outing though we only went a couple times. Depending on which direction you're coming from the first time I splurged at a Zanotto's Market on my way over for sandwiches and cookies before wandering amongst the roses, picnicking on the field, reading at the Rose Garden Branch Library, stopping at the mini playground there, and then going back to the car and home. It made for a good outing.

Magical Bridge Playground

By this time I had gone on the Magical Bridges website and confirmed that this was the last Magical Bridges park we'd be able to fit in before we moved out of the Bay Area. Like the Sunnyvale location this one also had a water feature though this was shaped to be a climbable waterfall with bench rocks along the side. The park was good but the rocks were hot against the kids' feet and they were tired so although they had fun we didn't stay as long as I had expected.

Walnut Creek: Heather Farm Park

Overview

A while back we drove up to Walnut Creek to have The Sewing Machine Shop clean my machines. Since we were driving all that way anyway we figured we'd make it a day and I hopped onto Yelp to find the Heather Farm Park. It was the perfect stop! The weather was perfect, the park was the perfect amount of crowded, we had a blast exploring, and the kids didn't want to leave. The next time we went it was a colder day, the park was empty, and it wasn't as great of a time as the kids had built it up in their heads. That said, this is a perfect park that comes with a free walking garden to explore.

Playground

Looking back I realize we didn't take very many photos of the park but it was a big size with many different zones including a sliding hill so definitely bring some cardboard.

Lake

Along the path to the gardens there's a small lake with a fountain that the kids loved stopping at to watch.

The Gardens At Heather Farm

The gardens were my personal favorite part of the park as we meandered through and discovered fun bits.

My absolute favorite part was this sign I found pointing to different children book locations like Mr McGregor's Garden, 100 Acre Wood, Narnia, Hogwarts, Wonderland, and the Shire.

With all the parks we visited I couldn't include them all but I wanted to try to share all the ones we enjoyed the most so you could enjoy them too.

I hope these tips help you find fun parks in your neighborhood and beyond! If they did or if you have any other tips to help find fun parks please let me know in the comments below. Additionally, I'd love to hear about your favorite playgrounds so also share that. Overall I hope you're having a truly amazing day!

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