A nice Aliso Viejo walk takes you along the Aliso Creek bike/hiking trail paralleling Alicia Parkway from Foxborough Park to Hillview Park.  These two parks weren’t on my radar because there are no playgrounds at either (and no bathrooms!).  However, they are perfect for a brisk walk outdoors with kids in a jogging stroller.

Location: Foxborough Park is off Deerhurst near Pacific Park. Hillview Park is reachable by walking behind Aliso Niguel High School.  MAP OVERVIEW OF FOXBOROUGH TO HILLVIEW WALK

Highlights:

• Tons of bird watching to do along the creek (check my OCFamily post with tips for wildlife spotting)
• Beautiful views from Hillview Park
• Great to exercise outdoors

Tips:

• Strollers will be fine on the bike trail; the hill up to Hillview is bumpy dirt (which could be muddy after a rain); then there’s sidewalk and a loop at the top.
• There is no exit from Hillview other than the way you came!
• If you are walking, it can take anywhere from an hour to two hours to do the round-trip back to Foxborough Park — depending on if you let the kids walk.
• You could ride your bikes along the Aliso Creek Trail and lock them up near the high school to walk up the hill for the views
• Warnings for rattlesnakes on the dirt hill
• NO restrooms on the entire walk – so plan ahead (or use the route for a “mommy walk” or “daddy walk” or “date walk” instead of bringing the kids)

Foxborough to Hillview at EveryTrail

See a video of the walk — complete with a mockingbird serenade.

We like to walk and take slow nature hikes, but I’m not an expert. Check out these five SoCal walkers/hikers/explorers for even better hiking tips with more details:

• Walk Simply
• Greene Adventures
• Brian and Ashley’s Hiking Blog
• California Through My Lens
• Naturalist-For-You (guided nature walks)

I always have parents wanting to know how to find parks with baby swings.  And some who need TWO baby swings for twins!  So this short post is for all of you.

Where to check for baby swings on FunOrangeCountyParks.com:

• I’m not sure if I’ve done it for every post over the last 4 years, but I’ve tried to specifically include baby swing info under the HIGHLIGHTS section.
• If  you can’t find it there, I’d browse through the photos. I always try to take photos of the swings set-up.  (I have FLASH slideshows of many of the parks – at the top of the sidebar in a post – that you may not be seeing on your smartphone or iPad. I’m slowly improving this, but for now you may need to look on a computer with FLASH capabilites to see all the photos).
• If there are NO baby swings, then I usually write that under the BE AWARE section.

Check the map!

• However, most of you, will be looking in a specific geographic area.  Which parks in Tustin have baby swings? Which parks in San Clemente?  The Playground Map is pretty nifty because you can look at the map and click on markers to find out the names of the parks.  From there, you can click on the hyperlinked name of the park that comes up in the bubble — and it will take you back to the blog post about the park!  Then you can follow the “where to check” directions from above.

You know I love lists — so you’ve inspired me!  I’ll try to come up with a list to make it easier for you to find.  In the meantime, that should help you out.  Never be afraid to email me, too. I love hearing from readers!

Mr. Play Parks spends long hours at his office and yearns to get outdoors on the weekends. Our day trips aren’t really enough for a guy who spent a childhood camping for family vacations.  I’m always up for an adventure, so we decided to test out Caspers Wilderness Park campground for camping local.  If you are new to camping or haven’t done it in a looonnnngggg time, I have two nuggets of advice for you to make it a successful trip:

• Start local.  If you forget something, you’ll know where to go to either buy it or grab it from home.  If the weather changes, a kids gets sick,  you get too cold, or you have an allergy attack — you can just check in at the ranger station and leave the tent to head home. You can go back and gather your things in the morning.  We’ve never had to do this, but I’m always comforted by this idea.
• Go with friends who are experienced in camping. There are tricks and tools that campers learn over time to make for a comfortable night outside.  Just watching how they do it will help you figure out how to do it on your own. Plus, it’s fun to be around the campfire with friends.

The beauty of Caspers Wilderness Park and the Live Oak Campground is that there are so many great campsites in one place.  You can pick one with a view of the creek, inside an oak grove, or out under the sycamores near the meadow.  Each site would make for a different camping experience.

Our Trip

We arrived very late in the day and wanted the most sunlight possible to set up our tent before the sun went down on us so we picked a site by the meadow and under a sycamore.

We were able to attend the 7pm Saturday Campfire Program up at the nature center where Ranger Zach took us on a guided night hike to test our five senses and point out some native (and non-native) vegetation.  It was almost a full moon, so it was the perfect opportunity for a hike.

It was a cold January night at 38 degrees, but we were snug in our tent and sleeping bags. It was clear and still when we went to bed with a view of the moon over the meadow. Around 2am, the fog must have rolled in and we were getting either a heavy dew or light rain dripping on the tent interspersed with gusts of wind.  The wind picked up around 5am and that time was the coldest part of our stay — right before dawn.  But we woke to no wind and had a lovely campfire breakfast.

The kids played behind the campsite and we rolled out around 10am because of a high wind warning and yearning for a hot shower. The temperature was almost up to 80 by then!  We missed it, but there was a ranger-led hike scheduled for 9am which would have been fun.

What would I do differently?

After a trip, I always try to evaluate how we could have done it better.

• We should have arrived earlier in the day to set up camp and get settled well before sunset.
• I would have brought snow clothes (hats, mittens, long underwear, heavy jackets) and blankets. We did dress for the cold in multiple layers. I had my wool socks on for sleeping. Still, we would have been even more comfortable with additional layers.

Read more about Caspers:

• The OFFICIAL OCParks.com website has all the accurate info about visiting this amazing park. (At the time of this writing, they are only able to accept cash or check as payment for camping or annual passes. So bring something other than your credit card.  The cost for one night was only $20.)
• Caspers Playground
• Caspers Nature Center
• My friend, Traci, at WalkSimply.com writes about an Easy and Diverse Family Nature Hike at Casper’s

Adventure City in Anaheim is a ton of fun for young kids that love vehicles of all kinds. With a miniature train, airplanes, rescue vehicles and so much more, my four-year old was thrilled from the moment we entered the gates. Minimal lines made it possible to go on rides multiple times without testing anyone’s patience. I lost count as to how many times we rode the train, but it was upwards of ten!

Adventure City provides a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the larger local theme parks. It would be a great place to send grandparents for a fun afternoon with young grandchildren, or a nice way to spend some time with out-of-towners with children in tow.

They have a special room for birthday parties that I caught glimpses of from the train… as the train goes RIGHT THROUGH the party room! Of course my son (and husband!) immediately started talking about how it would be a great place for a party. I can only imagine how exciting it would be to have a train constantly going right by your celebration. The birthday child even gets to be the engineer for a ride around the park with their guests as part of the party package. Comprehensive birthday party package information is available on their website. They can host corporate and private events as well.

For the train-obsessed, they also have a Thomas-themed play area up front with a ton of track and elements to build huge layouts and play with.

There is a kid-sized toilet alongside an adult toilet in a special stall in the restrooms near the stage area – my son loved using a potty his size.

There is also a petting zoo which was awesome for my one-year-old, as he is really into animals right now.

General Information:

Adventure City is located at 1238 South Beach Blvd in Anaheim, just south of Ball Road. MAP TO ADVENTURE CITY

Website: http://www.adventurecity.com/default.aspx

Admission is currently $14.95 for adults and children, with children 12 months and under being admitted for free. Seniors 55 and up are currently $9.95.

Parking is free.

Operating schedule tends to follow weekends and holidays – check their website for current days and hours when planning your trip.

Various shows and entertainment are available throughout the day. See website for more details.

Outside food and beverages, with the exception of baby food and formula, are not permitted – however there are many picnic benches just outside of the gates and hand stamps are provided at the exit so that you may re-enter the park. There is a variety of food and snack items available for purchase inside the park as well, and of course they do have drinking fountains.

Give yourself three to four hours to ensure you have ample time to play. We were there for just under four hours, rode favorite rides multiple times (did I mention 10+ times on the train??) and it felt just about perfect.

Disclaimer: The author’s family received complimentary admission to visit Adventure City for the purpose of reviewing and posting on the site. This is completely unbiased review, and I had been planning to visit Adventure City for some time before this.

Westridge Park in Aliso Viejo is one of those parks where I could hang out all day.  Unfortunately, the lack of restrooms makes that an impossibility — but you know what I mean.  The kids seem happy to dig in the sand and explore the corners of this hidden park.

Directions to Westridge Park: From I-5, exit at Oso Parkway which turns into Pacific Park as it crosses La Paz.  Keep driving up the hill past Alicia Parkway and into Aliso Viejo.  Turn left onto Wood Canyon and make an immediate right onto Westridge. The park is directly ahead at the T-intersection. You will need to turn left and park on the street. (Check out how the park is at the edge of Aliso & Wood Canyons. It’s striking on the map!) MAP TO WESTRIDGE PARK IN ALISO VIEJO

Highlights:

• The park is at the edge of Aliso & Wood Canyon (no access) which makes the views from the fence intriguing
• SHADE!  Yay for shade covers and big sycamores which make most of the playground shady all afternoon
• There’s also a really nice gazebo shade cover over 3 large picnic tables.
• Benches all around the playground and a stone wall that’s just the right height for sitting.
• Nice grassy area where moms were laying out blankets and playing with their kids.
• The equipment has separate monkey bars that were a bit too high for the youngest kids.
• Both “big kid” and “little kid” equipment. The little one had some fun little slides and the big one has some climbing opportunities and a bridge.
• There’s a sidewalk encircling the playground equipment that kids were using as a trike track to make loops back to mom.
• 2 bench swings and one baby swing

Be Aware:

• Because of the tall and grassy landscaping, it’s hard to see the kids on the playground when you are sitting under the picnic cover.
• Many spots on the “big kid” equipment where little kids can fall through, but there’s enough to do in other areas of the park.
• Kids will naturally gravitate away from Oak View Drive, but traffic is somewhat busy. Make sure they wander into – and not out of – the park.

Checklist:

• Parking on the street
• Sand and grassy play surfaces
• NO restroom
• Drinking fountain right near the playground
• Nice shade for picnic areas and play equipment
• City of Aliso Viejo website
• Nearby public library: Aliso Viejo Public Library

Nearby Parks:

• Grand Park
• Oak Park
• Canyon View Park
• Acorn Park