Christopher Park in Mission Viejo is a place a friend mentioned in passing.  Of course, I always file away parks I’ve never visited and we stopped at this nice spot for a quick play.

Location: Christopher Park is in a neighborhood off Trabuco (between Alicia Parkway and Marguerite).  From Interstate 5, exit at Alicia Parkway and head towards the foothills.  Turn right on Trabuco and take another right on Carlota Drive. You’ll see the park straight ahead of you.  Make a right onto Valpariso to park.  (Address: 26801 Valpariso Drive) MAP TO CHRISTOPHER PARK IN MISSION VIEJO

Highlights:

• It’s in a nice neighborhood surrounded by trees and lush green grass
• The park is away from any busy streets
• I felt like we were in a sunken garden with the two massive palm trees providing shade (one directly on a bench near the playground sand)
• The twisty slide is really tall and fun
• Little ones like the bridge and steering wheel for pretend play
• Definitely bring sand toys for shady play in the morning
• The half basketball court is really nice and very near the playground
• We had the added bonus of spotting the trash truck on the morning we visited! (Always a treat!)
• 2 bench swings, 2 baby swings

Be Aware:

• NO restrooms
• The tall slide is really tall for the littlest kids – so go with them or make it off-limits
• I talked to a grandma that said people bring their dogs to this park throughout the day
• It’s definitely hot during the middle of the day

Checklist:

• Parking on the street
• Play surface: Sand
• NO restroom
• Drinking fountain a little ways from the playground
• Picnic tables set up in the shade of trees
• Half basketball court and small grassy area
• Official City of Mission Viejo website
• Nearest public libraries:  Mission Viejo Public Library

Nearby parks:

• Valyermo Park
• Castille Park
• Alicia Park

*Added to KaBOOM.org as part of their 2011 Park-A-Day Challenge

Alicia Park in Mission Viejo is best for younger kids.  There’s a bench right by the playground and a nice covered picnic area for lunch.

Location: From Interstate 5, exit at Alicia Parkway and head towards the foothills. You will drive up Alicia past Jeronimo and turn left onto Via Linda, then right into the parking lot.  Once you enter the parking lot, turn left to park next to the playground. (Address: 23650 Alicia Parkway, Mission Viejo) MAP TO ALICIA PARK IN MISSION VIEJO

Highlights:

• It’s a simple little playground for younger kids.
• There are nice sycamores providing shade on the playground.
• The picnic area is large and partially shaded.
• Those with little ones — or planning an event — will like that this playground has a restroom.

Be Aware:

• The playground is near the parking lot, but the parking lot is set away from Via Linda.
• Can be busy on game days.
• NO swings.

 Checklist:

• Parking in a dedicated lot
• Play surface: Sand
• Restroom is a short walk from the playground
• Grills in the picnic area and covered barbecues near the restroom building
• Drinking fountain near the restroom
• Softball fields and sand volleyball courts
• Official City of Mission Viejo website
• Nearest public libraries:  Mission Viejo or Laguna Hills Technology

Nearby Parks:

• Cousteau Park
• Dinosaur Park
• Castille Park

*Added to KaBOOM.org as part of their 2011 Park-A-Day Challenge

Vista Del Lago Park in Mission Viejo is aptly named with its view of the lake.  It looks like it’s right on the busy Marguerite Parkway, but it’s raised up on a hill to provide for the view.

Location: From Interstate 5, exit at Alicia Parkway and head towards the foothills. You will drive up Alicia quite a ways.  Turn left at Lake Mission Viejo on Marguerite Parkway.  The shops near the lake will be on your right and Vista Del Lago is right across Marguerite on your left.  (Address: 27642 Vista Del Lago, Mission Viejo) MAP TO VISTA DEL LAGO PARK IN MISSION VIEJO

Highlights:

• Beautiful view of the lake and Saddleback Peak
• Playground is colorful and the sand is white and fine
• A really nice structure with benches placed around the play area
• Pedestals to navigate and a sit-and-spin type spinner
• A tunnel slide and twisty slide
• Big grass area for running
• Lots of opportunities for climbing
• Monkey bars that look like wheels with spokes. They spin as you go across – providing a little extra challenge.
• The park is surrounded by flowering bushes and trees
• 2 bench swings, 2 baby swings

Be Aware:

• Street noise from traffic on Marguerite
• NO restrooms
• Could be hot in afternoon, but the shade creeps over the park as the day progresses into evening
• Parking is a little weird here. Vista Del Lago seemed too busy for parking on the street. There are many neighborhoods behind the park with a path at the end of their cul-de-sacs connecting to the park below.  Or I wonder if it’s okay to park across the street at the shops?  (If anybody goes to this park frequently, leave me your parking trick in the comments section.)

Checklist:

• Parking on the street (see notes under Be Aware)
• Play surface: Sand and recycled rubber
• NO restrooms
• Drinking fountain
• Half court basketball that gets afternoon shade
• Baseball/softball diamond and big grass area
• Official City of Mission Viejo website
• Nearest public libraries:  Mission Viejo or Foothill Ranch or Rancho Santa Margarita (none are very close to this park)

Nearby parks:

• Melinda Park
• Aurora Park
• Seville Park
• Minaya Park

*Added to KaBOOM.org as part of their 2011 Park-A-Day Challenge

Barcelona Park in Mission Viejo is a nice, small neighborhood park perfect for toddlers. It has the biggest “Little Tykes” playground I’ve ever seen.  It’s like they super-sized those backyard play sets.

Location:  Exit I-5 at Alicia Parkway and travel towards the foothills.  At Muirlands, turn left (to get to Los Alisos Blvd.).  Turn right onto Los Alisos and continue traveling uphill past Trabuco.  Turn right on Via Noveno and turn right again on Via Santa Maria.  The park is above the street on the left.  MAP TO BARCELONA PARK IN MISSION VIEJO

Highlights:

• It’s in a nice neighborhood and feels very peaceful
• It’s quiet and away from the street
• Unique because of the Little Tykes equipment.   I thought it was perfect for toddler age.
• Big sand volleyball court behind the playground
• Nice shade from sycamore trees lining the sidewalks and those signature white rose bushes at many Mission Viejo parks
• Clubhouse area was fun for my daughter who pretended it was a fix-it shop

Be Aware:

• There’s an elementary school which backs up to the park and could make it busy and pick-up and drop-off.
• Not so great for kids older than 4 or 5 — unless you bring a ball or frisbee to play on the grass.
• NO restrooms
• NO swings

Checklist:

• Parking on the street
• Play surface: sand
• NO restrooms
• Drinking fountain near the playground
• Sand volleyball court
• Soccer field
• Picnic area and benches right near the playground and mostly shaded by big trees
• Official City of Mission Viejo interactive park map (Barcelona is #6)
• Nearest public libraries:  Mission Viejo or Foothill Ranch or Rancho Santa Margarita (none are very close to this park)

Nearby parks:

• Seville Park
• Aurora Park
• Minaya Park

*Added to KaBOOM.org as part of their 2011 Park-A-Day Challenge

Minaya Park in Mission Viejo is not what I’d call a “destination playground” – but every park has its good points. This one is centered in a quiet neighborhood.  There are all sorts of birds flitting through the trees and nice shade for picnics.

Location: From Interstate 5, exit at Alicia Parkway and head towards the foothills. You will drive up Alicia quite a ways.  Turn left at Lake Mission Viejo on Marguerite Parkway.  Pass Vista del Lago and make your next right onto Alarcon.  Take the 2nd left onto Minaya and the park will be on your left. (Address: 27552 Minaya, Mission Viejo) MAP TO MINAYA PARK IN MISSION VIEJO

Highlights:

• It’s a bare bones, simple neighborhood park. However, if you’re in the neighborhood then it’s nice for a picnic or some sand play.
• There’s lots of grass surrounding the playground and beautiful trees for shade.
• It’s the perfect park to do some “nature exploring” by seeing what you can see at the edges of the park and in the trees.
• On our visit during the summer, there were helicopter seeds on the grass for tossing into the air and watching them spin on their way down (Joel from Naturalist-for-You first showed us this trick)
• The tire swing is really low to the ground
• 2 of those sit-on digger contraptions
• 2 baby swings

Be Aware:

• This is more of a “quick play” stop
• Not ideal for younger kids – but it’s easy to supervise them up close because there’s not really many railings.
• Very young kids can’t climb from one side of equipment to other without having to tackle climbing “over the rainbow.”
• No restrooms

Checklist:

• Parking on the street
• Play surface: Sand
• NO restrooms
• Drinking fountain
• Grass volleyball court
• Official City of Mission Viejo website
• Nearest public libraries:  Mission Viejo or Foothill Ranch or Rancho Santa Margarita (none are very close to this park)

Nearby parks:

• Melinda Park
• Aurora Park
• Seville Park

*Added to KaBOOM.org as part of their 2011 Park-A-Day Challenge