I had another post planned for this Friday, but I had a really nice request for Sand Free Parks in Orange County come into my inbox last night:

“I am looking for parks that don’t have bark chips or sand. I would prefer the rubber padded flooring. My granddaughter is autistic and due to the sensory issues that come along with that she would rather spend hours touching the sand or wood chips. If I could find a park without either it would enable her to enjoy the slides, swings, etc. I’m sure there are many parents of autistic children that would enjoy knowing where these parks are at in Orange County.”

This reader will be happy to know that the recycled rubber surface is becoming a preferred surface at many playgrounds. 

These parks have NO sand and NO bark chips (ones marked with * have restrooms):

• Fred Barrera Park in Orange*
• Serrano Park in Orange*
• Eastside Community Park in Yorba Linda*
• Box Canyon Park in Yorba Linda*
• Brea Sports Park Playground*
• Hidden Hills Park in Laguna Niguel
• Niguel Heights Park in Laguna Niguel
• Peter Green Park in Huntington Beach
• Bonita Canyon Sports Park (2-5 year old playground) in Newport Beach*
• Fountain Valley Recreation Center and Sports Park*
• Heritage Park Play Island in Cerritos*

Honorable Mentions (because they have a sandbox separated from the equipment):

• Cabot Park in Laguna Hills*
• Costeau Park in Laguna Hills
• Knotty Pines Park in Laguna Hills
• TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa*
• Coastal Peak Park in Newport Beach*
• Sunset Park in San Clemente

I hope that gives you some options! I will keep my eye out as I explore parks this summer. I know my “Fenced Parks” post has also been a popular one. I just found 2 more today that I’ll be adding to the list!

Box Canyon Park in Yorba Linda was destroyed in the fires of 2008. It wowed me from the first time I drove by to check out the construction.  They definitely went above and beyond with the new play structures and surrounding area. I could see the ship’s mast in the distance, and the flags on top of the castle towers. I couldn’t wait for it to open.  It’s Pirate Ship vs. Castle!! Prepare for a mighty battle!

Location: Off the 91 Freeway in Yorba Linda. Exit at Weir Canyon Road/Yorba Linda Blvd where you see the SAVI Ranch shopping area. You’ll turn right onto La Palma from the freeway. You’ll turn left onto Via Lomas de Yorba W (it turns into Via Lomas de Yorba E).  The park is on your left when you cross Foxtail Drive. I turned left onto Foxtail and parked on the hill. MAP TO BOX CANYON PARK IN YORBA LINDA

Highlights:

• This has to be one of the most exciting playgrounds I’ve seen. My imagination was sparked by all the play possibilities here. My toddler thought it was amazing too, and was squealing and giggling and full of glee as he ran all around for an hour trying to experience everything. He was asking to go back after he woke up from his nap today, and I can tell it made a huge impression.
• The ship is meant for 2-5 year olds, and the castle is meant for 6-12 year olds – but there are ramps on both that make it easily accessible for everyone. There were many younger kids that were just getting the hang of walking enjoying the larger castle structure with help from their moms.
• Many interactive panels are built into the play structures, including music chimes (one of my personal favorites), drums, and gears to spin.
• Plenty of wildlife! We saw numerous bunnies and lizards, and hawks were soaring high above us.
• 4 bench swings and 2 baby swings.
• This is THE most accessible playground I’ve visited. Not only are there ramps up to the play structures, a kid-sized wheelchair can actually navigate around the structures with big loops to make around the walkways (no backing up). There are even bridges to cross!*

Be Aware:

• NO SHADE over the play structures. The playground is up high on the side of a hill in Yorba Linda, and is not somewhere I’d want to be in the afternoon on a hot summer day. We were there in the mid-morning, and the temperature wasn’t too high yet – but I still felt like we were being baked by the sun. There is a shaded picnic structure, and a couple of the benches around the playground have some shade provided by young trees.
• No parking lot. The only available parking is on the street, so use your parallel parking zen. If there are a lot of visitors at the park when you go, you may end up parking near the bottom of a fairly steep street, in which case you’ll be in for a bit of an uphill hike.
• All of the awesome ramps and bridges are great for toddlers to run all over, but can be hard to navigate from the ground if you’re trying to keep your eyes on your kid and make sure they don’t get too close to any gaps. There were numerous times when my son was having a blast and running at full speed, and I was ducking under bridges and going around obstacles to try and stay near him. It was easier much of the time to just be up on the equipment with him, chasing him down the slides and everything. I ended up getting a great workout though!
• Wildlife warning: They’ve posted about rattlesnakes and all sorts of other critters. Just be aware and  still have fun.

Checklist:

• Parking on the street
• Entirely recycled rubber play surface
• Nice restroom with fancy hand dryers
• Full basketball court (no lighting)
• Sidewalk loop for a stroll or exercise around the grassy area of the park
• Picnic tables scattered throughout – one main covered picnic shelter
• Drinking fountain by the picnic shelter
• Nice views
• Whenever I’m looking for local info on Yorba Linda — I turn to the Land of Gracious Living blog run by the Nason family who provide valuable info for their community. We’ve met at blogger events and I’m a big fan of what they do.*

*Michele added the parts with italics and asterisks.

North Beach in San Clemente meets all the requirements of requests from our site’s page on Facebook. It’s so much fun for us to have all of you help us build the site with info you actually WANT! Every time I go to North Beach, I have the it-just-doesn’t-get-better-than-this feeling (except when it’s crowded). Although this post should fit all the requests, I have more ideas:

Jennifer asked for: “Good beaches and fun stuff this weekend.”

• Under the playgrounds tab, I have a heading for Beaches. That’s a great place to start. I’m going to be adding to that over the summer, of course.
• Califia Beach Park at San Clemente State Beach is another favorite.
• The California State Parks Foundation is having a Weekend of Action and asking everyone to STAND UP FOR STATE PARKS by visiting them, snapping a photo, and posting to their site.
• I always consult the Just Spotted Calendar or the Orange County Parent Calendar! Kelly & Coleen (Just Spotted) and Lisa (Orange County Parent) work really hard to get every possible event shared with their readers.

Brienna wants: “Paved walking trails in South OC for walks that are away from traffic.”

• This one’s a little tougher, but the North Beach Trail is definitely stroller friendly. It’s not paved, but the dirt is packed decomposed granite.
• Walking around Mission Viejo Lake is a good one in South County (although there is traffic). Just drive up Alicia Parkway, turn left on Marguerite and park in the shopping center a little ways up on your right. Start walking on the sidewalk around the lake.
• Joe from OC Explorer wrote about family-friendly walks when he guest posted for us.
• Aliso and Woods Canyon trail is paved for bikes, but great for walking. Actually, any of the regional parks with bike trails would probably fit your request. I’m thinking of Mason Park in Irvine for a nice walk with the kiddos. Or even Aldrich Park at UC Irvine!

Chris put in a vote for: “Dog friendly hiking trails and beaches.”

• I should really consult my sis for this one. She’s the one with the dog. However, we’ve taken her (the dog) to San Onofre State Beach (only on specific parts) and there were tons of dogs on the North Beach Trail – on leash.
• The official OCParks.com site, has a listing of parks where dogs are permitted and there are some pretty impressive trails at these parks.
• On Facebook, I mentioned OCDogFriendly.com for all sorts of ideas.

So here’s the scoop on the North Beach Trail Head in San Clemente:

• The San Clemente Beach Trail runs from North Beach down to Califia Beach Park. You can park at 1) North Beach, 2) by the San Clemente Pier, or 3) down at Califia Beach Park — or really anywhere in between.
• With the kids, I like to go from North Beach because there are swings, a slide, and restrooms. It gets the wiggles out before we go and gives them a reward when we’re done.
• The walk is breathtaking! Beyond beautiful views of the ocean, surfers, and sometimes dolphins in the waves.  Keep your eyes out for sparrows, hummingbirds, finches, squirrels and lizards.
• The train tracks go right by the path and it’s fun to see Amtrak and Metrolink blasting by.

Location: Take the Avenida Pico exit off Interstate 5. Turn towards the beach. Go across Pacific Coast Highway and take your first right onto Calle Deshecha past Ole Hanson Beach Club Pool. The San Clemente Metrolink and beach parking lot is ahead of you on the left. Turn into the lot and find the BEACH PARKING right below the Beach Club.  You’ll need to pay at the machines. MAP TO NORTH BEACH PLAYGROUND AND PARKING FOR SAN CLEMENTE BEACH TRAIL

Be Aware:

• You must pay for parking (25 cents per 15 minutes / $1 per hour) at the machines. Make note of your spot # and enter it into the yellow machine. The lot by the pier has the same system. Califia has meters and your State Park parking pass works there, too.
• Just be cautious of the train tracks with little ones. There are definitely trains and they come by often! Only cross at marked crossings.
• Use the restrooms at North Beach, near the pier, T-Street or Califia. No restrooms in between.
• Bring water and/or snacks.
• Remember, the beach can be breezy or foggy even when it’s hot inland. Dress in layers or bring jackets for the kids.
• There are three fire pits (one on the north side of the restrooms and two on the south) and picnic tables.
• Dogs allowed on leash on the trail. Dogs not allowed on the beach.

Pitcher Park in Orange is a welcoming corner park filled with lush gardens, fruiting trees, and a relaxing picnic area. It’s also a historical treasure and home to Pixies in the Park – A Fairy Party. I first read about this wonderful party last year on the Tiny Oranges blog written by my friend, Jennifer.

Location: Orange sits near the “corner” of the 22 and 55 freeways. The center of Old Towne Orange is on the roundabout at Glassell Street and Chapman Avenue and Pitcher Park is very nearby. I took Interstate 5 north to the 55 Freeway North. I took the Chapman Avenue Exit (west – which is the 2nd Chapman exit which winds over Chapman and turns you around so you’ll be headed toward Old Towne). So you’re driving towards Old Towne on Chapman Avenue, Tustin Avenue is the first light and Cambridge is the second. Turn left on Cambridge and Pitcher Park is on your right at the corner of Almond and Cambridge. MAP TO PITCHER PARK IN ORANGE

Recommended by: Pat from the Pitcher Park Community Foundation (Find “Pixies in the Park” on Facebook). Pat says: “The Pitcher property was given to the City of Orange in 1992.  The Pitcher Park Community Foundation was formed to raise funds to help maintain the park and its museums, to educate the public about the history of Pitcher Park and the early agricultural beginnings of Orange.”

Highlights:

• My absolutely favorite part of the park was the old-fashioned drinking fountain which looked like an antique. It had  a food pedal to make it run!!!!
• Beautiful setting for a picnic with your little ones
• Look at the trees and flowers, listen to the birds, watch the butterflies and bees
• Let your kids lead the way and explore every corner
• The Fire Museum and Honey House are open the 1st Sunday of the month (and they run school trips there)
• It’s also available for rental for weddings and private parties

Be Aware:

• NO playground – just pretty for picnicking and a simple stroll
• Almond and Cambridge is a pretty busy corner, so keep an eye on the kids
• Fire Museum and Honey House only open the 1st Sunday of the month from 12pm-4pm
• Restrooms are only open when the caretaker is there.

Pixies in the Park – A Fairy Party (June)

• The 2011 event is on Saturday, June 11th from 10am-2pm.
• ALL proceeds benefit the Pitcher Park Community Foundation. (A pretty fun and worthy fundraiser).
• Ticket price is $20 per fairy (includes 1 adult) and $10 each additional fairy – that price includes “games, crafts, lots of fairy activities, and a Fairy Snack Box for each child).
• Fairies are encourage to come in costume.
• Find “Pixies in the Park” on Facebook for MUCH more detailed info, including the invitation (you need to RSVP).
• Visit www.PitcherParkOrange.com or e-mail Events@PitcherParkOrange.com for more info.
• CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PDF FLYER AND INVITATION.

Checklist:

• Parking on the street
• NO playground
• Drinking fountain near picnic area
• Restrooms located behind the Fire Museum. They are only open when the caretaker is there.

My favorite Newport Coast parks are called Canyon Watch and Harbor Watch. These separate, but similar parks, sit along San Joaquin Hills Drive looking like nothing more than a scenic viewpoint from the street. Take the time to stop and stroll. You’ll see incredible views of the canyon and Newport Harbor. You’ll see Catalina Island. You’ll hear songbirds and feel a soft sea breeze.

Location: Heading from Newport Beach up to Newport Coast on San Joaquin Hills. It’s the small pull-out off to your right before you hit the retail shopping and Newport Coast Drive.  MAP to Canyon Watch and Harbor Watch Parks

Highlights:

• Excellent sunset watching spots!
• Park your car at Canyon Watch Park and stroll out to the viewpoint. You’ll enjoy native plants and see bunnies and lizards scurrying across the paved path.  I liked spotting the gigantic sycamore at the bottom of the canyon and seeing the massive estates across the canyon.  There’s a bank of 3 picnic tables for an enjoyable noontime or sunset excursion.
• Don’t forget walk down the hill to the even more scenic Harbor Watch Park.  No picnic tables here, but nice benches with an interpretive sign about the history of the area.
• You must bring binoculars to see the spectacular views and for bird watching. We saw hummingbirds, finches and even a HUGE turkey vulture on our visit.
• If you want to get a good walk in – park down the hill at Roger’s Gardens or Gelson’s and walk up the hill.  You can go all the way up to the retail at the top near Newport Coast and do a loop.

Be Aware:

• NO playground and NO restrooms (more of a natural park with views)
• NO smoking – high fire danger
• Unprotected drop-offs to the canyon below, especially on the walk from Canyon Watch to Harbor Watch.

Checklist:

• Dedicated parking lot
• No playground
• No restrooms
• No drinking fountains
• Just a simple park with amazing views
• Bring a picnic and binoculars – maybe even your camera
• Tania runs a Stroller Strides class from nearby Newport Ridge Community Park

*Tania is nice enough to exchange links with us. Click here for full disclosure policy.