Indian Springs Park

The sun decided to come out yesterday, so we picked a park on the map and went exploring!
Location:Indian Springs Park is C4 on the parks map. We turned up 39th avenue off El Camino and drove and drove and drove ...I thought we missed it. Then it appeared out of no where on the left hand side. It's nestled on a hillside in a quiet little neighborhood (The map makes it look closer to El Camino then it really is).

Parking:There's a small lot at the base of a huge flight of concrete stairs. At first I was surprised that the only way to get into the park was to haul baby (and stroller, if I was using one) up a set of stairs, but there is a ramp a short walk above the parking lot.
There are two playgrounds at the park, one for big kids and one for little kids. Both have wood chip surfaces.

Little Playground: This playground features a playhouse with one flat slide and two openings (one at the back and one at the front) Unlike most of the parks we've been to, the structure is made out of wood (I worried about slivers but E came away sliver free). It has more of a "backyard tree house" feel to it instead of a city playground. I LOVED that there were only two openings! I could easily move from one to the other to prevent falls. Once E climbed up into the little fort he giggled and squealed while peaking through the thin windows at me. You can tell from the pic that the structure is not very high(E is just over 2 feet tall) or big (it could only fit about two or three toddlers comfortably).

Another thing I loved, was how low to the ground the end of the slide was. I had no problem letting E go down on his own, and he had no trouble pulling himself up at the bottom. One time he slid down a bit fast and shot out into the wood chips. He giggled and pulled himself right up.
The slide itself is short and slopes gently. E had a blast crawling up the stairs and going down all by himself without much more then a bit of supervision from me. Also, the stair rail next to the slide is not too high so if I needed to grab his hand for a bit of help, or snag his little body to keep him from falling it wasn't difficult at all.

There's a great view from the playground. If you look close you can see SFO in the distance. We saw lots of planes taking off and a few little ones flying overhead. E would shout "THAT" really loud and point to the planes. We both liked the added entertainment.

Big Playground: (Keep in mind that this review is for a younger child and this playground was definitely NOT built for them to be playing on alone) Unlike the little playground. This one is mostly metal and rope. The slide is WAAAAY to big for a toddler to go down alone. It has a huge drop off so an adult definitely needs to be at the bottom to catch a toddler that has been guided to the top by another adult (we went down it 3 times together and E begged for more each time). I love that there are only a few stairs on this structure. The two pieces are connected with bridges. It made it a little more difficult for me to climb up to the slide with E on my hip, but I have a feeling that he will love how imaginative this play structure is when he gets older.

Coverage: Things can get pretty hot on the peninsula in the summer, so I'm keeping an eye on what kind of sun protection each park has. This small park was built in a grove of giant eucalyptus trees. The smell alone was worth the trip! I have a feeling that in July the dappled light coming down through these beauties makes for a pretty cool playground. That being said. I would still have E playing in a hat and sunblock.

Bonus Feature: Indian Springs Park really does have springs! I spotted two natural springs bubbling up from the ground.
The city has made rock-lined riverbeds for the resulting creeks to flow down. There is a tiny waterfall that we passed over on a bridge on our way into the park. E stopped to look through the handrail at it gurgling on it's way.

Animals: There was a sign coming into the park requesting that all dogs be leashed. We only met one pair of beautiful dogs (one of whom was off leash but very well behaved).

Crowds: There were two older kids and one younger toddler. For a 4:00 visit on a school day, I would expect to see more kids out playing. I have a feeling that this park is a hidden gem that remains fairly uncrowded.

What we liked: E and I both loved the independence that the little playground gave him. I didn't worry about him toppling out of the structure (too much). He loved that I gave him free reign to climb, explore, slide, etc. I loved the peaceful feeling of the park. I felt like I was in a garden...or visiting a wealthy friend's backyard. (I also loved that Yummy Yogurt was right across the street when we drove back down to El Camino...that would make a fun ending to a play date.)

What we didn't like: No swings!!! One of our favorite activities was totally missing from this park. Also, it's a little far from our house so we probably won't venture down too much. However, If you live close by, it is well worth the visit.