Top 10 playgrounds in Metro Vancouver
July 24, 2015
Metro Vancouver has some pretty fantastic playgrounds, but the ones on this list are real standouts. Here are the top 10 playgrounds in Metro Vancouver.
1. Confederation Park, Burnaby
Like many of the parks on this list, Confederation Park has something for everybody: a spray park, a spinning web, slides, spinning bucket seats, and much, much more. The rubber surface cuts down on scrapes and bruises while kids are at play. Gentle slopes and a rubber surface make the large, spread-out playground feel welcoming. The beautiful mountain view seals the deal for this being one of Metro’s top playgrounds.
2. Edmonds Park, Burnaby
Edmonds park is in an attractive natural setting and has all the usual staples on hand, as well as the bonus of an indoor play gym in the adjacent community centre. Perfect for a day when the weather is changeable.
3. Queen's Park, New Westminster
Queen’s Park is a big draw in New Westminster, and its Rainbow Playland is made up of three play areas. One of these is suited for toddlers, with a climb-on firetruck structure, swings, teeter-totters and weeble-wobbles, as well as a sandbox with hand-operated diggers to challenge kids’ hand-eye coordination. Another area has a large web, several swings and a large teeter-totter. Yet another area features a fairly steep climb up ladder to a fireman pole and two slides, one of which is a fast shoot down. Queen’s Park also operates a waterpark and petting zoo during the summer months.
4. Westminster Pier Park, New Westminster
Pier Park, a part of the revitalization of New Westminster Quay, is quickly becoming a favourite for locals with small children. There’s a large sandbox for tots, as well as climbing structures, slides and swings. There’s a beach volleyball court, too. There’s no shade here, but there’s a misting area for kids (and their adults) to cool off in. Views of the Patulo Bridge and Fraser are a bonus.
5. Queenston Park, Coquitlam
In Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain neighbourhood, this park just opened at the end of April. The steep hill that this park is built on is one of its prime features: there are multiple ways to get up and down the hill, including stairs, a web, a rope and a slide. The park offers three different play areas, so there’s something for children of all ages and abilities. There is also an area to play basketball, soccer or floor hockey. The surface of the play area is made out of recycled tires, making it not only eco-friendly, but also safer, because it’s softer and grips better than concrete. If you prefer shade, though, you might want to read further down our list.
6. Lions Park, Port Coquitlam
There’s something for kids of all ages at this newly renovated park: a multi-level sandbox that evokes a rocky beach, a tall, lightening-fast slide, wind chimes, a large climbing structure and a zip line that attracts kids from preschool to teenaged.
7. Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment, Richmond
A huge park built at a stunning location in an agricultural/wetland area along the dike in Richmond, this park offers breathtaking views of the Fraser River. This park has two areas: the homestead (once the site of a farmhouse) and the paddock. The homestead has plenty of shade under mature trees, as well as a 10-metre high treehouse with a spiral slide and rope ladder. The paddock has a huge slide built into the side of a hill, a zip line, swings and a meadow maze.
8. Garden City Park, Richmond
Because it is built in a beautiful setting, it would be worth coming here just for a picnic, but this park has so much more to offer. Older kids will love the web climbing structure that leads up to speedy slides, one of which goes down the side of a hill. Little ones will be attracted to the fountain that runs into a rivulet that goes through the park, perfect for splashing in. The sand around the rivulet is ideal for young hands to dig in. There are also basketball, tennis and skateboard areas, as well as a lake and a botanical garden.
9. WaterPark on Granville Island, Vancouver
Known as “the biggest free water park in North America,” Granville Island Waterpark is a great midsummer destination. There’s a huge waterslide for children three foot six and up, as well as plenty of pipes and puddles to splash around in. It gets busy here, but there’s plenty of room for kids to get wet in on a hot day.
10. Trout Lake Park/John Hendry Park, Vancouver
John Hendry Park, or Trout Lake Park, offers two playgrounds, one on either side of the lake. Between the two, there is a large web, a playhouse, a sandpit, swings, slides and more. Little kids will love watching the ducks swim in the lake. There is also an indoor play gym in the community centre if the weather takes a turn for the worse.