Area: South Oshawa

Age Range: 5 yrs and up

Parking:  Two parking lots located off Emerald Ave and oxford Street (bus stop on oxford W side of park)

Ground Cover: sand

Main Equipment:

• 4 slides (2 spiral)
• 2 swings
• 2 infant swings
• 1 rubber bouncer
• 1 fireman pole
• 1 elephant rocker
• climbing apparatus

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:

• Clubhouse
• Splash Pad
• Soccer field
• Baseball diamond
• Basketball net (single)

Surrounding Park Area: Lots of fields and hills around park and some trees to the east.

Seating: 5 park benches

Shade:  'Shade Shack' and some surrounding tree shade


Overall assessment: There is a lot to climb at this park for older kids. Smaller kids can access the one spiral slide on their own, but I would recommend tons of supervision for smaller kids playing in the park. There is a nice shaded area with benches for parents as well as tons of open space to have a picnic on a blanket. 

Area: Pickering South

Age Range: 5 to 12 years old

Parking:  limited street parking along Rosebank Road

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:

• 2 slides
• 2 spinners 
• 1 rope web 
• climbing apparatus 
• train noise button (behind the slides)

Accessibility Features: ramp to the top of the slides, play stations beneath the slides

Facilities/Other:

• train viewing platform

Surrounding Park Area: small green space and nice garden path through the park

Seating: 2 park benches, rock seating wall along the back edges of the playground, and rock seats by the pergola at the top of the slides

Shade: early morning shade provided by the park retaining wall, no shade through the rest of the day on the playground, pergola offers shade for top park bench


Overall assessment: One of Pickering's newer playgrounds that has a fabulous accessible slide!  This is a fabulous park to go if your child likes to watch the trains go past along the train tracks.  The raised seating area provides a fantastic front row seat to the trains passing by. A neat feature (I am told) is the train sound button behind the slides. Sadly the batteries were not yet replaced when I visited in the Spring, but they are checked every year.

Area: Central Oshawa

Age Range: infant to 6 yrs

Parking: lot located just off of Gibb St, East of Centre

Ground Cover: sand

Main Equipment:

• 2 slides (1 metal)
• 2 dinosaur climbers
• 2 swings
• 1 infant swing
• 1 Apollo rope net spinner

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:

• Splash Pad
• Soccer field
• Community Pool ($)

Surrounding Park Area: Tons of field area to play in as well as trees around for some shade. Oshawa Creek is a small walk just east of the park at the end of the field.

Seating: 2 park benches around Splash Pad

Shade: Some trees shade swing area during day


Overall assessment: This park is great for younger ages and has tons of fun features. There is a net spinner bigger kids can get really dizzy on. Smaller children can enjoy the slides and have tons of fun playing store or house. The dinosaurs are great for infants learning to stand or walk, as well as for small children to climb on. This park is also just a small walk across the field and over a bridge to a connecting park with more swings, a playground, trails to bike on and tons of shade when you get too hot. 

Area: Whitevale (North Pickering)

Age Range:  infant to 8 yrs

Parking:  community parking lot available anytime

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment: 

• 1 swing
• 1 infant swing
• 4 slides
• climbing apparatus

Accessibility Features:  none

Facilities/Other: 

• soccer field
• Seaton Pickering trail

Surrounding Park Area: A Trailhead entrance to Seaton Pickering trail with ample parking, and a smaller soccer field that offers plenty of space to run around.

Seating: 2 park benches

Shade: none on the playground, some in the surrounding trees


Overall assessment: A great playground for the local residents of Whitevale. Enough room to play and climb for younger kids, while the older ones play a game of soccer in the attached field. There was a picnic shed with tables adjacent to the park, but when we visited it was blocked off due to safety concerns of the structure.