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Durham region
​playground reviews

Garnet B. Rickard Rec Complex Park

5/13/2022

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Picture
Area: Bowmanville (2440 Highway 2, Bowmanville, ON)

Age Range: recommended ages 5 and up

Parking:  large parking lot at the recreation complex

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:
  • 4 slides
  • 1 spinner
  • 1 rock and rope climbing wall

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:
  • 2 fully lit baseball diamonds 
  • Carson Elliott Skatepark behind one of the ball diamonds

Surrounding Park Area: A large green space between the two ball diamonds

Seating: none at the playground, some picnic tables in the trees beside the park

Shade: none over the playground

Overall assessment: A park that is great to play tag at because there is enough space to run and enough things to climb on. Perfect to burn off energy while waiting for siblings or parents playing at the local ball diamond. 
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Horne Park

7/12/2018

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Picture
Area: Northwest Ajax

Age Range: infant and up

Parking:  some street parking on Horne Ave

Ground Cover: sand

Main Equipment:
  • 5 slides (2 metal ones on the larger play structure)
  • 4 swings
  • 2 infant swings
  • 2 teeter rockers (one whale, one atv)
  • 1 climbing rope
  • 1 rock climbing wall
  • 1 fireman pole
  • 1 playhouse mansion (that's two small houses put together)

Accessibility Features: talking tubes in the sand of the larger play structure area (so not very wheelchair accessible with the sand)

Facilities/Other:
  • Horne Park Splash Pad

Surrounding Park Area: A small green space around the playground, and a small field behind the splash pad

Seating: 1 picnic bench in the shade pavilion behind the toddler playhouses, three curved benches facing the playgrounds closest to the infant swings

Shade: none over the larger playground, some late afternoon shade over the smaller playground playhouses, and a lot of shade in the surrounding trees

Overall assessment: A great park for multiple ages. The playground mansion (because it is the largest park playhouse we have ever seen) is perfect for toddlers and younger kids. The sand in the toddler playground area is finer and has less rocks than the larger playground side (we suspect it had a fresh dump of new sand this year) and with the new splash pad right next to it, makes the perfect combination for sandcastle building when the kids are tired of sliding, swinging or climbing. It's a great local park and has amazing grassy shaded areas in the trees for picnics too! I just wish there was a seasonal washroom here when we visited....maybe next year?
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Guiness Park

9/12/2017

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Area: North Ajax

Age Range: 18 months and up

Parking:  
Weekdays: 
at the mailbox centre on Hinsley Cres
Weekends: at either St Josephine Bakhita or Da Vinci Public School parking lots

Ground Cover: mulch
​
Main Equipment:
  • 3 metal slides
  • 1 curved slide
  • 4 swings
  • 2 infant swings
  • 2 rockers (1 is a motorcycle)
  • 1 large curvy rock climbing wall (beside the smaller structure)
  • 1 rock climbing wall (on the larger structure)
  • 1 huge rope pyramid climber
  • 1 standing teeter totter 
  • 1 log roller

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:
  • none

Surrounding Park Area: A large green space beside the playground, close to the following other parks;
  • Dunwell Parkette
  • McCarrick Park
  • Wyndam South Parkette

Seating: 5 park benches,  and 4 picnic tables!

Shade: no shade over the playground, some shade in the surrounding trees, and a shade pavilion over the picnic tables


Overall assessment: Wow! This is a great park for climbing, between the huge rope pyramid or curvy rock climbing wall! Even though it is geared towards bigger kids, with a small slide, some rockers and the amazing short infant swings we first saw in Whitby, it makes for a great toddler park too! These shorter infant swings limit how high they can swing and are great for first timers.
​
Wow this neighbourhood has three tot lots all within walking distance of this great playground! It's a great central park area for the community. If you live in the area, take a walk to check your mail and take the kids to the park for a bit. If you don't live in the area, come on over for a park hopping tour and park at one park but walk to three more! 
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McCarrick Park

9/10/2017

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Picture
Area: North Ajax

Age Range: 18 months and up

Parking:  at the mailbox centres on Towers Street and McCarrick Street

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:
  • 2 metal slides
  • 1 swing
  • 1 infant swing
  • 1 rock climbing wall
  • 1 periscope

Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:
  • none

Surrounding Park Area: A small green space beside the playground, close to the following other parks;
  • Dunwell Parkette
  • Guiness Park
  • Wyndam South Parkette

Seating:
 2 park benches (1 facing the playground, 1 facing the swings) and a picnic table!

Shade: no shade over the playground, some shade in the surrounding trees, and a shade umbrella over the picnic table


Overall assessment: This is a cute park that even has a picnic table and bike lock stations at it! Just the right amount of park to run around and play in. 
​
Wow this neighbourhood has three tot lots and one more larger playground all within walking distance! It's a great central park area for the community built around the community mailboxes. If you live in the area, take a walk to check your mail and take the kids to the park for a bit. If you don't live in the area, come on over for a park hopping tour and park at one park but walk to three more! 
  • Wyndam South Parkette
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Denmar Park

9/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Area: Central Pickering

Age Range: 18 months and up

Parking:  limited street parking on Denmar Road

Ground Cover: mulch

Main Equipment:
  • 3 slides
  • 2 swings
  • 2 infant swings
  • 1 double sided rock climbing wall
  • 1 half rock climbing wall
  • 1 standing spinner
  • 1 gametime balance pod (like for parkour?)
​
Accessibility Features: none

Facilities/Other:
  • green field, great for kite flying or frisbie

Surrounding Park Area: A green field behind the playground

Seating: 1 park benches facing the playground, 1 park bench facing the swings, and 1 park bench facing the road away from the playground 

Shade: some shade in the surrounding trees in the park

Overall assessment: Well considering I live with a monkey, the rock climbing wall was absolutely a hit at this park. We had to set boundaries like 'no climbing over the top unless there is someone to help you on both sides' which meant that this trip there was only scaling the wall and scampering back down the same side. The slides are all easy for those who climb stairs to access. It took me a while to figure out what the slanted triangle thing was for....I tried bouncing on it, spinning it etc. until finally I just Googled it and discovered it's simply to practice balancing on (or parkour as I did while running around chasing a preschooler for fun). 
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Durham Region Playground Reviews

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  • Long Live Outdoor Play
    • FAQ
    • Favourite Links
    • About Me, Jennifer
    • About Valerie
  • Our Reviews
    • Playground Reviews >
      • Top 10 Infant & Toddler Friendly Playgrounds
      • Top 10 Accessible Playgrounds
      • Top 10 Parks with Shade
      • Canada's 150 coolest playgrounds
    • Splash Pad Reviews >
      • Top 10 Splash Pads
    • Skateparks
    • Indoor Play Reviews
    • Ontario Ice Cream Shops
  • Maps
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    • Desktop Playground Map
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  • Our Adventures
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    • Ice Cream