Bayview Park

Bayview Park sits at the top of Bayview Avenue in Homer, Alaska, just east of the hospital. It is a tiny neighborhood park, but boasts plenty of fun for a family whether it is wet or sunny outside. The park has one picnic table right next to the playground equipment.

Bayview boasts 3 slides, which were all tested and approved for play by my toddler. He was very thorough.

Bayview also has some large rocks and boulders for a game of "lava" or "crocodiles". Almost as good as a genuine "Log".

Parking for Bayview Park is up behind the park. There you will find a port-a-potty. Parking is limited to 2 or 3 vehicles and additional parking is probably available along the surrounding streets.

There are two swings at this park. It was enough for us for the day. It is a very small park, after all, and I am sure is normally only used by locals. Two swings is fair.

I love the yellow plastic and wood structure, but I felt like there were a lot of very large gaps between components. I didn't let my small toddler climb on this structure alone for fear of her putting a leg in to the gaps.

 My research group, hard at work.

 

Perhaps the funnest feature of this park is the tiny valley running along the upper side. There are two little plank bridges over what I am sure can be a creek during rainy weather. My children were happy pretending it was a moat and running up and down between the hills. It is a fun way to keep the natural landscape of the park. Thanks, Homer, for not being generic and homogenized.

Two "bridges"

I found this picket fence park charming. It was easy and fun, open, but small enough for me to sit back to relax and comfortably keep an eye on children spread out over the park. Be mindful that there are houses and streets surrounding every side of the park, so children should not be allowed to wander nor should they be allowed to be excessively noisy if you happen to go to the park late in the evening.

Beaver Creek Park

Beaver Creek Park is located off the Kenai Spur Highway. From Kenai, take the first left after Beaver Loop Road, at the top of the hill, just before the curve. Parking is a loop, and you will probably want to parallel park. There is a water fountain in the island at the center of the loop, a great place to stop to fill up water bottles while you are out and about. The road continues past the park to a neighborhood of private residences. If you are riding or walking on the Spur Highway bike trail, this is a nice stop for lunch or a rest.

There is a bathroom, though it is more of an out house but, hey, its something. There is also a covered picnic table and a solitary trash can. Don't forget the wobbly bench.

Again we see a Kenai favorite, the green play structures. Were these bought in bulk? I have to admit that the bubbles are futuristic and space agey, but I hope that a playground update is on the list for this park. There is a basketball court.

 Though the playground itself is small, there is a large open field, great for frisbee, football, and picnics. My son's soccer team met here a few times for practices. It was ideal.

 I have an artistic niece. She takes amazing pictures; "POS Paint"

Ah, graffiti. Or an attempt at it anyway. Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels this way about the park. Is it the equipment or their can of spray paint they are commenting on?

The play ground is cushioned with sand. It works well. I don't recommend letting small children walk around public parks barefoot. She just wasn't having it. I only set her down to take pictures, honest.

 We explored the woods nearby. It looks like the surrounding area is being developed for something. I would love to see a campground go in here. It would be a great place for families who are on the peninsula for fishing season, near the boat launch and only 3 miles through Beaver Loop to get to the city docks.  All in all, the green space is what this park is all about. The City of Kenai could give it an update. This park could be a lot more popular if it wasn't so out of date.

Found some tiny flowers. They were pretty. I love Alaska.

Old Town Kenai Public Park

The day that we visited this park, it was gorgeous outside. It was sunny, a little breezy , but a really wonderful day. We came to the park for a picnic with friends and stayed well in to the evening. I think we left the park after 9 that night and the sun was still high in the sky. I was sad that I didn't have my camera with me and that I would have to come back for pictures. As you can see, I did and it wasn't nearly as nice that day.

Old Town Park is located at 816 Cook Avenue in the historical district of Kenai. The buildings that housed the first library and jail for Kenai are located on the block that the park joins. There is a walking tour of Old Town that includes the surrounding buildings, if you are interested in seeing more of Old Town Kenai. I don't know when the park was established, but it has been here as long as I can remember and I played here as a kid once or twice. A large wooden structure that was older than me was finally replaced a couple of summers ago. It's an improvement. I think they could stand to replace the turquoise tunnel structure as well, but at least the City of Kenai did something to improve the playground. My children were not in the least disappointed with the turquoise thing.

The park is frequented by area residents and children from the nearby apartments and houses. It is a popular place for basketball.  There are lines painted on the basketball court for hopscotch and four square. If you bring a ball, you can have a little old school fun in Old Town!


 Old Town park also has the best swings around! There are 5 or 6 swings, which is a lot for one little park. There are a total of 3 slides that are built for varying ages and stages.

There is a covered area with a picnic table. That is a downside - there is only one table in the park. If you want to have a picnic here, I recommend bringing camp chairs for extra seating. The grill is pretty handy though.

The new red and blue equipment is just right for little kids. My 1 and 3 year olds both enjoyed this structure and found it easy to climb and older children were able to help them get up without much stress on my part.  I'm not fond of the pea gravel that surrounds the playground equipment, but again, my kids weren't fazed by it. It was a relatively gravel-in-the-shoe free day.

Don't let the chain link fencing intimidate you - there is access to the park on each side as well as parallel parking around it.

Old Town Park is a simple park. Locals use it. It is easy to walk here from other activities in Old Town Kenai or meet with friends for a quick play date. Its not the newest park, but it is a classic .

Farnsworth Park

Farnsworth Park, Soldotna, Birch Lane

 The day we visited Farnsworth Park was very wet. It was pouring rain, actually. We met a friend and her two little boys at the park, where she had been waiting for over an hour for someone (anyone!) to show for a local mother's group playdate. Still, she was bright and cheerful and willing to stick it out a bit longer so our children could play together. Lover her! You will have to excuse the pictures, neither one of us wanted to get drenched.

 Farnsworth Park is a small community play ground. Don't let the initial view of the park fool you, it has a fair amount of green spaces for such a little park and one could easily have a family picnic or play a game of football while enjoying a sunny day at the park. Behind the play ground, to the right of the hill is a large open green space. Farnsworth park also has a covered pavilion for just this sort of event that can be reserved in advance in 4 hour time blocks, for a small fee. Though this park is small, it is fairly popular, so I advise reserving it if you can to avoid party crashers. There are 2 additional picnic tables around the perimeter of the park as well. We think the city should consider adding a fire pit or grill to the pavilion.




The park is located in a quiet neighborhood, not far from the Moose is Loose bakery, Key Bank and the Soldotna Wash N Dry. There is a church nearby that overlooks the park. There is parking for 10 or so vehicles, including handicapped parking. There IS a portapotty, that is well maintained (usually).

This park is recommended for children ages 2 and up. Children smaller than this will find little to accomodate their small size, though parents can easily lift children up into the rocking insect car-like toys for a short ride or help them crawl on or under the tiny rock wall tunnel.

There are 3 different slides at Farnsworth Park, including one extra long wavy slide that runs down the small hill. Children enjoy climbing the tiered steps up the hill and running up and down the paths.

The park boasts paved paths that circle around the play areas and large wood chip landing material under all equipment, which is wonderful if you are wearing sandals. I hate getting gravel in my sandals or finding it in my children's pockets on laundry day! There are oversized, plastic percussion instruments, and though they don't make a very good drumming sound, children will love to beat on them. A handful of benches dot the paved paths for weary park goers or parents that want to keep an eye on older kids without chasing them everywhere.

The only thing missing from this park are swings. Absolutely no swings.
 
One thing I would caution parents on is the wooded areas. On the left side of the park, the wood is sparse and you can see up a hill to private residences. Children don't usually go far off here. The other side of the park, however, is much thicker and blocked from view by bushes. There is a trail near the portapotty and if children should wander that way, they will find a tree with low limbs and probably want to hang on it. They may find inappropriate items or trash left from unauthorized "campers". Best to keep your children out of the woods or check around well before letting them play there.

Overall a very nice park! Small, but with ample green space, good landscaping and newer equipment. If you find yourself at the big park near the river and it is too crowded for you, Farnsworth park is a great alternative for play or picnic. Well done, City of Soldotna!