Guest review by Cheryl
Perhaps it is the isolation that has allowed Summit Park Playground to keep its older equipment. The modest sand-covered area boasts a swing set (two big-kid swings and two toddler swings), a mid-height metal slide and a set of monkey bars that my daughter refers to as a rainbow climber. There is a bench nearby on which caregivers can sit (more or less in the position from which this photo was taken). The playground is in the midst of a Garry Oak meadow so in the heat of the summer there is plenty of nearby shade and wildflowers to investigate. Access is easiest from Blackwood Street off Summit via a paved, stroller-friendly path but there are other walking paths in from other streets (we generally approach from Finlayson, up a steep incline). There is limited street parking available but it is possible to park on Blackwood.
The fact that the equipment looks like it has been there since the 1970s doesn't mean it is in disrepair. On the contrary, this playground seems to be well-maintained with minimal graffiti -- surprising given that when we've been there toward the evening there are often groups of teens gathering in the area and there is plenty of graffiti around the nearby communication tower. I almost hate to review this little park because it reminds me so much of parks of my childhood -- I worry that by publicizing it, the City will at once realize they've overlooked it and replace everything. While this is not the best park for very small children (my daughter is 8), the old-school equipment still allows for physical exploration and imaginative play and the surrounding area is full of plants, bugs and birds to investigate.
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