Ponderosa Park (Bend)

The improvements at Ponderosa Park are really nice...and they are almost all open.









The skate park is open, although the landscaping is not finished. According to the Parks Department, the playground should be complete by the first of March. It's the ninth as I write this and the chain link fence is still up. The slide that goes down the hill on the backside is not fenced, but any kid who wants to do some sliding is going to have to climb up the steep loose dirt or go around the long way.

The playground itself looks great. There are several features that aren't available elsewhere in Central Oregon. It has a tree house theme. I especially like the crooked rope ladder.

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The big slide that goes down the hill is bumpy. It's made to be bumpy. The very last bump--the one you hit when you're going the fastest--was less than comfortable to navigate with my adult sized body.

The amenities here are good too.  There is a nice picnic shelter between the playground and the skatepark.  There is half court and full court basketball. The half court is shared with what looks to be a pickleball court.

The skate park is a mixed blessing. I took my boys over to let them watch the big kids do their crazy stuff. They received their Recommended Daily Allowance of foul language and got to play in the dirt while I watched kids do things that would end with an ambulance ride if I attempted them. Your not going to want to bring your inexperienced 6 year old here to practice ollies on the weekend.






Restrooms: Flush toilets and there is a family restroom. Hooray! I forgot to check them to see what they are like. Hopefully they are similar to the fantastic restrooms at Larkspur Park.

Safety: watch for skateboards.

Shade: There are trees around the playground, and importantly, just to the south. The playground itself won't get a lot of shade, but relief from the summer sun is close by. This is going to be one of the better shaded playgrounds in the area.

Getting There: The entrance to the playground/skate park portion of the park is on SE Wilson.


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