Walnut Ridge Park is a really beautiful, well-kept park with an upscale suburban backdrop.

Oh...we found this park to be just delightful! We pretty much had the park to ourselves this snowy but sunny morning, and it was wonderful! This is a great place to just connect with the girls and really spend quality time together. I felt like I could feel time slowing down here, and it felt so good.

This park is nestled in, just back from the freeway in a nice residential area. This is not the sort of area you need to worry about things being stolen from your car, and you can expect the park to be well maintained. This park, including the ice rink, is in pristine condition. In fact, when we pulled up, we found plow trucks perfecting the rinks right in front of us. This rink was so incredibly smooth for an outdoor rink that I felt we were really, really lucky that not another soul showed up to skate there that day. There were no bubbles or big bumps in the ice, so it was a great place for littles to learn how to skate. There was also a full hockey practice schedule posted to the outside of the closed warming house door, so with a little research, one would know exactly when the rink would be open for free skating. I really liked that there was a schedule posted, as it clearly showed me that Fridays are currently a great day to expect the rink to be available.

The playground here was also really great, with slides, bridges, and climbing structures galore! It was plenty big for our kids to stay busy. I always like too when there's a wide grassy area surrounding the playground structures, as this allows for all sorts of different play, including ball games (soccer, tee-ball, catch) but also room for a picnic blanket and picnic lunch in the warmer months. It may seem like a small thing, but not every park has a big, beautiful grassy area available for playtime.

Additionally, this park offers a multi-use field, picnic area, indoor/non-porto-potty restrooms, tennis courts, a half-mile, stroller-friendly trail, a warming house/shelter, and shelter rental availability. Parking here is great, and this park is easy to find, making this a really great option for busy families on the go who want a sure thing. After playing your heart out here, check out nearby Taste of Scandinavia for a delicious meal for the family!