Gabrielino Dr, Irvine, CA 92617
Hours: 7 AM-10 PM Monday-Sunday
Restrooms? Yes. Located next to the playground, behind the baseball field
Playground Surface: Rubber and sand
Parking Lot? No. Street parking only
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
Just down the street from the University of California Irvine campus, in a nice, quiet residential neighborhood, sits Gabrielino Park. While the park is small at just under 5 acres, it is extremely cute. The playground has a fun trolley that kids will have a great time pretend playing in. Two fantastic basketball courts are directly adjacent to the playground and the park has a reasonably spacious lawn area.
My favorite part of Gabrielino Park, however, is something that most people won’t see if they aren’t looking for it. Directly across from the playground is a super cool hedge maze, that is somewhat hidden. While it’s small, kids will have fun running back and forth in it. The inside is speckled with tiny animal sculptures here and there giving kids something to look for as they wander the maze. The maze is incredibly hard to photograph but Google maps offers a great aerial view for those that want to see what it looks like.
Parking can be a bit of a pain here, as there is only street parking available and it can be pretty limited at times. Altogether, Gabrielino Park is a very quiet and relaxing park worth spending an hour or so at with the family.
Features
Small playground for kids ages 2-12 years old
- Cool trolley that kids can sit and pretend play inside of
- 2 bench swings and 2 baby (bucket) swings
- 2 slides (spiral slide and race slide)
- Island rock climbing wall
- Zipline, monkey bars/cyclone spinners, teeter-totter and pedestal balancers
- Snake ladder climber, deep rung vertical ladder climber and slanted ladder climber
Other Amenities
- Full basketball court and a 1/2 basketball court with a lowered rim for younger kids
- Hedge maze with small animal decorations inside of it (located next to the playground but a bit hidden if you don’t know it’s there
- Baseball field, soccer field and large lawn area
- A few picnic tables
- Walking path around the park
