22760 Olympiad Rd, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Hours: Monday-Sunday (7 AM-11 PM)
Restrooms? Yes. Located off to the side of the playground
Playground Surface: Rubber and sand
Parking Lot? Yes. Dedicated lot with about 50 parking spaces
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
This expansive, 20 acre park, located in the lovely city of Mission Viejo, is a great destination for a family day out. Although the park can get a little crowded (it’s especially popular for weekend birthday parties), it manages to retain a very calming and relaxed feel. The landscaping at the park is wonderful and the surrounding trees provide a great sense of being in the outdoors. Additionally, the park features expansive lawn areas and a massive picnic area that is available to be rented for parties.
The first thing visitors will notice upon arriving at the park is the first play structure, which is a fun pirate ship for toddlers. At the top of the playground is a large playground for older kids and there is a separate toddler play area with musical sensory toys and a clubhouse adjacent to the pirate ship play structure. This is a great park, in a great area, that families and kids alike well love.
Features
Pirate Ship playground for kids 2-5 years old, a toddler playhouse area and a playground for kids 5-12 years old
Pirate Ship Playground for Kids Ages 2-5 Years Old
- Pirate Ship with a huge American Flag being flown from it
- 2 slides including a spiral slide and a wave slide and a vertical ladder climber
Toddler Playhouse Area (Kids Ages 2-5 Years Old)
- Toddler clubhouse, toddler musical panels and musical sensory toy area (Drums, Xylophone and chimes)
Upper Play Structure (Kids Ages 5-12 Years Old)
- 4 slides including a spiral tunnel slide, a 2 person race slide and a 3 person race slide
- 4 bench swings and 2 baby (bucket) swings
- Ring climbing ladder, arch climbing ladder, spiral climbing ladder, double snake climbing ladder and bedrock climber
- Whirl and twirl spinner and chain cargo net climber
Other Amenities
- Large expansive lawn area
- Covered Gazebo, 25 picnic tables and 4 barbecues
- Baseball field and 2 soccer fields
- Paved walking path
Scout’s Story
The last few weeks have been rather fun for my wife, our daughter Scout, and I, despite all of our current struggles and battles. Scout was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, 3 and 1/2 months ago and has been fighting ever since. The last few months have been incredibly hard and it has become inherently harder to find ways to have Scout do normal kid things. Scout’s last cycle of chemo ended almost exactly one month ago and we are now waiting for Scout to have P.E.T scans at Children’s Hospital in nine days. The P.E.T scans should tell us what is happening with the tumors in Scout’s liver and rectum and will dictate Scouts next steps in treatment.
In the meantime, Scouts counts have risen enough since chemo that we have recently felt comfortable enough to take her to parks and to do some things outside. It has been a bit tough but we are doing our best to get her outside to play, while also being very careful about having Scout not be in contact with others. This day would be no different than the days in previous weeks that we visited parks. We would start very early and if we felt there were too many people at our destination, we would merely drive to another spot.
Scout’s Day at Florence Joyner Olympiad Park
As it worked out, the park was not very busy and we ended up having a fantastic time. One family even had a TV set up outside their car with the world cup playing, giving me the chance to occasionally glance over and see the score. Scout darted around the playground and literally played on every last piece of equipment. The toddler play area here is especially nice for the younger kids. Me and my wife’s faces were filled with smiles and our hearts with joy as we watched Scout run around giggling and playing. Although it’s only a temporary reprieve, moments like this have been so important to our mental health and have given our brains a brief rest from the constant worries of Scout’s battle against cancer. We are excited for Scout’s upcoming scans and are hopeful for her next steps in treatment.
December 3, 2022
Getting to Florence Joyner Olympiad Park
22760 Olympiad Rd, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
