25801 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Calabasas, CA 91302
Hours: Monday-Sunday (Dusk to Dawn)
Restrooms? Yes. Located behind the playground
Playground Surface: Rubber
Parking Lot? Yes. 30 spots but fills quickly at times. Street parking as well
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
Brandon’s Village at Gates Canyon Park is a delightful playground that kids will absolutely love. Located in Calabasas and opened in 2006, the park is situated on 7 acres with a universally accessible playground for kids of all abilities (from Shane’s Inspiration). The playground is equipped with winding, accessible walkways, spread amongst a wide array of different equipment.
In addition, there is a second play area for younger kids, however, it was gated off for safety concerns as of 2023. The park also features a basketball court behind the playground and a volleyball court. A picnic shelter with picnic tables and a barbecue are also on sight and there is a reasonable amount of lawn area for everyone to run around. The park is extremely popular and can get very crowded, especially on weekends.
Features
- Huge all inclusive village play area for kids of all abilities from Shane’s Inspiration
- Long winding accessible ramps and walkways
- Monkey bars, club house, balance beam, rocking boat (sway fun), and multiple climbing ladders
- Rock climbing wall
- 3 bench swings
- 2 slides including a roller slide
Other Amenities
- Basketball court adjacent to playground and a volleyball court and fitness course
- Covered picnic shelter with barbecue and 3 picnic tables
- Sunshade covers the entire playground
- Some lawn space for kids to run around
- Some areas here are reservable for birthday parties and other gatherings. You can follow the link below for more information.
For more information on Brandon’s Village at Gates Canyon Park you may visit the City of Calabasas’s official website below.
https://www.cityofcalabasas.com/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/36/85
Drawbacks
- Due to its popularity the playground can get super crowded
- No baby (bucket) swings
Scout’s Story
After a recent trip to Ventura, California, to take our daughter Scout to visit her grandparents, my wife and I decided to stop at a few parks on the way home to break up the duration of the drive. Gates Canyon Park was a perfect stopping point for us and Scout had an amazing time. At 22 months old, we got to witness her climb the small rock wall to the top of the playground with no assistance after a few tries.
Watching her dart around the playground with her huge smile was the perfect way to spend an hour or so and allowed Scout to wear herself out and prepared her for a great nap on the rest of the car ride home.
After dealing with low blood counts after Scouts most recent round of chemo and mostly staying inside to protect her, it was nice to once again have her outside doing normal kid things. We look forward to getting outside more in the next week or so before Scout goes in for tumor resection surgery in the middle of April, later next month. Even if the time is brief, these moments watching our daughter, that briefly allow our minds to go to a happier place and temporarily have our worst fears escape our minds, have been so vital to us and our mental standing.
April 2, 2023
