8851 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Sun Valley, CA 91352
Hours: Monday-Sunday (9:30 AM-9 PM)
Restrooms? Yes, but are often locked. Located directly behind the swings.
Playground Surface: Mostly Rubber with some sand
Parking Lot? Yes. Small parking lot with 12 spots. Street parking as well
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
Fernangeles Recreation Center is an all inclusive playground for kids of all abilities, from Shane’s Inspiration. Located near Panorama City in the Los Angeles area, the playground is farm themed with a huge barn being the centerpiece.
A couple ball fields are located across from the parking lot along with an ample amount of picnic tables and barbecues that have plenty of shade from the trees. In addition, a very nice basketball court is located directly behind the playground. While there is some grassy lawn area, it is rather small and only allows so much room to run and play. The recreation center sits directly behind the playground.
Features
All inclusive farm themed playground with ramps and walkways (Shane’s Inspiration) for kids of all abilities
- Barn, tractor, pig pen, chicken coop and bales of hay as steps to main structure
- 2 accessible swings and 2 baby (bucket) swings
- Musical and other sensory toys spread throughout playground
- 1 slide (race slide)
Other Amenities
- Basketball court adjacent to playground
- 2 picnic tables adjacent to playground
- Softball and baseball fields adjacent to parking lot and 15 picnic tables with barbecues
Scout’s Story
Our daughter Scout is currently one month removed from her most recent chemotherapy treatments and stays in the hospital due to running neutropenic fevers, among having caught a virus. Due to her body being immunocompromised, she is unable to fight off diseases in the manner that a normal, healthy kid would be able to. In the past few weeks Scout’s blood counts have gotten closer to a normal range and we decided to take a short trip to Ventura to spend some time with Scout’s grandparents. These trips have unfortunately become a rare occurrence for us throughout Scout’s treatment.
Something that my wife and I have figured out that works best when traveling with our daughter, is making stops for her to be able to get out and play and have stimulation outside of the car seat. On this day our plan was to visit Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, before meeting Scout’s grandparents in Ventura. On the way we encountered the typical Los Angeles traffic and I decided to google nearby playgrounds. I came upon Fernangeles Recreation Center and it made for a splendid stop for us. Scout was able to run around and play and we were lucky to have had the whole playground to ourselves. Her ability to climb and pretty much maneuver the whole playground on her own now, at 22 months old, impressed us. This playground is yet another of the amazing playgrounds in the Los Angeles area and another great job from Shane’s Inspiration.
March 31, 2023
