428 S Scout Trail, Anaheim, CA 92807
Hours: Monday-Sunday (5 AM-10:30 PM)
Restrooms? No
Playground Surface: Mulch
Parking Lot? No. Street parking only and it can be very limited
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
Imperial Park, with its colorful and catchy orange and green color scheme and fantastic views of the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance, is a great location to spend a few hours. This Anaheim playground features a lot of climbing focused equipment as well as a smaller area for toddlers. The parking situation is a little funky here, as it is street parking only and there is literally only a matter of a couple of spots. I see no reason why visitors can’t park across the street in the Canyon Hills Library parking lot and then make your way to the playground after visiting the library.
Make sure you do actually visit the library. The kids area inside is fantastic and your kids are liable to have as much fun here as they do at the playground.
The playground is tucked into the back of the park and a bit hidden. Although this makes it feel somewhat isolated, it manages to give off very relaxing vibes. There’s an expansive lawn area as well. For those looking for more family friendly activities, the awesome Oak Canyon Nature Center is just up the street. The nature center offers very scenic nature trails and an nterpretive center, which kids will love.
Features
Main Play Area (Kids ages 5-12 years old)
- Colorful (orange and green) playground with a great view of the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance
- 2 baby (bucket) swings and 2 bench swings
- 2 slides (spiral slide and standard slide)
- Zipline, circle spinner, climbing wall, pedestals with ropes and drums and chimes under playground
- Sideways climbing ladder, deep rung ladder climber, pedestal ladder climber and plenty of other unique ladder climbers including a huge ladder climber apparatus
Toddler Area (Kids ages 2-5 years old)
- Bulldozer with a slide and a small spiral ladder climber
- Musical sensory toy section
Other Amenities
- Anaheim (Canyon Hills Branch) Library is directly across the street and has a phenomenal kids section
- Covered picnic shelter with 6 picnic tables and barbecues directly behind playground
- Huge open lawn space and walking path around the park
Scout’s Story
We began our morning today by heading to the Oncology Clinic at the Kaiser in Anaheim where our 17 month old daughter, Scout, would continue her chemo treatment. Scout was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer nearly three months ago. Today would be Scout’s third day of a five day chemo round that would end her first cycle of chemo upon completion. Typically Scout’s blood counts have stayed fairly normal through the week of chemo, before plummeting in the weeks following her treatment.
After a long morning of chemo, my wife and I decided to stop just down the street at Imperial Park. We figured after a tough morning, this would be a nice treat for Scout. Despite her third consecutive day of chemo, Scout had surprisingly high energy levels.
Scout’s Day at Imperial Park
Scout began her time at Imperial Park by exploring the toddler play area before making her way over to the bigger kids area and having her mom and I help navigate the climbing sections of the playground.
Scout’s progress in her motor skills over the past few months has really impressed me. Just three months ago, upon being diagnosed, Scout went almost three weeks of being bed ridden and not being able to walk. Getting back up and regaining her motor skills was assuredly not an easy task for a 15 month old who had just begun walking a few months prior. It was exciting and motivating to see Scout regaining a sense of her active self and progressing forward.
Our day at Imperial Park, ended in the same fashion as most of our trips to parks. Scout spent about 20 minutes doing her favorite thing, swinging.
Although most of Scout’s days recently have been spent on the ped’s floor or at the Oncology unit at Kaiser, these brief visits to parks and wherever else we can safely manage to get Scout out to, have become a huge reprieve for us.
October 26, 2022
