401 E McFadden Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92707
Hours: Monday-Sunday (5 AM-11 PM)
Restrooms? Yes. Located directly next to the train play structure
Playground Surface: Rubber
Parking Lot? No. Street parking only and it can be a little hard to come by at times
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
Pacific Electric Park is an incredibly small park at just over 1 acre but it is rather quiet and overall is a very fun park that I think kids will enjoy. There are two separate play structures including a train play structure that really sticks out as the focal point. The train play structure is best suitable for toddlers, while the older kids will enjoy the larger play structure adjacent to it.
The park is lacking any lawn space for kids to run around but there is an area with river rocks separating the two bridges near the entrance that younger kids may enjoy running through. A great option for visiting this area is to check out the Santa Ana Zoo and stop by Pacific Electric Park on the same day as they are barely 5 minutes away from each other.
Features
Two Separate play structures including a cool train play structure (kids ages 2-5 years old) and a sand pit
Train “Kid Express” Themed Play Structure (Ages 2-5 Years Old)
- 2 tunnel slides including a wave/race slide
- 2 tunnel crawlers with hand holds inside and a small climbing board
- Bedrock climber
- deep rung vertical ladder climber
Second Play Structure (Kids Ages 2-12 Years Old)
- 2 slides including a race slide
- Monkey bars, 3 spinners, spiral ladder climber and vertical ladder climber
- 3 bench swings and 1 baby (bucket) swing
- Toddler clubhouse with bench
- Tunnel crawler and rock wall
Other Amenities
- Covered picnic shelter with 2 picnic tables
- 2 wooden bridges with river rock separating them that little kids (like my daughter) will enjoy walking through
- Fitness area
- Small sand walking path
- Very little lawn space
- Community park
Scout’s Story
Our barely 2 year old daughter, Scout, recently had tumor resection surgery and her cancer was placed into remission 3 months ago. Four days ago marked the one year anniversary of Scout being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (Germ Cell Neoplasm). After all the battles and tribulations that Scout has gone through, we are happy that she has reached this point. Since Scout has been receiving chemotherapy and cancer treatment for the past and has consistently had a weakened immune system, doing things, such as visiting Disneyland, have not been an option for her.
After Scout’s tumor resection surgery and being placed into remission, her uncles thoughtfully gifted my wife and I tickets for our birthdays to take Scout to Disneyland. We had an amazing few days and woke up, a bit sad, to leave on the final day. Instead of driving home, my wife and I decided to make the most of the day and to drive to the Irvine Spectrum Center and the nearby Pacific Electric Park.
Scout’s Day at Pacific Electric Park
Throughout Scout’s treatment, her favorite thing has consistently been trains. We figured that starting the morning at a train themed park would be a good way to start the day. After making the quick, 20 minute drive to Santa Ana, we arrived at Pacific Electric Park. We exited the car and Scout’s eyes caught the train playground, with her saying “boop boop” and signaling us to follow her to the playground.
Scout enjoyed the tunnel crawler on the front of the train and then proceeded to skip rocks on the water that was left over from the recent rains.
Sticks and rocks have also been one of Scout’s favorite things over her short life. We proceeded to spend the majority of our time at the park along the rock lined area towards the street, where there are a few wooden bridges. Scout had the most fun that she had had all morning, just trudging along the river rocks and feeling them beneath her feet.
While we were sad that our Disneyland experience was behind us, we were quickly reminded that every day with Scout is the best day that we could ever ask for, regardless of what the day has in store for us.
Scout’s Day at Pacific Electric Park
August 22, 2023
