Hours: Open 24 Hours
Restrooms? No (only residents have access to the restrooms)
Playground Surface: Mulch and rubber
Parking Lot? No. Street parking only
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
Rise Park is among the many great parks in the city of Irvine. Its charm lies in the fact that it is small, quaint and quiet. The park is rather hidden. As a matter of fact, I had driven by the park numerous times without ever noticing it, until one day, I caught a glimpse of it and decided to stop. The play area is not a traditional one, but its uniqueness is what makes it so special.
Wooden Warbler birds are the theme here and kids will have a blast climbing inside of them and on top of them. A little clubhouse is the only real piece of playground equipment that exists here. There is virtually no lawn area here. The other great aspect of Rise Park is the elevated patio that offers up a super peaceful area to sit and relax or work as the kids play. The patio looks directly down on the play area. For those looking for something a little different, Rise Park will undoubtedly impress.
Features
- Non traditional playground, with wooden animal sculptures that kids can climb in and play on
- The main feature is the 2 eight foot Yellow Warbler bird structures that double as a climbing wall (with hand holds)
- The 2 Warbler bird sculptures are separated by a log jam (nest of twigs) that kids can climb on. There are 2 picnic tables directly next to these as well
- Small clubhouse with a race slide coming out of one end.
- An oversized Yellow Warbler bird feather and log stump steppers outside of playhouse that kids can climb and play on
- Smaller play pod area just around the corner with a small Warbler bird sculpture, Warbler eggs and a log jam
- Directly adjacent to the playground steps lead up to a beautiful patio deck with a seating area overlooking the playground. There is a fire pit, benches and a wide array of succulents on display
Scout’s Story
Today would be another day of my wife and I attempting to get our daughter, Scout, outside to play while limiting her contact with others. As I have written about so many times now, Scout has been battling stage 4 cancer (germ cell neoplasm) for nearly 4 months now, and is now 19 months old.
We are currently at a stand still in her treatment as we await P.E.T scans on her tumors to determine our next steps in her treatment. The difficult part has been getting the scans completed, as we are having to go to Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and the waiting period was originally 6 weeks. On our first attempt to get the scans, Scout’s blood sugar was too low (most likely from fasting), so they couldn’t do the scans and we had to reschedule and wait another 5 weeks to get in. That is currently where we are in this process and we are very anxious to just move forward in this battle.
As our lives are currently centered around Scout’s battle and ridding her of these cancerous tumors, normal daily activities have become a bit of a foreign activity to us. Luckily, Scout was now more than a month removed from her last chemo treatment and her blood counts and levels were steady enough that we felt comfortable taking her outside. On this day, we would be meeting up with Scout’s Grandma and Grandpa, who would be visiting from Arizona. On our drive to meet them we elected to stop at a few parks and let Scout play, as if she were a normal, healthy kid.
December 7, 2022
Scout’s Afternoon at the Park
After driving for most of the day and having taken Scout to multiple play areas, finally we arrived at our final destination of the day before being able to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa at their hotel, which they would be arriving at soon. Around 4 PM we arrived at a chilly and windy, Rise Park, in the city of Irvine. This park is so different and lacks any of the basic playground equipment of most parks. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not incredible.
Yellow, wooden warbler bird play structures and a tiny clubhouse are kids main focuses here. Scout is now 19 months old and this play area couldn’t have suited her age any better. Scout climbed in and out of the wooden bird play structures and navigated the slide from the clubhouse countless times. The day was coming to an end, but my wife and I were so thankful that we took the time to make the most of this day on our way to visit the grandparents. Finally, after a fun filled, tiring day, Grandma and Grandpa had arrived at their hotel and we were now a short drive away from being with them.
December 7, 2022
