#21 Overturf Park – 17th Street

 

Our stop at Overturf Park was unplanned. It was on our way, kind of, from Lewis and Clark Park. We truly had no idea what to expect. I did notice that there was street parking, but it is slightly limited. If you are driving to Overturf Park, keep that in mind during peak park times.

 

The playground itself has two structures as well as a few other features. I was surprised to see no swings of any sort. I have a certain expectation of swings in a park, especially since it is one of my son’s favorite activities. In general, we were very pleased with the playground structures.

This park as a couple unique features. The first I noticed was it’s horseshoe pit. The stakes are covered with PVC pipe that is attached to the backboards. I’m not sure how you would go about getting the horseshoes themselves. My family has their own set for camping. There is also a picnic table with a chess/checkers board. Both of these features were a first that we have seen on the tour so far.

This park felt like it had the most seating than any park we have been to so far. Overturf park is small, which is probably why the two benches and two picnic tables seemed more than enough. It does not have a picnic shelter. Once you look closely, you notice this park does not have many of the regular park amenities. You will not find a bathroom of any sort or a water fountain either.

One amenity this park has is it’s off-leash area. There is a large natural landscape behind the play ground area for Fido to run free. I did not take a lot of time to walk around it. It seems to be on the side of a hill, but there are couple trails.

In general, this park is in excellent condition and very safe. I am always wary of our son around off-leash dog areas, because my son is not a big fan of dogs. The horseshoe pit is far enough away from the play structure that you shouldn’t have to worry about a child getting hit by a stray horseshoe. The play structure is far away from the road, and there is a fence covering most of the perimeter, except the off-leash area.

There is also a lot of rock ledging, particularly between the play ground and the off-leash park area. We may be the only parents that see this as a potential safety issue, since our son likes to jump off ledges like this. The family of squirrels that live in the rock ledge do their best to make up for it.

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Ratings: 
(A scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is the least desirable and 5 is the most desirable)

Size: 3
Condition: 5
Amenities: 4
Safety: 4.5
Fun: 5

Overall Score: 4

Overturf Park is a small, but good, gem in Bend’s Westside. The park is lacking some basic amenities like a bathroom, water fountain, and swings. Overturf Park has a couple features that you do not normally see, including a horseshoe pit and checker/chess table. The Off-Leash dog park looks expansive. There are couple features of this park that could worry some “helicopter parents.” In General, Overturf park is a must see. You can read the Bend Parks and Rec write up about this park, here.

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#8 Hillside 1 Park – 12th Street

The first thing we noticed about Hillside (1) Park was the horrible parking situation. We could not find any street parking near the play structure. We ended up parking across the street in a residential area, which truth be told doesn’t have a lot of parking to spare on it’s own. You can imagine how we felt about that.

The play structure is varied. There is only one slide, which is not very exciting. The are does offer four regular swings, two infant swings and two tire swings. If your kids enjoy swinging more than they enjoy climbing on a structure, this is the park for them. There is a picnic table next to the play structure. There is a half basketball court, with a metal net that is in disrepair.

The basketball court also sported a nice size puddle, which our son enjoying running around and stomping in. The play structure did not interest him at all, but this puddle entertained him for over a half hour. Kids, right?

The park area also supports are large area with grass and trees.

 

The impressive gem of this park its it’s dog trails. There is an extensive off leash area there. I spotted at least 2 doggie stations in the park itself. I am certain there is more than three, as this map above suggests. The play structures proximity to the off leash areas did give my husband and I some slight concern. We are dog people, and we love dogs. We also know the potential for dogs and kids to not get along. It might just be the helicopter parents in us, or the fact that our son is not a fan of dogs.

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Ratings: 
(A scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is the least desirable and 5 is the most desirable)

Size: 5
Condition: 3
Amenities: 4
Safety: 3
Fun: 3.5

Overall Score: 3.5

If there is anything that could drastically improve this park it would be a parking lot. As a parent with a child who does always stay near me, or want to hold my hands, I would gladly sacrifice part of the spacious open area for a small parking lot. My husband and I also noticed that the play structures look older. The basketball hoop is metal and coming apart. The grounds, of course, are in excellent condition. Although this park does not get high scores for family fun, your dog will absolutely love this place. The extensive on and off leash trail system is sure to wear your pooch out. You can visit the Bend Parks and Rec website for this park, here.

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