Estes Park Playground
- estespark.colorado.gov
- Estes Park
- Open now · open 24 hours
About
A small playground right by the river downtown, next to the Riverwalk. It's the one I point friends with toddlers toward when they need twenty minutes to burn off energy before dinner. Restrooms are close, and the water is right there.
This is the Town of Estes Park's Children's Park, a little over 2,500 square feet along the Big Thompson on East Riverside Drive. You get a playground, restrooms, a drinking fountain, and river frontage. Next door at George Hix Riverside Plaza there's a sensory garden with musical instruments and bridges, so kids who age out of the swings have somewhere else to go. Shops and coffee are a short walk away.
It's small. That's the point. You can sit on a bench and see every kid at once, which is a gift when you're parked in July traffic with a hungry four-year-old. Go in the morning before the sidewalks fill up. Keep a hand on anyone near the water, because the river is close and it moves faster than it looks, especially in early summer. Bring sunscreen, since shade is thin. Parking downtown is the real challenge, so plan on walking in from wherever you land.
