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Lair Hill Park
By admin | April 20, 2008 Email Post Print Page
What’s to Love: As you’ll see, I have plenty of caveats for this park. However, there is a BIG plus to this park - the grounds are totally pesticide-free! This is pretty impressive, because I could only find two other parks in all of “environmentally friendly” Portland that can carry that same title.
This park is located in inner SW Portland - close to the YMCA on Barbur Boulevard, The National College of Natural Medicine, and the Cedarwood Waldorf School. It has a decent play structure and some beat-up tennis courts, which are perfect for teaching kids. The nicest feature at this playground is the tether-ball area that features a shiny, brand-new tether ball (see pics). Usually, tether balls are all beat up; hopefully, this one will stay that way for awhile.
Caveats: This is a pretty dark, damp and dreary park at times. People do their best to keep it clean and safe, but there always seems to be some litter hanging around and/or remnants from transients. For the most part, the playground equipment is out-dated, the tennis courts extremely worn, and a restroom nowhere to be found. An old sculpture that looks like it would be great to climb-on has been roped off with yellow, police tape.
Website: Lair Hill Park
Distance from Portland: Within 1 mile of downtown Portland
Recommended Ages: The playground equipment here is best suited for ages 4 and above. This is not the best play structure for smaller toddlers.
Parental Stress Factor: Low stress!
Physical Difficulty: Website claims that it has a “disabled access play area,” which means there are some paved paths that help make the play structure handicapped-accessible.
Family Fun Factor: This park is somewhat secluded from family hot spots. I wouldn’t call it a “destination park,” but it does have some nice qualities, and the pesticide-free factor is big.
Pet Friendly: The tennis courts don’t get a lot of use, and I’ve seen people take their dogs in this fenced area to play a little fetch.
Weather Considerations: Obviously best on a sunny day, but parks are open year round.
Insider Info/Family Tips: This park was the final destination after our family bike ride down Terwilliger Avenue. If you have a young cyclist, arrange a drop-off on the top of Terwilliger (by the Chart House Restaurant) and meet down at Lair Hill Park.
Technorati Tags: Lair Hill Park, Portland Parks, Portland Parks and Recreation, Pesticide-free Parks, old tennis courts, National College of Natural Medicine, tether ball, outdoor sculpture
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Topics: Parks Playgrounds Pools |