- Green space good for practicing soccer
- Large play structure good for 5-12 year olds
- Beautiful oak trees making it perfect for a picnic
Located across from Compass Church, Mission Park is a clean local park with huge oak trees. It has large open grass spaces, and the playground is not fenced. It’s a little hard (but not impossible!) to find parking spaces since most of the ones available are being used by the people who live around the park.
Mission Park is open from sunrise to sunset, and dogs are not allowed. This park does not have picnic tables, BBQ pits, or bathrooms. A few benches are looking at the playground so if you want to sit down relax and watch your kids play, it’s a great spot to do so.
As I stated before the park is not fenced and there is traffic going around the whole park so keeping your toddlers (runners!) at arm’s distance is a must! The big fun play structure has woodchips and is not wheelchair accessible, this is designed for kids 5 to 12 years old; but Victoria, my 3-year-old, had lots of fun climbing up and down and testing her strength and boundaries. The park also offers swings for kids 2 to 4 and a set for older kids too. There are a couple of otters you can ride and monkey bars.
During this park scouting we observed families playing soccer and practicing some baseball there as well as kids riding their bikes. Mission Park has beautiful oak trees that make for nice, shaded areas; Victoria had so much fun playing hide and seek behind the big trunks. We also had our picnic blanket, so we were able to choose one nice green area to sit and play with some of her toys.
Overall, this park is clean and a good option to spend a short time and release some energy with our little ones. Maybe walk around and meet your step’s goal for the day! It was our first time at this park and my child managed to make some friends and make a great hour and a half there. It felt safe with all the families and kids around. Remember to take some water with you; there is no water fountain!
Mission Park: 110 W Romie Lane, Salinas CA 93901
Alia Hochgesang grew up on the Monterey Peninsula and is raising her family in Pacific Grove. She loves being outdoors, trying new restaurants, and going to the beach.