Logs to Climb + Oak Woodland Tiny Hike
A new-to-the-blog wooden playground and a new tiny hike to try
Welcome, welcome, welcome if you are new to my little corner of bringing nature to OC families so you can get out there and find your parental outdoor comfort zone.
Thank you, thank you, thank you if you have been here all along contributing to this resource so I can share your opinions, advice, knowledge, and experiences.
Let’s get right to the park updates on the blog this week . . .
A not crowded option
Knotty Pine Park is a little neighborhood park in Laguna Hills that’s largely the same as it’s always been since I first visited in 2009, but it got an update on the blog because you told me crowds might be holding you back some days from visiting our local parks. I went here at 9am on a weekday morning and it was empty. Unfortunately, no restrooms.
It’s good for a quick play and there are restaurants and coffee shops nearby. In fact, rumor has it that San Diego coffee shop chain, Better Buzz Coffee, is opening a location right near here with a drive-thru. There is already a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru right on McIntyre.
Logs to climb on at this wooden playground with beach weather
We visited Pattinson Park in Huntington Beach back in 2017 when I wrote a blog post pairing Miguel Jr restaurants with local parks. I pitched them the idea and they were so gracious to host us a with a meal and coupons. We had a dinner picnic here and the playground looked very different back then.
It is a lot more sparse now and the one tower is very high off the ground. I was able to include a “build video” from the playground designers so you can actually see a 1-minute video of the build at the end of the blog post.
I often talk about investing in an annual pass to our regional and wilderness parks. This week, I illustrated how to do that on Instagram and referred to my post called “Cheat Sheet to Beach and Park Passes for OC Families.” A lot of you requested the post, so I am sharing it here.
That discussion led to a mom asking me about the Discover & Go pass from the Orange County Public Library. So I wanted to share here all the resources for finding freebies/discounts on outdoor activities. This is NOT an exhaustive list, but this is what I sent this mom who said:
“Oh my gosh - I got more than I can ask for. This is amazing. Thank you so much.”
“It’s a good thing I asked. I bet many other families wouldn’t know about these amazing opportunities.”
“Thank you again for sparing some time & spreading this great news! I truly appreciate it”
Well, I appreciate it when YOU ask questions because then I can share resources again that I might not have shared for a while.
Here are the 4 resources I sent her:
This post tells you how to BUY the pass, but also ways to get it for FREE.
Tiny Hike Teaser: This week’s hike skirts along a small oak woodland where you might see bunnies, squirrels, fall leaves, and hear lots of birds!
Mini trail guide for this week is below for paid subscribers.