Lamar Park

Thr only down fall I see is that the county doesn’t allow jumpers for parties, but I seen more and more parties w/​jumpers and nothing is happening like fines etc.

such a great park but too many homeless, n some other people that arent there with kids.

The back area of the park is great to let my dog run around and do her business. However, I would not feel safe taking my daughter to the playground by ourselves as there are always homeless AND it’s not in a great neighborhood overall. The playground itself has nice enough equipment so it’s kind of a shame. Would be nice if there was more shade, my complaint always with parks.

I can say that I was looking forward to looking for the emus (alpacas?). Unfortunately, the park looks slightly on the unkempt side and I am not sure if it is par for the course or if it is a result of budget cuts. I’ve seen kids and families stay closer to the playground area and not much of anyone towards the back of the park. It seems to be strangely desolate and I am not sure if that is a good thing. It is rather unfortunate that the vibe the park gives slightly reinforces the sketchy area.

This park looks nice on the outside but in the evenings there are always cops harassing the bums that are probably getting ready to go sleep there. I’d guess that this park is not too safe after dark.

You don’t see emus everyday. A walk to the rear of this park proved to be interesting — there were emus in someone’s fenced yard, and some other feathered creatures. The emus walk right up to the fence and I don’t know who’s gawking at who but I think I felt a connection there… onward toward the little «creek» and we saw some crawdads. Dead… dead… alive! I’m easily amused.
On the downside, some areas of Spring Valley look a bit seedy and this is one of ‘em. The park itself is rather small so it’s not a spot to go if you’re looking for excercise. There is a play area for kids with slides, swings, etc. But the pavillion/​seating area was completely occuppied by homeless folks. One was playing with jester sticks — the kids appreciated the show.
My vote — if you live in the neighborhood, unglue the kiddies from the t.v. and bring them by to check it out. The little ones will appreciate the «wildlife» in their own backyard.

This park off of Bancroft Ave, south of 94 was developed a couple years ago. The playground/​picnic area of the park is relatively small but the equipment is good quality. There are swings and a play structure as well as some charcoal grills.
There is a nice covered area, where I often see some of the more colorful Spring Valley characters (not sure what to call them — homeless, transient, down on the their luck or maybe just eccentric) however, they are always nice, keep to themselves and say ‘hi’.
Landscaping is fairly nice with small trees and grass. One issue I have is the grass seems to be way over watered so that some parts are swampy and part of the decomposed granite circuit that surrounds the park is quite eroded away by the over-​watering
I don’t have kids but I walk my dogs through there every once in a while and I see families playing and seeming to have a good time
The park is on a much larger plot of land that extends quite a bit. There is a ravine on the north side that sometimes has some standing water (not deep) so I wouldn’t let your kids going playing in there. The other day I say a mosquito abatement truck there and guy testing the water. I don’t know the results.
if you walk all the way back you’ll come to a quite substantial bridge which seems a bit out of place. If you cross the bridge and walk towards the fences of the houses that surround park you’ll find a large yard that has at least six (yes, 6) emus (large ostrich-​like birds) and dozens other small birds including different types of chickens, a white peacock-​type bird and other fowl I can’t identify — worth a look! A little trail parallels the ravine opposite the family park but you can cross the ravine in a couple places.
Before you get to the bridge if you look past the bridge to the left you may notice a smallish homeless encampment. it a little way off and they tend to keep to themselves. You may also see some homeless-​folk items such as blankets and other trash on the bridge or around it.
I’ve tried to paint an accurate picture of my consistent experience of the park. With adult supervision it seems like a perfectly fine place to take your kids if you live in the area or just for a diversion in your walk during the day. In general we don’t have enough parks so please use the ones near you.