Washington Park Playground Looks Completely Different! Love it or Leave it?

I had heard years ago that we should visit the “boathouse playground” at Washington Park in Denver. Little did we know as we finally made it there this fall, it was removed in September 2018! Apparently, that playground had been built decades earlier and the out-dated wooden structure caused safety concerns.

Luckily, we missed all of the construction and found a brand new Washington Park playground completely finished. The reason for my article’s title…many rocks around the park had “Bring our old equipment back!” written with chalk. Apparently there are some that miss the old playground 🙁 I’ll let you be the judge – check out the new playground below and let us know what you think!

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Address: 701 S Franklin St, Denver, CO 80209

Restroom/Shade: The shade was wonderful! This is a fantastic place to plan a picnic at one of the many tables or on a blanket under the large trees. There is a restroom available nearby as well.

Age Recommendations: I would recommend this park for children up to age 10. For the very young, be aware that it covers a large space, has wood chips and is quite crowded. For the older kids, there aren’t many thrilling aspects to the playground beyond one tall slide and some logs to balance across so I feel that 10 is where they’d lose interest. (If you do go with older kids, take along a basketball, tennis equipment or something they could use on the huge grassy field. They’ll still have fun at the playground’s surrounding areas.)

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Washington Park Playground Unique Features

The whimsical, nature-inspired playground had two clubhouse structures with a rope bridge to connect them. My daughter liked making it an obstacle course from the rope net all the way to the tall slide.

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There were many other features to enjoy like the log structure (above), rolling sidewalk (below), huge sandbox and a disc swing!

Good to know: North of the playground you’ll find a lake with so many great activities available! From kayaking to stand up paddle boards, bicycles to surrey rentals, you could spend all day there!

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Now I ask you, what do you think of the new playground? Had you visited the previous one? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Make sure to check out our Map feature to see what other amazing playgrounds we’ve found near you. Your child’s new favorite may be just around the corner!