Doyle Park in UTC, San Diego has so much fun stuff – including some features I’ve never seen before! This is the only park I’ve visited that has a tandem baby swing so that an adult or big kid can swing with baby at the same time. It also has a play structure that is designed to be very inclusive of a wheel chair (maybe the most inclusive that I’ve seen) and lots of other fun features.
Restrooms, gender-neutral restrooms, picnic tables, bbqs, gazebos, bike parking, parking lot, drinking fountain, ADA friendly, public transportation.
Playground, ADA Playground, Tot Lots, baby swings, regular swings, tandem swing, tire swing, slides, climbing, sand, rubber ground, seesaw, monkey bars, music elements, shaded, playhouse.
Fitness equipment, large grassy area, ball fields, basketball courts (full), basketball court (half), volleyball court, recreation center.
Dogs are allowed (leashed) and there are two fenced dog parks (temporarily closed).
Big Kid / ADA Playground
The playground is huge and has lots of fun features! The equipment was updated in August 2018. There are several slides (big, medium and small!), lots to climb, monkey bars, music elements… you name it! Kids will also enjoy a tire swing, four regular swings, and a seesaw.
Accessibility
The playground has three access points for wheelchairs, and a fun ship (pictured below, to the right of the ramp) that can be accessed with a wheelchair as well. Some of the music elements are also accessible with a wheelchair. The playground is surrounded by rubber ground, so a wheelchair can navigate around the entire structure.
Tot Lots
Interestingly, there are two tot lots near the main playground (one shaded, one not) and another tot lot on the other side of the ball fields (that’s a lot of options for toddlers!). My husband recalls playing on some of this exact equipment growing up (so, it hasn’t been updated in awhile). The tot lots have things to climb and slides. The tot lot by the main playground has two baby swings and one TANDEM baby swing (so adult or big kid can swing with baby!).
Some of the equipment on the non-shaded tot lot seems a bit advanced for ages 2-5… I just imagine my three year old getting stuck 🙂
Additional Tot Lot
The tot lot on the other side of the ball fields was very quiet, and right near the additional restroom building. It has sand, a couple of baby swings, a tire swing, a small slide and some sensory equipment.
Bathrooms
Park goers have a few options for restrooms. There are bathrooms in the community center that are accessible when the center is open. There is also a building near the playground with two gender-neutral stalls (no changing tables), and sinks. The additional restroom building is on the other side of the ball fields and has men’s/women’s sides with stalls.
Fenced Play Area
I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anything like this little fenced-in play area for children. It just has grass and a couple of trees, with a sign that says dogs are not allowed. It’s completely fenced with once you close the gate.
Basketball and Volley Ball Courts
In addition to the half-court basketball court near the playground, there are two full-court basketball courts. These courts are fenced, but do not have lights.
The half-court near the playground also has hop-scotch and four-square, so it might not be a top choice for a competitive game.
Near the basketball courts is a fully-fenced sand volleyball court with net. You can see the location on the map I created at the end of this post.
Ball Fields
Doyle Park has three baseball fields, all with dugouts and bleachers (neither the dugouts nor the bleachers have shade structures, but some are shaded by trees). You can see the fields in the map I created at the end of this post.
"Storytime Mother" Play Sculptures
Doyle Park features play sculptures by Denver artist Madeline Wiener. The trio of pieces is called “Storytime Mother” and is situated at the front of the park, shaded by trees.
Wiener’s stone sculptures invite human interaction and can be used as benches.
Picnic Tables and Gazebos
Doyle Park has several areas for events, including picnics and parties. At the front of the park, near the playground, there are two separate gazebos: one with four rectangular tables and one with three rectangular tables.
Neither of the gazebos are available to reserve (the Doyle Community center recommends Nobel Recreation Center if you want to reserve a spot nearby).
If you want to barbecue, there are several tables and clusters of tables with bbqs all around the park – many in areas shaded by trees! These are all first come, first serve.
Additionally, there is a game table near the gazebo and playground area.
Walking/Jogging with Stretch Stations
To follow the outermost path around Doyle Park is nearly .75 miles, and there are four stretch stations around the park. Admittedly, the equipment is pretty old (and one of the signs is missing), but each station could be a nice spot to stretch.
Table Tennis
This fun table was added with the upgrades in the summer of 2018.
Parking
Doyle Park has a parking lot with approximately 60 spots and 5 ADA spots. There is also lots of street parking on Regents Road.
Doyle Park Map
