For the past couple of years, my little family has taken a Memorial Day vacation with some great friends. The vacation takes place in Bend, where we rent a house, bring lots of food, watch some movies in the great theater room that the house offers, and take a sight-seeing trip or two. This year, we decided to take a walk to an amazing park located less than a mile from the house.
Larkspur Park is one of the best parks I have ever been to! There are three huge sections to the park, each offering equipment that is fun and accessible to kids from barely walking, to kids of the adult variety (including my husband and the other dads that joined us on the trip). The walk to the park was quick, but relaxing. There is a trail that begins in the neighborhoods near where we were staying, and end at the park. When walking down the trail, there was a mix of sidewalks, gravel paths through wooded areas, and dirt paths that ran along a creek. 
The park was full of fun activities and had several play structures that included swings, slides, stairs, monkey bars, poles to slide down, bridges to run over, and even rock walls to climb on. When we arrived, we were the only ones in the park. Within the hour that we stayed to play, it got quite crowded. So if you do decide to take a look, I would suggest going earlier in the morning. 
Liam and his friends had a wonderful time going from one section to another. There was so much to choose from, that they all ran the length of the park (which is quite substantial) several times. The ground beneath the equipment was made of tires, making it soft and squishy under our feet. This made it much easier to stand back and watch the kiddos run at full speed. We spent our time watching our kids run a mock and wear themselves out. I wish that we had a park similar near us! If you are ever in the Bend area, and have a little one who likes to climb like a monkey and run like a cheetah, I highly suggest you take a little trip to Larkspur Park.
