Best Playgrounds in Yakima – Our Top Five

Growing up in Yakima on a budget there's no doubt you hit up all of your neighborhood playgrounds. And, why not? You get your exercise, it's fun and, best of all, it's free. If you're looking for a great playground to take your kids to, we'd like to help you with our best playgrounds in Yakima. Again, this is our list of our favorite playgrounds but we'd love to hear your feedback on your favorite places below the list.

Elks Park

If these were labeled from 1-5, Elks Park in the 80s would've been #1 by a long shot because they used to have a tank you can play on. Yes, a real tank. The tank is no longer there, but I still like taking my kids to this playground in Yakima. You can find it on 9th and Hathaway (a block north of Fruitvale). It's nice for several reasons. It's a bit hidden so it's rarely crowded. They feature baseball fields, horseshoes and newer playground equipment complete with swings and a jungle gym. My little girl likes a bouncy platform that you can jump on. If you're looking for a quiet park to take your kids, I'd recommend Elks Park on Hathaway in Yakima.

Sarg Hubbard Park

The Yakima Greenway is far more than just a 'playground'. It features access to the river, a physical fitness course complete with diagrams along the way, a pond and much more. Sarg Hubbard Park is part of the Yakima Greenway. Focusing on just the playground part of Sarg Hubbard Park is what they call the Tot Lot. This gigantic structure features a mini-zipline, enough slides for all the kids, crawlable tunnels, interactive tic-tac-toe board and so much more. Moms like bringing their kids here because the playground is large enough that you'll find many of the moms walk around the area so moms can get their exercise while their kids burn off some needed energy. Sarg Hubbard Park also features easy and convenient access to public restrooms, a necessity if you have small, potty trained children.

Chesterley Park

There isn't a weekend that goes by where Chesterley Park isn't full of kids playing soccer in the enormous field, skating in the skate park and kids playing on the playground equipment. This park is in a great location on 40th and River Road right near Fred Meyer and across the street from a McDonalds. The playground here features swings both for bigger kids and for children and infants with leg holes and chains to keep them in place. One of the nice things about the playground at Chesterley Park is there are two separate kid areas. One for small kids and the other for the more advanced children.

Miller Park

Miller Park needs to make this list for one specific reason - they have a splash park. Sure, they have decent playground equipment, basketball courts and more but there isn't many more places my kids would rather be in the dry, hot summer months we get in Yakima than surrounded by water. It's downtown on North 4th St. and E St. so it's also kind of hidden away from the busy streets, but during the summer this place gets packed pretty quickly and for all the right reasons. Need a place to cool off your kids without paying for your own water? Miller Park is the place to be.

Randall Park

Randall Park is my personal favorite park in Yakima for multiple reasons. The creek behind the hills was fun to wade through, the large open field which is perfect for picnicking and flying a kite on windy days and the playground equipment was nice growing up; and is even nicer now. One of the main draws to Randall Park is right next to the playground equipment - the duck pond. Families have been coming to Randall Park for years to feed the ducks, go for a walk around the park on the paved path which calculates to 1 mile for every two laps, all while the kids feed the ducks and play on the playground equipment. For the all-in-one playground, look no further than Randall Park on 44th and 48th south of Nob Hill Blvd.

I know there are several other parks in Yakima. The large Sunrise Rotary Park/McGuire Community Playground you see off the freeway which doesn't have convenient access (it's a one mile hike to get there with no vehicle access), The playgrounds at most of our elementary schools, the humble playground at Franklin park and more. What local playgrounds are your favorite that may or may not have made this list? Tell us below.