Chesebrough Park is located in the Saugus area. It is just one of more than 30 parks in Santa Clarita. It offers a large playground with 2 play structures and a large amount of grass.  One of my favorite features of this park is that the design allows families to walk to the park easily. As a physical therapist, I look for different things in parks than a typical parent. I look at the playground through an eye prioritizing development. When I came here aimed to write a review of Chesebrough Park, I looked closely at the park as a whole, as well as each component of the park.

I applied the lenses of pediatric physical therapist and mother of 3 together to create this review of Chesebrough Park.  With over 30 local parks to choose from, what makes Chesebrough Park worth it?  Or is it not the right fit for your family. Whether you are new to the area, new to parenting, or just looking to mix up playtime, this review of Chesebrough Park can provide you insight.

Chesebrough Park has a good amount of shade throughout the park, but the bid kids play structure is not well shaded. There are 2 separate play structures. However, they are both on the small side. Therefore, the play area can feel crowded if enough people are there. They play structure has an unusual monkey bar setup that is not found elsewhere in Santa Clarita. The park layout allows people to walk to it easily. Continue reading the detailed review of Chesebrough Park for more insights and information.

The Basics

Chesebrough Park was originally built in 2002. It was named after local landowner and Rancher Robert Newhall Chesebrough, who was a descendant of Henry Mayo Newhall. He left much his estate to the hospital when he died in 1996. The city renovated the park in 2014. It is located off McBean Parkway. This park is popular with local families. There is a pedestrian bridge leading into the park that crosses McBean Pkwy that allows locals to walk or ride to the park.  There is a dedicated parking lot, and there are a few shady parking spots.

Amenities

Chesebrough Park offers a baseball diamond with bleachers. There is a cluster of covered several picnic tables next to a barbecue and the restrooms.  There are also a couple other square picnic tables elsewhere in the park. The drinking fountain near the baseball diamond includes a water bottle refill station and pet bowl. Additionally, there is a second drinking fountain near the picnic tables.

Location

23505 Sunset Hills Dr. Santa Clarita, CA 91354

The Good Stuff

Chesebrough Park offers 2 play structures geared towards different ages.  There are 2 adaptive swings in addition to a couple of standard swings and 1 bucket swing. The play structures have a variety of climbing elements, some of which are not available at other parks. My oldest daughter spent a lot of time on the spinning seat near the small play structure. A canopy decently shades the small play structure. Additionally, there is a decent amount of shaded grassy area throughout the park. Some trees provide shade for 3 benches near the play structures. One of the highlights of our trip was the nearby pedestrian bridge. My children thought is was so cool to be above the cars.

The Drawbacks

The small canopies barely provide any shade to the big kids play structure. There is no shade at all for the swings. While there are plenty of trees in the area, none of them provide shade to the play area. Subsequently, most of the families that were there with us left around lunch time as it was getting too hot. The terrain around the play area is wood chips. However, when they added the woodchips, they did not remove the sand underneath. You can often see it peeking through, especially when children are digging.  Additionally, the play structure for little kids is pretty small.

The Play Structures

There are 2 play structures. The play structure geared towards young children (under 5) has 1 very small slide. For climbing up, there is a short crawl through tunnel and 2 different ladders.  One of the ladders has chains on the side of 3 rungs. There are a few wide stairs leading up to the slide.

The play structure for the big kids is not very big. However, it still provides a good variety of elements. There are a lot of stairs. This is not an adaptive structure. There is a side stepping rock wall.  The monkey bar variation has handle bars coming off either side of a central support. There are 2 slides: 1 tall curved slide and 1 tall double slide. There is a random rope coming off one of the platforms, and I was unsure what exactly it was there for. There is also an arched ladder to climb.

Insights for Parents

Chesebrough Park is great for children of all ages. However, the play structures are a bit on the smaller size, so if the park is crowded, the kids will feel it. The great thing is that the playground is close to the baseball diamond. Consequently, this allows families with small children who are attending games to be near both at the same time. Our favorite feature is the nearby pedestrian bridge. My children sat on the bridge for 30 minutes counting cars. They would have stayed longer if they could. If you have a little one who loves cars this is a great place to go. There is a sidewalk that circles outside the park, so if you want to go for a walk with the kids, you can.

A Physical Therapy Perspective

Chesebrough Park is great for local families. The play structures are a bit small, so if there are a lot of kids, it can feel crowded. There is a good variety of swings available — although only one bucket swing. There is very little shade to the big kid play structure, but it does have enough to keep kids occupied. Our favorite thing about Chesebrough Park is the pedestrian bridge leading right into the playground area.  My kids will sit there and count cars or identify colors all day. One of the best things about Chesebrough park is that it allows for easy access by pedestrians. There is even one of those spinning seats which can help for children who are sensory seekers. It is also great for working on body awareness and balance.

Parks Nearby in the Saugus, CA Area

Read our review of Santa Clarita Park (2.1 miles)

Read our review of Pamplico Park (2.4 miles)

Read our review of Pacific Crest Park (2.7 miles)

Copper Hill Park. (2.9 miles away)

Central Park. (3.3 miles away)

Bouquet Canyon Park (4.2 miles)

Duane R Harte Park (4.7 miles)

David March Park. (4.8 miles away)

Golden Valley Park (5.4 miles)

Circle J Ranch (5.7 miles)

Resources

See the City’s website for their listing of amenities and location.