I feel like my park review introductions last year were very rote, so I am going to try something a little different this year. Parks are an important part of any family’s life. As such, it is important to be sure that the park you go to meets the needs of your whole family. As a physical therapist and a mother of 3, I have a unique lens through which I view parks.  My hope with this review is to provide parents with the tools to choose the best parks for their families.

Valencia Heritage Park is located in the Valencia area of Santa Clarita. It offers multiple fields, a good size playground, tennis courts, and even a cornhole pitch. I come here a few times a year with my girls, and come here often with my patients as a physical therapist. Valencia Heritage Park is commonly referred to by locals as just “Heritage Park.”

Valencia Heritage Park is a very popular park. It can get pretty busy and there are often sports games going in the evening. The play structures are not well shaded, but there is a covered picnic area. There is a lot of grass with 2 sports fields. Commonly referred to as “Heritage Park,” the park also has tennis courts and a cornhole pitch. Heritage Park is great for all ages, but the play structure can feel crowded when it is busy. Continue reading the review of Valencia Heritage Park for more insights and information.

The Basics

Valencia Heritage Park was once land occupied by Native Americans and was purchased by Henry Mayo in 1875. The park opened in 2008. It is located in the Valencia area off Newhall Ranch Road.  It has 2 dedicated parking lots.  You can turn into one off of McBean Pkwy, and the other is off of Newhall Ranch Road. However, it should be noted that a median divides the road, so you cannot turn left into the parking lot off Newhall Ranch Road. Instead, you will either have to turn left onto McBean or flip a U-turn. Valencia Heritage Park also connects directly to San Francisquito Creek Bike Trail.

Amenities

Valencia Heritage Park offers three tennis courts. There is also a covered picnic area with a good amount of tables, as well as a barbecue. A few benches for parents surround the playground.

Location

24155 Newhall Ranch Road Santa Clarita, CA 91354

The Good Stuff

Heritage Park offers a hill right next to the playground. This is great for working on walking up and down an incline. Kids also love rolling down hills. Another fun things is that behind the tennis courts are some permanent cornhole pitches set up. Bring your own bean bags and you can play a game of cornhole. There park crosses paths with the San Francisquito Creek Bike Trail if you want to go for a bike ride before or after. Across McBean Parkway is a shopping center with a duck pond and a few sit down restaurants. Down the street on Bouquet Canyon Road are several shopping centers with both fast food and sit down restaurants. There are also several other stores, such as Lowes, Trader Joes, and Best Buy. This allows for a play break before or after running errands. Or you can grab some food and have a picnic at the park.

The Drawbacks

Heritage Park is a bit lacking in shade. The picnic tables are well shaded, but other than that there is little shade. Heritage Park is also a very popular park located in the middle of a busy area, so it can get pretty busy sometimes.

The Play Structure

The 2 play structures are surrounded by wood chips. The big kid play structure has 3 slides of varying heights. It is accessed by a flight of stairs, and arched ladder, a climbing mountain, a semi circle ladder, and a rope assisted ladder. The medium sized slide is pretty steep.

The little kid play structure is accessed by a small set of stairs. There are also 2 stepping stones to get in another way. This smaller play structure has 2 slides. The best thing about the small structure is the low set of monkey bars.

In between the 2 play structures are some swings. They consist of 4 different types of swings. There is a single adaptive swing that is accessed via a rubber flooring path from the sidewalk.  Next to the adaptive swing is a standard swing. There is also a bucket swing for infants and a tandem swing for a parent and an infant to ride together.

Insights for Parents

Heritage park is popular for pickup games of Ultimate Frisbee. Due to the 2 large fields, many sports games are held here. Heritage Park is also a very popular park, so it can get crowded.  On weekday mornings I have occasionally seen a group of special needs adults here accompanied by other adults.  This is a great park for families with a variety of ages.

A Physical Therapy Perspective

Valencia Heritage Park offers quite a variety. My favorite thing about Heritage Park is the low set of monkey bars, which is perfect for children around 4 years old to learn without you holding them up or them falling from up high. The play structures only have a limited number of elements, so for my climbers I do like to recommend other parks. The hill between the big kid play structure and the tennis courts is great for new walkers or kids who like seek sensory input as they can roll down the hill. Just be aware that rolling down grassy hills often leads to lots of tiny scratches from the grass (in case your child complains of being itchy afterwards).

Parks Nearby in the Valencia, CA Area

Read our review of Bridgeport Park (2 miles away).

Read our review of Summit Park (2.8 miles away).

Read our review of West Creek Park (2.8 miles away).

Almendra Park (4 miles)

Valencia Meadows Park (4 miles)

Valencia Glen Park (4.1 miles)

Circle J Ranch (4.8 miles)

Old Orchard Park (5.4 miles)

Also close by Central Park (3.8 miles)

Resources

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