Welcome!
Welcome back to another issue(?) of Outings! This week we’re visiting a previously unknown (to us) park despite the less than ideal weather conditions.
Bryan Johnston Park
In a sprawling, upper-middle class neighborhood, where all the houses are just various shades of “neutral,” sits Bryan Johnston Park. The view from the on-street parking is of shining playground equipment, concrete picnic tables, and massive, looming conifer trees. It isn’t until you’re on foot, walking down that east-most paved path, that you start to get a sense of the sheer size of the park.
The path turns to bark dust and flows down the hill as the field slopes south into a stand of Western Red Cedars. Then it hooks back west until you climb back up the hill to loop back to the street. Just a little exertion to keep you warm on a day like today.
Back at the top of the hill the path is paved once more, and there are several little bark dust offshoots that wind through the trees. With the day’s pure blue skies, the park truly gives a sense of space right in the center of suburbia.
There is a half-court for basketball not too far from the street (and the parking), which admittedly doesn’t seem like the best placement. But, there isn’t much flat land to be had at this park – what little there is has been sacrificed to the playground equipment. I do appreciate, though, that there are two different playgrounds, one for the littlest kiddos, and one for the older kids who still want to romp and play. That’s the first time we’ve seen that in one of our parks.
During our visit it was a dreadful 33º, with a wind-chill that made it feel closer to 27º. The bark dust crunched beneath our feet, but the sun was bright. It was a gorgeous morning, kept brief by the whipping wind.
Stats & Specs
This is the part where I break down the park by the numbers!
Park Specs:
- Distance: 0.66 miles. We did most of the perimeter loop, and then the internal little trails. If you did them all you’d probably eke out ~.75 miles.
- Elevation Gain: Unknown. There’s a bit of a hill on the back half of the loop, but FitBit only tracks elevation if you use the “Hike” tracker, not “Walk”.
- Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
- Environment: This park is large for a neighborhood park, and offers room to get some peace and quiet, even on a busier day. Framed by backyards on three sides, the front of the park faces the main road of the neighborhood, so there’s a little traffic noise, but not much. There’s wooded sections, a big sloping field, and lots of picnic tables. We weren’t the only visitors this morning, but it kinda felt like it thanks to the park’s size.
- Condition: This park is in great shape! There were some small branches that had blown off the spruce trees, but otherwise it was clean and very well maintained. The playground equipment seems relatively new, and the picnic tables were clean and inviting. There’s a half-court for basketball and even a chessboard and chairs for those who want to bring their pieces for a friendly game. Add in the plentiful benches along the walking path, and there’s a lot to recommend for this park.
- Popularity: There were three other visitors while we were there, and it was something like 27º with the wind-chill factored in. I’m guessing it’s a pretty popular park in more welcoming weather.
- Uses: Walking, playground activities, basketball, birthday parties, etc.,
My Stats:
- Duration: 19 minutes
- Pace: 28’49”
- Average Heart Rate: 111 BPM
- Max Heart Rate: 140 BPM
- Active Zone Minutes: 6 Zone Minutes
- Steps: 1,541
- Calories Burned: 130
My Gear:
- Columbia Omni-Heat Womens Full Zip Belted Coat, black and gray plaid
- Mystery Columbia Pullover with Throat Zipper in Black Heather
- Adidas GalaxyTrail Trail Runners
- Fleece-lined leggings, black.
- Ancient (and Beloved) Chandler-Gilbert Community College Beanie, black
Trevor’s Gear:
- Columbia Windbreaker/Rain Jacket, Orange and Gray
- RuneScape Hoodie, black
- Jeans
- Thrifted Adidas, model unknown
Simon’s Gear:
- RuffWear Front Range Dog Harness, in Aurora Teal
- RuffWear Knot-a-Leash Rope dog leash, in Aurora Teal
- Pendleton Westerly Dog Sweater
Suggested Gear:
- Gloves
- Scarves
- It was heckin’ chilly y’all!
The Verdict
There is a lot to like here! But, for me it’s the trail down the hill and back up, then winding through the trees. It just feels removed enough for me to enjoy it, no matter what else is going on in the park.
It’s a really cool park, but it’s missing some sports facilities. No tennis court? And there isn’t even a flat field to toss a ball around on. really nice for walking, but not much else.
Ok. I REALLY liked this one. Mom and Dad were SO SLOW. I just wanted to gogogogo. There were some really good sniffs, trails that weren’t just frozen concrete, and trees! But, it was super cold, and still a little short.
This park has a lot to recommend it, and we all really liked it. the weather made it hard to get the most out of our visit, though, so we agreed we’d come back when things warm up a bit.
That's All, Folks!
Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of another installment of Outings! I hope you feel inspired to make some time to get outdoors this week, too!
I’ll be back again tomorrow with the January recap, so don’t go anywhere too far!
Until then, Bloggarts.
BZ
