Welcome!
Welcome to the third installment of Outings! If you’re new here, please check out the early installments to get a sense of what this whole series is all about.
Orchard Heights Park
This is a lovely neighborhood park in a pretty affluent part of town. It’s tucked back behind a retirement home and some winding housing blocks. You would never expect the park to be so big or have so much to offer, which makes it quite the gem!
The main area of the park has brand new tennis courts (4 full courts!), a basketball court, two baseball pitches, a children’s playground and a small, fenced off-leash area for dogs. There’s also a paved path circling all of this. And across the drive are butterfly and community gardens.
All of this would be enough to rate this park pretty dang high. It just offers so much in a very accessible and quiet location. But my favorite part is the short loop trail that leaves the main park.
Behind the tennis courts there’s a little plank bridge that crosses a creek and turns into a trail that winds through a small wood. The trail leads to a large open field with a giant oak tree in the center. This area is an off-leash dog park, which the trail continues through and then back into the woods to return to the main park.
The fall colors are in full display right now, and we’ve had enough rain that parts of the trail were a little muddy. Nothing worrisome or too boggy, but it’s probably going to deteriorate further as the rainy season continues. There’s also a second (optional) bridge that floods in the winter, so be prepared to double back a little in the rainy season. I’ve also walked this trail in spring and summer, and would recommend some water and/or sunblock in the warmer months, because the field has ZERO shade as you make your way around it.
There were more people out than expected this morning, including folks walking their dogs, kids on the playground, and couple of teens playing basketball. You’ll want to be prepared to share this park no matter the weather.
Stats & Specs
This is the part where I break down the trail by the numbers!
Trail Specs:
- Distance: 0.9 miles all the way around the dog park and the perimeter of the park.
- Elevation Gain: ~70ft, almost all in the dog park field.
- Hours: 5am-12am
- Environment: This is a neighborhood park, serving locals and youth. It’s wooded for a lot of the walk, but part of the paved path runs parallel to the street, so there’s a bit of traffic noise. There’s also going to be people playing sports and children playing on the jungle gym. This is an active, well-loved and well-maintained park. It wasn’t as cold today as last week’s walk, mid-50s and no wind, so there were a few more people out than I expected.
- Condition: Very well maintained. There’s a downed tree on the trail, but it’s been cut to allow for easy passage. The baseball fields are mowed and the sports courts are in amazing condition. Other than a couple of muddy patches, there’s no complaints here… not that I’m complaining about muddy patches. I love getting muddy on a hike!
- Popularity: Medium-High? We saw at least five other dogs, two groups utilizing the sports facilities and a couple kids in the playground. At 9:30 on a chilly Sunday morning. On nice weekends it’s probably poppin’.
- Uses: Walking, playing with kids, various sports, even picnicking. This is a great, all-around park.
My Stats:
- Duration: 33 minutes
- Pace: 36’28”
- Average Heart Rate: 100 BPM
- Max Heart Rate: 120 BPM
- Active Zone Minutes: 0. I spent the entire walk below zones.
- Steps: 2,228
- Calories Burned: 206
My Gear
- Adidas GalaxyTrail Trail Runners
- Columbia Cotton Tank Top
- 90 Degree by Reflex, Cold Gear High Waist Fleece-lined Legging with Side Pocket, Black
- I bought these at Marshalls years ago, and just looked them up. No wonder I only like to wear these on fall hikes! I realized they were a different fabric than most leggings, but FLEECE?!?!
- Mystery Columbia Pullover with Throat Zipper in Black Heather
Simon’s Gear
RuffWear Front Range Dog Harness, in Aurora Teal- RuffWear Knot-a-Leash Rope dog leash, in Aurora Teal
- Good2Go Reversible Yellow Raincoat
- Yes, he has a raincoat. And yes, he loves it. Simon absolutely hates the rain.
Trevor’s Gear
The exact same as last time:
- Jeans, t-shirt, and SAW hoodie
- Adidas Tennis Shoes, unknown model
Suggested Gear
- Any comfy walking shoe. During the wetter months I’m grateful for the added traction of my trail runners, but in warmer months my Tevas would be just fine.
- Layers. It’s getting colder each week, so I came prepared for this trip with a raincoat, but didn’t end up needing it. Just be prepared for the season and keep a coat in your car.
- Towel. It’s getting to be muddy season. Keeping a towel in the car for Simon is just going to be best practice until it warms up again.
The Verdict
This is one of my favorite parks in town, so far. It just has so much to offer, and on the weekdays the trail is usually pretty quiet. If you did multiple loops and maybe jogged a little, it’d be a nice workout. But, it’s still pretty short and pretty flat.
It’s nice. I liked the last one better because it had the whole nature conservancy thing going for it. But, the park as whole is pretty badass. I want to come back and play tennis!
I love this park! There’s always good sniffs and lots of dogs to bark at. But the traffic noise was a little stressful and it’s soooo shoooooort.
Once again, the whole family liked this one. We all agreed it was a little too busy for our tastes though. We prefer more nature oriented walks, as opposed to a multi-use facility like this one. At least when it comes to walks. Tennis review TBA.
That's All Folks
Another week down, another issue of Outings! in the bag. Thanks so much for reading along, we’ll see you next week!
Until then, Bloggos!
BZ
