Welcome!
That’s right folks! Outings! is back. If this is your first time reading this series, don’t fret. You can read all about it here, but the gist is this: rain or shine, I visit a local park every week and review it. It’s a way to sort of game-ify my mental health and love of the outdoors in an effort to get outside more in the “Off” season. So far, it’s working!
So, where did we go this week?
Secor Park
This park is tucked into a neighborhood, and adjoins the neighboring school’s athletic fields, which helps it seem bigger than it actually is. There are some paved paths leading to the north and south edges of the park and out into the neighborhoods, but most of the trails are narrow bark dust tracks that wander beteween blackberry brambles.
There’s a sizable playground with well-maintained, newer equipment. No lie, it looks fun! There’s also some picnic tables scattered around, two different doggy poop bag dispensers/trash cans, and TWO bridges over the creek that bisects the park.
At the time of our visit there was still a lot of downed trees, branches, and detritus from a recent wind/ice storm, and it was actively raining. Things were a little slick in places, and completely unavailable in others.
I can imagine this park in better circumstances, when the sun is shining, the trees are full, and kids are playing. It might be small, but it’s kinda nice too. Especially when it’s so tucked away from the main street. We saw lots of squirrels, got yelled at by a couple of crows, and heard plenty of birdsong. It was a peaceful little stroll and just a nibble of nature.
Stats & Specs
This is the part where I break down the park by the numbers!
Park Specs:
- Distance: 0.61 miles. There were some folks with their dogs off leash in the adjoining sports fields, so we avoided the East side of the loop. If we did the entire outer loop and then went back for the interior, creek-side loop we might have eked out a mile.
- Elevation Gain: None. The park is very flat. Also makes it pretty accessible.
- Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
- Environment: This is a nice little neighborhood park. It has high quality playground equipment, picnic tables, and a network of narrow trails through copse of trees on the west end. There’s a creek through the middle, which allows for two different bridges. It’s not very big, but does benefit from sharing some space with the school right next door. Tucked back off a neighborhood street, the park is surrounded by backyards and is very quiet. Right now there are a lot of downed trees and some damaged equipment thanks to a recent wind/ice storm. Add today’s cold, rain, and wind, and we only saw one other person.
- Condition: Mostly great. The park is newer and the playground is pretty pristine, but there’s still a bit of cleanup to be done. there are downed branches and (small) trees all over the park.
- Popularity: This park seems pretty quiet, but the weather probably had a lot to do with that. We still saw someone else out and about, and I’m guessing that it’s a pretty popular spot to walk and bring children during the warmer months. Add the neighboring school’s athletic fields and I can imagine it gets busy during sports events.
- Uses: Walking, playground activities, field sports, birthday parties, etc., It’s a very nice neighborhood park, but nothing mind-blowing.
My Stats:
- Duration: 21 Minutes
- Pace: 34’35”
- Average Heart Rate: 105 BPM
- Max Heart Rate: 122 BPM
- Active Zone Minutes: 2 Zone Minutes
- Steps: 1,505
- Calories Burned: 134
My Gear:
- Columbia Windbreaker/Rain Jacket in Teal
- 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
- Star Wars Chewbacca Hoodie
- 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
- Good2Go Reversible Yellow Raincoat
The Verdict
Not anything too mind-blowing here, but I did appreciate the bridges so I gave it an additional half-star.
The creek is cool, but otherwise it’s a pretty basic park. And it was pretty beat up today.
Lots of good sniffs, but I got a blackberry thorn stuck to my head! I did get to jump over a tree, though, which was fun, but it was also a short walk and real wet.
We all seem to agree that this park offers nothing too unexpected, at least for our purposes. It’s a nice, quiet walk, but is small and was in rough shape at the time of our visit.
That's All Folks!
And just like that, Outings! is back! I gotta say, I missed these little jaunts into my city, adventuring parks I never even knew existed. But what I miss even more is actual hiking. I have a little something something planned to scratch the particular itch, so stay tuned in the coming weeks.
As of this writing, I am planning to be back with a writing related post on Friday, so you should see me again on the blog before the end of the week!
Until then, Bloggos!
BZ
