Trailside Point Park
Rating
Price
Free
Duration
1.5 to 2.5 hours, which is about how long the splash pad and playground combination holds a preschooler before the heat wins
Best Ages
2 to 10 is the core, because the splash pad and the playground are the reason most families drive here, and both are aimed squarely at preschool and elementary kids. The splash pad is gentle by design, with low ground fountains, a spray gun, and four tipping buckets, so a cautious 2-year-old can stand at the edge and a 7-year-old can stand under the buckets and get drenched on purpose. The playground has both toddler bucket swings and standard swings, which is what makes a two-kid age gap workable. Tweens and teens are served differently: two lighted basketball courts, lighted sand volleyball, and a fishing lake give an 11 to 16 year old an actual reason to be here rather than standing around waiting for younger siblings. Infants are fine in a stroller under the shade structure, but there is no infant-specific play equipment.
About
Trailside Point Park is the Laveen park that families in southwest Phoenix actually use, and the reason is the combination: a free splash pad, a shaded playground, and enough court space and open ground that older kids are not just bystanders. It sits at 7215 W Vineyard Rd in Laveen Village, it is a City of Phoenix park, and everything here is free.
The splash pad is the draw for preschoolers. It is not elaborate, and that is a feature. Low fountains come up out of the ground, there is a spray gun kids can aim, and four buckets fill and then dump on a regular cycle, which is the part every child fixates on within two minutes of arriving.
A cautious 2-year-old can stand at the edge of the fountains and control their own exposure. A 7-year-old will stand directly under the bucket on purpose. City of Phoenix splash pads run a defined season, reported here as roughly the last Saturday of May through the beginning of October, with set daily hours, so check phoenix.gov before you drive out.
The playground is well thought out for mixed ages. There is one large shade structure over the sand play area, covering a big climbing structure with slides, monkey bars, and a rock wall, plus a play car that toddlers reliably claim. The swings, both toddler bucket swings and standard ones, sit outside the shaded zone, so test the seats before you put a kid in one in July.
What lifts this above a standard neighborhood park is everything around the play areas. There are two lighted basketball courts and a lighted sand volleyball court, which means a tween or teen has a reason to be here rather than waiting on a younger sibling, and it means the park stays usable in the evening when Phoenix finally cools off. There is a ramada with a grill by the lake, restrooms on site, and a lake with fishing.
If you plan to fish, check azgfd.gov for current Arizona community fishing license requirements before you buy poles.
The practical warnings are short and worth heeding. Shade at the splash pad is minimal, so bring a canopy or a large umbrella rather than assuming you will find cover. Parking is on Vineyard Road with plenty of spaces, but it is a walk from the play areas, so a wagon beats three trips.
The ground around the splash pad stays wet from irrigation as well as spray, so water shoes and a change of clothes are not optional. And there is no food on site at all, which makes the ramada and grill worth using rather than working around.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Yes
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Outdoor
Rainy Day
Not ideal
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m. from May through September. Shade at this park is concentrated over the playground's sand play area, and the splash pad itself has very little cover, so the middle of a Laveen summer afternoon means standing in full sun watching your kids. Winter and spring mid-mornings are the easy answer if you are visiting outside splash pad season.
Wait Times
No admission and no lines. On a hot Saturday afternoon the splash pad and the swings get busy enough that a small kid may wait a few minutes for a swing, and the ramada by the lake is often already claimed by a birthday party. On weekday mornings you will often have most of it to yourselves.
Nearby Food
Nothing on site, so plan to pack in. The park has a ramada with a grill by the lake and picnic areas, which makes it a good place for a cookout rather than a place to buy lunch. For food you did not bring, Laveen Village has grown a lot in the last decade and the Baseline Road and 51st Avenue corridors, along with the shopping centers near 59th Avenue and Baseline, put fast food, taco shops, pizza, and grocery stores roughly five to ten minutes away by car. If you want a sit-down meal, plan it for after you leave rather than trying to break up the visit.
Why Kids Love It
Four buckets that fill up slowly and then dump all at once, which is the single most reliable source of shrieking at any splash pad in Phoenix. Kids learn the rhythm within about two minutes and spend the next forty positioning themselves under the bucket that is closest to tipping. Add ground fountains that shoot up out of nowhere, a spray gun they can aim at each other, a big climbing structure with a rock wall and monkey bars, and a lake with actual fish in it, and there is more going on here than at a typical neighborhood park.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Check the splash pad season and hours on phoenix.gov before you go. City of Phoenix splash pads run a defined season, reported at this location as roughly the last Saturday of May through the beginning of October, and they operate on set daily hours rather than all day.
- Bring your own shade. The playground has one large shade structure over the sand play area, but the splash pad itself has very little cover, so a pop-up canopy or a big umbrella is the difference between watching your kids and enduring your kids.
- The swings sit outside the shaded zone. Both toddler bucket swings and standard swings are there, which is great for mixed ages, but the metal and chains get hot enough in July to matter. Test before you set a toddler in one.
- Park on Vineyard Road and expect a walk. There is plenty of parking but it is not immediately adjacent to the play areas, so use a wagon rather than making three trips with a cooler, a canopy, and a diaper bag.
- The ground around the splash pad tends to stay wet from irrigation as well as spray, so bring water shoes and a change of clothes and assume everyone leaves damp. Restrooms are on site.
What to Bring
- A pop-up canopy or large umbrella, because the splash pad has almost no shade of its own
- Water shoes for the splash pad, since the surrounding ground stays wet and the pavement gets hot
- A full change of clothes and towels for every kid, plus a plastic bag for the wet pile
- Swim diapers for anyone not toilet trained, which splash pads generally require
- A wagon, since parking on Vineyard Road is a walk from the playground and splash pad
- A cooler with water and snacks, because there is no food on site
- Fishing poles and an Arizona license if you plan to fish the lake, checked against current rules on azgfd.gov
Cost Info
Free Admission
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
$0 for the park itself.
Trailside Point is a City of Phoenix park with free entry, free parking on Vineyard Road, a free splash pad, and free playground and courts.
Realistically a family of four spends $0 to $25, and only on things you bring: snacks, drinks, ice, and maybe a bag of charcoal if you use the grill at the ramada by the lake.
The one thing that can add cost is fishing, since Arizona's community fishing program requires a license for anglers over a certain age.
Check azgfd.
gov for current license requirements and whether this lake is stocked before you buy poles for the trip.
Tips to Save
- There is nothing to pay for here, so the savings are in not needing to go somewhere paid.
- If your kids want water play, this splash pad does the job of a water park admission for a preschooler at zero cost, and it runs a long season, reported as running from late May through the beginning of October.
- Pack a cooler and use the ramada and grill by the lake instead of buying lunch on the way home.
- Bring your own pop-up canopy or a large umbrella rather than paying for shade anywhere else, since the splash pad has almost none.
- And confirm the splash pad's current season dates and daily hours on phoenix.
- gov before you drive out, because a closed splash pad turns a free outing into a wasted trip.
Hours & Contact
Contact
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Booking
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