Hartley Playscape

Hartley Park is a beautiful nature area up near Woodland that has a great nature center, trails for hiking, mountain biking, and cross country skiing, a pond and rivers, a fantastic climbing tree, and a playscape park for little kids.

While my bigger kids are fans of the biking trails and climbing tree, the toddler loves the playscape.  It is located inside a deer exclosure and is only open during the hours the nature center is open.  It is also only available at times that there are no camps, story times, or other nature center events.  Within the exclosure there is also a stage with seating and a yurt.

• They have a great water feature that is like a continuous creek that where there are no worries about kids getting swept along downstream or deep spots.  Warning: they will get in it and they will get wet.
• Big sandbox
• Ropes tied around a bunch of trees
• Little plastic toddler slide with steering wheel
• Paths
• A lot of sticks of all shapes and sizes
• Toy box full of trucks, boats, and buckets

Duluth Parks page

Hartley Nature Center page

Lafayette Park

Lafayette Park is on Minnesota Point, about 2 miles down the road after you cross the aerial lift bridge.  It has a community center, beach access, baseball field, community garden, tennis courts, and playground.  The entire square is fenced, which is good because there is a good amount of traffic on Minnesota Ave during the summer and it is right on it.  The only thing that would be better is if the entrance had a gate too.

The playground is a sand surface with a structure featuring:

• 2 baby swings
• 2 swings
• Steering wheels
• Ball maze
• Tic-tac-toe spinners
• Pull-up bar
• Track glider
• Stairs/ladders
• Bridge
• 1 double slide and 1 slide
• Fireman pole
• Digger
• Speaking tube

There is also a little plastic toddler structure off to the side in the shade of some tall trees.

Duluth Parks page