Harrison Park

Harrison Park is a nice square in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.  The street facing the playground is busy and there is a bus stop right in front, but there is also a fence to prevent kids from running into traffic.  The fence has three openings including one right at the front, which would really be much better if it had a gate of some sort.  There is a community center, picnic tables, benches, basketball court, tennis courts, and a rubber-surface baseball field called Miracle Field.  I did not notice nets on the tennis courts, but I may have just missed them.  There is also a porta-potty, but I was told there was a wasp inside.  haha

The playground has a rubber chip surface and two distinct areas.  The first has:

• 2 diggers
• Speaking tube
• 2 swings
• 2 baby swings
• Ladders/stairs
• Slide
• Steering wheel
• Gears

The second area (bigger kids) has:

• Monkey bars
• Ladders/stairs
• Fireman pole
• Bridge
• Steering wheel
• Covered slide
• Double slide
• Rock climbing holds
• Ball maze

Duluth Parks page

Merritt Park

Merritt Park is a neighborhood square with community center, hockey rink, baseball field, basketball court, and playground.  I believe this is technically in the Denfeld neighborhood and the surrounding streets are busier than some parks.
The playground is a sand surface with a rubber mat surface leading up to the accessible swing.
Other features include:

• 1 baby swing
• 2 swings
• 1 accessible swing
• 1 double slide and 1 slide
• Speaking tubes
• Ladders/stairs
• Monkey bars
• Rubber flap bridge
• Pull-up bar
• Track glider
• Balance beam

Duluth Parks page

Morgan Park

Morgan Park might be a favorite for bigger kiddos, but there is also a typical playground set for younger children too.

The park itself is a large area that features a community center, hockey rinks, basketball courts, disc golf, and volleyball court.  There are gazebos and benches along the playground areas.

The smaller playground has a sand surface and:

• 1 slide and 1 double slide
• Corkscrew
• Digger
• Tic-tac-toe
• Speaking tube
• Stairs and ladders
• "Serving area" (my kids always pretend these are ice cream shops)
• Ball maze
• 3 baby swings
• 1 accessible swing

The other area is directly across the street from the Morgan Park Middle School and has structures designed for about that age.

The surface is wood chips and some of the items I can describe (haha!) are:

• Rock wall
• Monkey bars
• Climbing hold wall
• Stepping stones
• Track glider
• 4 swings
• All sorts of slide-like surfaces and climbing/spinning/hanging items

Duluth Parks page

Blackmer Park

Blackmer Park is pleasantly shaded by large trees, right off the St Louis River in Morgan Park.  There is a softball field nearby and a path that leads to train tracks and the river.  On the day we visited, there was a lot of broken glass at the beginning of the path but as you moved toward the river, there was none.

The playground is a sand surface and has:

• Monkey bars
• Pull-up bar
• 1 slide and 1 double slide
• Speaking tube
• Digger
• Rubber flap bridge
• Tic-tac-toe
• Ball maze
• Steering wheel
• Balance beam
• Track glider
• 2 swings
• 2 very low baby swings

Duluth Parks page

Riverside Park

Riverside park is nestled into a neighborhood in far west Duluth and has a playground next to a very large field and some sort of community center building.  All doors were locked.  The park has a baseball field, basketball hoop in the parking lot, and it appears to connect to some local trails.  There is no shade near the playground so on a summer day, it gets hot.

The playground has a sand surface and features: 

• 2 baby swings
• 2 swings
• Speaking tubes
• 1 slide
• 1 double slide
• Monkey bars
• Chain/foot climbing holds wall
• Bridge
• Steering wheel
• Fireman pole
• Stairs/ladders
• Ball maze

Duluth Parks page

Fairmont Park

Fairmont Park is located right outside the Lake Superior Zoo, but it is a public park with no admission charge.  There are walking paths and a little grove of trees, and you can hear a river bubbling by.  There is a bathroom building and picnic tables.

The surface is a bit unkempt, mixing sand, grass, and weeds.  When we visited, the grass you had to cross to get from the parking lot to the playground was water logged and it was hard to not get muddy.

Fairmont has:

• 2 baby swings
• 2 swings
• 3 steering wheels
• Pull-up bar
• 1 slide
• 1 double slide
• Fireman pole
• Bridge
• Speaking tube
• Ladders and stairs
• Monkey bars
• Tic-tac-toe
• Ball maze
• Digger

Duluth Parks page

Franklin Tot Lot

Franklin Tot Lot is a little playground right next to the Coast Guard station and across Minnesota Ave from a swimming beach and parking lot.  The park is fenced along Minnesota Ave and has one dead end street and one street going straight to the Coast Guard on the other sides of the triangle shaped park.

The playground is a sand surface and has:

• 1 slide and 1 double slide
• Ladders/stairs
• Rubber mat bridge
• Speaking tubes
• Monkey bars
• Pull-up bar
• Steering wheel
• 2 baby swings
• 2 swings

Duluth Parks 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

Wheeler Field

Wheeler Athletic Complex is a huge area of baseball fields, tennis courts, a skate park, and a field house with bathrooms.
The playground is near the fields, so it would probably be great to have little siblings to play at while a game is going on for the big sibling.  It is also right next to the parking lot and has picnic tables nearby.  The playground has a sand surface, and as my 5 year old told me, "this is the Y park."  They're beginning to identify the identical play structures.  :)
This one has:

• 1 slide and 1 double slide
• Corkscrew
• Speaking tubes
• Ladders/stairs
• Rock climbing holds
• Monkey bars
• 2 baby swings
• 2 swings
• Digger

Duluth Parks page

Irving Park

Irving Park is a nicely fenced park in a rather quiet area (at least when we were there).  Interstate 35 is nearby, so there is noise from that, but it is nothing like some of the parks on main streets in town.

It has a large field area for soccer, football, and basketball courts.  There are a lot of trees bordering the park and shady areas to rest.
There are a couple of benches around the playground area, which is a sand surface.  The play structure has:

• 2 swings
• 2 baby swings
• Speaking tubes
• 1 slide and 1 double slide
• Digger
• Stairs/ladders
• Arm pedaling crank
• Monkey bars
• Fireman pole
• Corkscrew
• Tic-tac-toe spinners

Duluth Parks page

Grant Park

Grant park is a playground that we had visited right after moving to Duluth, but had completely forgotten about.  It is a really nice playground right next to Meyers-Wilkins Elementary school and has a community resource center on site.  There are soccer fields, basketball courts, and a community garden.  I did have to watch the two year old near the garden boxes since he thought it looked enticing but after that, they playground captured his attention.  The park is fenced on two sides and there is only one road nearby.  It might be a concern on school days since it appears to be the school entrance, but it was very low traffic when we visited. There are picnic tables, benches, and shade trees.  It is in full sun and we got pretty hot before 10 a.m.  I assume there are bathrooms inside the community center but there was a group using the center when we were there and I didn't want to intrude.
The playground is sand surface with some rubber mat beneath the main steps.  Some features are:

• 2 swings
• 2 baby swings
• Bouncing circle to stand on
• Rock structure (no holds)
• Rock wall with holds
• 3 slides
• Speaking tubes
• Corkscrew
• Monkey bars
• Plastic ladder nets
• Ladders and stairs
• Pull up bar
• Spinning wheel to hang from
• Fireman pole
• Steering wheel

Update August 2017: the roller slide has been removed and replaced with a wavy plastic slide.  The covered corkscrew slide has been removed and replaced with a rock wall with holds.  My boys were very sad to see the roller slide gone but it's still a quiet and large park that is very pleasant to visit.

Duluth Parks page

Washington Square

Washington Square is a nice grassy area filled with trees plus a playground area, surrounded by housing.  It is right off Superior St, but the playground is on the opposite end of the square.
The playground has a sand surface and benches and picnic tables.  Some features of the playground are:

• 2 swings
• 2 baby swings
• Digger
• Tic-tac-toe
• Gears
• 3 Steering wheels
• Monkey bars
• Fireman pole
• Ladders and stairs
• 1 slide
• 1 double slide
• Bridge
• Pull up bar
• Speaking tubes

Duluth Parks page

Observation Park

This park is part playground, part dog park.  There are two sandy playground areas separated by some great climbing boulders, a basketball court, two fenced in dog areas (one for <20 lbs), and a large field that used to hold hockey rinks.  The field is separated from the playgrounds by what I'm assuming was a warming building.  It is now a community center managed by a boxing gym.

One of the playgrounds is the "adventure ship" that we have also seen at Memorial Park and Playfront Park.  It has:

• 2 slides
• Speaking tubes
• Ladders
• Periscope
• Steering wheel
• 2 baby swings

The other playground is sort of a mystery to us.  We aren't sure if parts have been neglected and broken or what their intention is.  But things we could identify were:

• 2 side-by-side track gliders
• Swiveling wheel for hanging
• Standing bouncy circle
• Pull up bar
• Two games - an arm wrestling challenge and a broken pinball game

Duluth Parks page

Dog Park page

Portland Square

Portland Square is a large square in a neighborhood with housing on three sides and some business, including Ski Hut, on the other.  4th Street is a fairly busy road but the playground is situated a good distance from it.  There is currently one porta-potty on site.
The park has large trees and some grassy area, plus a large circular sidewalk that is great for practicing riding bikes up and down hills and there is a sprinkler in the center of the circle that we have only seen on a couple of times.
There are two separate playground areas, one for younger children and one for older.  There are no baby swings at this park.

The little kid area has:

• Gears
• Xylophone and drums
• Spinning seat
• Steering wheel
• Connect four
• Porthole
• Mirrors
• Periscope
• Steps
• Double slide

The big kid area has:

• 4 swings
• Tire swing
• Corkscrew
• 1 slide
• Triple slide
• Rock climbing wall
• Bridge
• Fireman pole
• Spinning wheel monkey bars
• Monkey bars
• Ladders and steps
• Speaking tube
• Finger mazes
• Steering wheels

Duluth Parks page

Morley Park

Morley Park is a square in a residential area with the playground area taking up half the square and the other side filled with grass and small trees.  The streets are rather low traffic and there is a decent distance from playground to street.  It is a wood chip surface and has benches and a picnic table.  There was no porta-potty when we visited.
The park is quite far up the hill and has no large trees so it gets a good amount of sun.  We like to visit on cooler days when the ample sunshine will help keep us warm.

Some features:

• Tire swing
• 2 baby swings
• 2 swings
• 2 bouncy riders
• Rock wall structure with "grill" in the middle (standing platform made up of metal bars)

There is a little structure off to one side of the playground for smaller kids with:

• Steps and ladder
• Corkscrew
• Slide

The large playground structure is almost an L-shape and features: 

• 3 slides
• Monkey bars
• Spinning oval
• Climbing wall with holds
• Ladders and steps
• Built in picnic table and benches

Duluth Parks page

Endion Park

Endion is a little sand surface playground in a square in a residential neighborhood and next door to a synagogue.  It is much like other playgrounds in the city, but also has a grassy area that would be good for tag or a little soccer practice.  Parking is on the street but we had no trouble finding a spot.  The park is surrounded on its non-synagogue sides by tall trees.  There was no porta-potty in view.

It has:

• 2 swings
• 2 baby swings
• Digger
• Speaking tubes
• Fireman pole
• Monkey bars
• Ladders and steps
• 1 slide and 1 double slide
• Corkscrew
• Tunnel connecting platforms
• Benches and a picnic table
• Tennis and basketball courts

Duluth Parks page

Woodland Rec Center Park

This playground is located right next to the Woodland branch of the YMCA.  There is also a hockey arena and baseball fields using the same parking lot.

The surface is wood chips (outdated photos) and the playground features:

• 1 slide and 1 double slide
• 2 swings
• Digger
• Speaking tubes
• Monkey bars
• Corkscrew
• Ladders and steps
• Rock wall with holds

Duluth Parks page

Hillside Sport Court Park

The hillside playground is in a residential area but borders the busier 7th St.  The playground is fenced and has a few entrances.  There is a large field to the west side of the playground that is included in the fenced area.  The parks website lists a parking lot, but close to the playground there is only street parking.

The playground is a sand surface and features:

• 2 swings
• Accessible swing
• 2 diggers
• 1 slide and 2 double slides
• Log roller
• Curved ladders and steps
• Bridge
• Speaking tubes
• Pull-up bar
• Monkey bars
• Fireman pole

Duluth Parks page

Cascade Park

This playground is located in the middle of a residential area on a rather steep part of the hill. It used to contain a waterfall with a gazebo, but the waterfall has since been routed underground.  You can still go up in a gazebo and get a great view of the harbor.

The playground is a sand surface and contains:

• 2 swings
• 2 baby swings
• 3 slides
• Monkey bars
• Digger
• Speaking tubes
• Wobbly steps
• Balance beam
• Steering wheel
• Corkscrew
• Pull-up bar
  
  
  
  

Duluth Parks page

Memorial Park

Memorial park is right downtown in West Duluth.  It is situated on the corner of Grand Ave. and Central Ave., and as you can guess by the names, they are very busy streets.  Fortunately, the entire park is enclosed by a chain link fence, minus one entrance/exit right at the corner.  It does make me a little nervous with a very adventurous two year old, but the entrance is a good enough distance from the playgrounds that I can see if he takes off before he would reach a street.

The park actually consists of two separate playgrounds but are close enough together that I wouldn't worry about kids being at both structures at the same time and trying to keep an eye on them.  Both are a sand surface with a fairly large area for kids to spread out and dig/drive trucks and not run into any other kiddos.  It is also located right next door to Laura MacArthur Elementary School (rubber tire chip surface), so if you want a lot of variety in play structures, this might be a fantastic location to go and flit from structure to park to park.

There are several benches surrounding the playgrounds, a picnic table or two out in the open and an entire pavilion filled with picnic tables.  There are three porta-potties next to the entrance.

The playground that is designed for younger kids is a ship, just like the one at Playfront park.  It consists of:

• 2 slides
• Speaking tube
• Periscope and steering wheel
• Ladders, steps

The older kid playground has:

• 2 slides
• Rock climbing walls (one with holds, one without)
• Digger
• Monkey bars
• Steering wheel
• Wobbly steps
• Speaking tube
• 2 swings
• 2 baby swings

Duluth Parks page