We have been long awaiting the latest Edmonton nature playground to open in the city, and it looks there happens to be one good thing about 2020 (aside from the epic amount of time that we've spent outside this year). The nature playground at Wilfred Laurier Park is open and it has incredible places to climb and play, swing, and discover, hide and even plan a picnic with the family.

What we loved about the new Laurier Edmonton nature playground:

• The big slide. It's an adventure to get up to the slide - with so many ways that you can get up to slide down. Plus, it's fast! If you're an adult, it's even faster! It was easy enough for a three year old to scale, with still enough challenge for older kids to enjoy - making it a very family friendly playground.
• The coyote toddler structure climbing playground. This smaller scale playground for toddlers is unlike anything that you've seen before, with climbing holds on the playground, nooks and crannies to explore and discover, and even a tiny hammock inside to rest, and have imaginative play time.
• The climbing logs, with cables. These climbing logs are an incredible way to build agility, and practice. Even toddlers can inch across the log with the use of the guided cables.
• The bike park for older children (and younger children). As a parent of children of multiple ages, visits to the playground can become a tedious task for the older kids. Having things like the bike park adjacent to the playground makes it so much easier to bring multiple ages of kids for a family outing indoors.
• The large disc swings - it looks like there are more swings that are going to be installed in the centre of the natural swings, but we loved the wooden beams throughout the playground and continued into the swings - they added so much of a 'nature' feel to one of the traditional elements that are often overlooked in natural playgrounds.
• There are picnic areas nearby, including one that is adjacent to the playground that would make for an incredible, completely surrounded, place to have a picnic lunch or dinner at the playground. You could bring dinner, a blanket, and make for a magical playground date with the kids.

The nature playground is in the perfect spot, nestled in between two patches of trees on either side, truly making it a river valley gem for families to explore in Edmonton.

How to get to the new Edmonton Nature playground

How to find the playground: Visit Wilfred Laurier Park and park in the main parking lot. From there, follow the paved path along the way, and after about 30 meters, you'll see the playground, peeking through the trees.