Equipment by Henderson.
Surface: sand.
For a city not known for its physical features, Toronto has some pretty great physical features. Its many valleys and ravines are probably my favourite, but the Scarborough Bluffs are a close second.
When people say they’re going to the bluffs, they usually mean Bluffer’s Park, part of the human-made series of breakwaters that just out into the lake, at the base of the famous white cliffs. Scarboro Crescent Park is at the top of those cliffs, looking down onto Bluffer’s Park and the lake beyond. It’s less busy than Bluffer’s Park, it’s got some nice forest trails, tennis courts, a modest splash pad, and an old but enjoyable playground.
Most of the equipment has an installation date stamp of 2004, so it’s not shiny and new, but everything works. The swings and the four-person teeter totter have to be at least 20 years older than that, and should soon be making their way to either a museum or a scrap yard. The teeter totter is a real relic, the seats are animals that look like they belong either on a 1950s carousel or in my nightmares. But of course, the kids liked them just fine.
We explored the forest trails, built a half-hearted lean-to, and looked out over the cliffs. We couldn’t get too close, of course; a fence does its best to keep people away from the apparently unstable cliff edge. There is a spot directly south of the playground where you can get a nice view of one of the white stone pillars of the bluffs. My kids took a minute to appreciate this natural wonder before turning back to the (far more exciting) sticks they had just picked up off the ground.
After an Uber Eats picnic, we warmed ourselves up on the triple slide, which was tilted perfectly towards the sun. Nice for an early April morning, but I bet it gets treacherously hot at the height of summer.
This is a nice little playground, and the setting really makes it. If the equipment were updated (my dream scenario would be a rock-climbing theme to mirror the bluffs) this would be a must-visit. As it is, this one is more about the park than the playground.
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