Heading to the Lakewood Mall or running some errands near the western border of Lakewood and Long Beach? Consider making a stop at one of our favorite less-busy parks.
If you live in or around Lakewood, you probably know the classic parks in Lakewood: The “Cinderella” Park, Del Valle Park, Bolivar Park – but you may not have been to Biscailuz Park in Lakewood. It’s off two major streets, but without an easy way to see how you get too the park, it’s a little under rated.
It’s also, in our experience, way less busy than those other parks. Which can sometimes be a big benefit for us! Sure, sometimes my kids are eager to meet new kids and play with them. But sometimes my kids just need to get their crazies out without a crowd!
And with it’s two giant play structures, sports fields, and ample picnicing opportunities there’s a LOT to love about Del Valle.
But before you head over, keep scrolling for our pro-level tips for visiting Biscailuz Park in Lakewood.
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Planning a Visit
Biscailuz Park is located in Lakewood off Candlewood and Paramount.
It is near the Lakewood Mall, so it’s a great option if you have some errands to run and need to give the kids a little time to run around. However, it’s also a little off the beaten path, as you can’t just arrive at the playground from one of those major cross streets. You have to drive through the neighborhood, so even if you’ve seen it as you drive by, you may have given up on actually going there. But you should absolutely plan to go there!
Here’s the address, for your GPS purposes: 2601 Dollar Street
NOTE: Just west of the park, Candlewood becomes Market, so if you’re on the West or North side of Long Beach, you’ll be taking Market St. to get there!
What is Parking Like?
There is no dedicated parking lot at Biscailuz Park, so be ready to park on Dollar St. Dollar St. has the park on one side and homes on the other, so remember to be respectful while parking in a residential area.
What Facilities are at Biscailuz Park?
For a small, quiet park, Biscailuz Park has some great facilities!
- A large playground with separate “Big Kid” and “Little Kid” play structures
- A city-run cooperate preschool playgroup, called Tot Lot
- Two basketball courts
- One baseball diamond
- Shaded picnic structures
- A community room
Is Biscailuz Park gated?
One of our absolute favorite things about Biscailuz Park is that the “Big Kid” and “Little Kid” structures are next to each other – and both the “Big Kid” and “Little Kid” structures are enclosed! Lots of parks have the little kid playgrounds gated, but for those of us with kids in different age groups, this park is perfect!
Is Biscailuz Park on a busy street?
Biscailuz Park is located off Candlewood St., which is a very busy street. However, the entrance to Biscailuz Park is on Dollar Street, which is a very sleepy residential street. The playground is enclosed and if your kid runs past the playground to the baseball diamond – there’s a fence separating that from Candlewood as well! So, basically, unless your kid runs several blocks and through a neighborhood, you’re pretty well protected!
How are the bathrooms at Biscailuz Park?
The bathrooms are very clean and well maintained. They’re locked nightly and are generally well stocked with toilet paper and hand soap. The bathroom only has air driers for hands though, so if you’ve got a fussy toddler (like mine!) you may want to bring something to help dry!
The bathrooms are located just to the right of the playground near the community center.
Does Biscailuz Park have sand?
Biscailuz Park definitely has sand! A lot of it! The good news is, it’s really nice, fine, clean sand! There are a few spots with rubber flooring, but they’re few and far between and pretty worn out. If you want to get to almost anything in the playground, it’s probably surrounded by sand!
There is a path around both structures and between the two structures. So if you’re pushing a stroller you can get around to see everything easily. You can also access two of the infant swings via rubber matting without having to walk across sand.
Is Biscailuz Park accessible for kids of all abilities?
Unfortunately, Biscailuz Park is very heavy on climbing and very heavy on sand. If you’re looking for a more accessible option nearby, parts of Del Valle park might be a better option.
Does Biscailuz Park have shade?
The play structures at Biscailuz Park are in full sun all day long. However, there are two shaded picnic tables (one large and one small) inside the gated playground and 3 shaded picnic tables outside the gate.
How many swings are at Del Valle Park?
Biscailuz Park has one swing set that includes 2 “Big Kid” swings and 4 infant swings.
What is the best age range for Del Valle?
The Little Kid play structure is perfect for kids 5 and under. It’s got lots of ways for little legs to climb, slide and pretend play.
The big kid playground is best for school aged children 5 to 11.
Is it a good place for a picnic?
Biscailuz Park has lots of great places to enjoy a picnic with your kids. As you arrive, there are 3 tables under a shaded structure, in addition to 2 picnic tables inside the gated playground. We especially love the child sized picnic table by the Little Kid play structure.
If you prefer a blanket picnic, there are some large beautiful shade trees just outside the playground gates as well. This is a perfect spot if your kids have a hard time taking a break for snacks if they’re close to play equipment. The grassy area is very far from the street, so kids can still run around, play tag, ball, frisbee, etc., while enjoying a picnic lunch.
Can you have parties at Biscailuz Park?
City of Lakewood does issue permits for structures and facilities to residents, such as the picnic structures or community rooms. If they are not reserved, they are available for use on a first come, first come basis.
As of this posting (check here for the latest information), you can hold casual parties with your own set up in the grassy areas, too. No bouncers, full tents, or food trucks, taco trucks, etc are allowed.
You also may not hold a party within a fenced in playground, so setting up shop inside the Little Kid Playground wouldn’t work. Instead, set up your party on the grassy area next to it.
What do we love most about Biscailuz park?
We absolutely love that this is a gated playground that encompasses both a Little Kid and Big Kid Playground. So many playgrounds only have the Little Kid playground enclosed, which is great for littles, but is challenging when you have kids of different ages that both want to play. As a little bonus, there are benches, facing both structures, right down the middle of the playground. This is perfect for keeping an easy on on kids no matter which structure they’re using.
The Big Kid playground is almost overwhelming to look at with so many different options of ways to climb! From rock walls to rope walls to uneven structures, there’s no shortage of creative ways to play! My kids love to run in and create their own obstacle courses throughout all the various features.
The central focus of the Big Kid playground is a very tall – very steep – slide. In a normal playground, that might cause worry if you’ve got teeny kids mixing with bigger kids. But we absolutely adore that the only way you can get to the top is a ladder requiring some unique coordination. If you can get to the top, you can slide down! This is really helpful in helping kids discover their own limits.
Of course, you can have all the swings and rock walls and slides you want, and my kids will always – always – end up playing in the tiny red car. It often serves as the central focus of pretend play for my kids as they “drive to the park,” “take each other on rides,” “drive through McDonalds” and anything else their imaginations can come up with!
As a fun, quirky, last thing to love, we LOVE that the Little Kid Playground is built from recycled materials! Make sure to show your kids this cool sign talking about how the Little Kid Playground was made! This is always a great conversation to remind my kids the importance of recycling. I mean, if it makes them think they can get cool new playgrounds out of the things we recycle, we’ll take it!
