UPDATED REVIEW OF MCGRIFF PARK, NORTH OGDEN, UT

2950 N 900 E, North Ogden, UT 84414 

9/2022

This is a park in North Ogden designed for toddlers. It has a small pirate themed play structure specifically designed for 2-5 year olds with a wood chip base surrounded by multiple circling sidewalks that extend out for scooters or small bikes, Gaga ball pit, 2 regular swing and 2 toddler swings, paved running/walking track surrounding a single soccer/football field at the top of a hill above the playground (no sight line to the playground) and a large parking lot it shares with a LDS church to the south. There are also restrooms near the playground at the park and a covered pavilion. 

Above the play structure there are some water friendly gardens (wood chip base), a set of rock stairs that lead up to a future picnic table area, when the back ordered tables arrive and a tables with umbrellas for congregating around or to hold water bottles. 

The small pirate ship play structure is rated for 2-12 year olds. It is probably best used by the 2-5 crowd. This is the city's newest playground and the designated "toddler playground" with elements for younger kids, smaller structures, circling sidewalks for scooters and small bikes and lots of plants and landscaping. 

My 6 and 8 year olds have come here multiple times to ride scooters on the sidewalks. The upper loop has quite a steep downhill and they love racing down. The corners can be a little tight, but they only have fallen a couple of times and then gotten the hang of slowing down on the corners. 

Because it is a popular scooter spot both for scooters and also people walking to the park with strollers, it is pretty common to find bikes, scooters or strollers in the middle of the sidewalks. For the most part, people seem to be pretty ok if you just move their items to the side for access. A nice feature to add would be bike racks or specified places for kids vehicles and/or strollers. 

There are 2 more tall "tables" with umbrellas made out of old cable spools and a concrete bench under a shade tree. 

There are 2 regular swings and 2 toddler swings to the west in a separate circle.

There are 4 separate benches at the playground, all under shade trees most of the day. 

Unfortunately, all 4 can only be accessed by walking through the wood chips, making it inaccessible to many with mobility issues or in wheelchairs.

I love that they kept all the existing shade trees and made places to sit under all the trees. 

One of the sidewalks connects to a hexagonal gaga ball court with a wood chip base. A local Boy Scout troop built and donated to the city a few years ago. Kids at the grand opening had a lot of fun playing the game together. 

Update: 08/2023 The last element of this park has been installed. McGriff park was planned to be a learning park, where native drought tolerant plants were planted and signs teach you about the plants. 

Update 05/2023: Thanks to a donation from a resident of North Ogden, McGriff park now has a free little library in the playground. Anyone can bring, trade or take children's books from the little library. 

Pros:

- brand new toddler playground with a few elements like swings and gaga ball pit for older kids

- nice half mile walking/running track above playground

- restrooms and covered pavilion near playground

-circling sidewalks with varying slopes for scooters and walkers

-learning garden with signs for plants and natural elements

-free little library on playground

- covered and uncovered picnic tables including toddler sized table above playground

- 3 shaded benches

- large parking lot with ample parking spots

Cons:

-no line of sight between track and playground or connecting path between the two

- main structure, swings, or benches not wheelchair accessible

- no handicap parking spots at the park (parking lot not owned by city) 

6/2022 UPDATE: 

This is a wood chip based playground geared towards toddlers and preschoolers aged 2-5. Park amenities include a pirate play structure, 2 regular swings, 2 toddler swings, a gaga ball pit, looping sidewalks for bikes/scooters, a walking track above the playground, large grass fields, covered picnic tables, 4 benches under shade and restrooms. 

There is a Gaga Ball pit near the playground with a wood chip base. A video with the rules and demonstration can be found here. This was built by a local Boy Scout troop and donated to the park. You can use playground balls like this or we like to use the soft 8-9 inch inflatable balls you can buy at grocery stores or Walmart. 

2021/2022 UPDATE: Playground is closed for remodel. This is the site of a new toddler specific playground with a pirate theme. There is a small pirate ship play structure and a set of 4 swings with connecting circling sidewalks for scooters and gardens. Playground is under construction and hopefully will be finished summer 2022. 

2018 REVIEW: 

This is a neighborhood park one block below an elementary school in North Ogden. It has a small colorful playground with a wood chip base, a very large parking lot it shares with a LDS church and a paved running/walking track surrounding a single soccer/football field at the top of a hill above the playground. There are also restrooms at the park and a covered pavilion. 

The play structure is identical to the Lomond View Park just a different color scheme. The play structure is rated for the 2-12 year old age group, meaning it has at least one element suitable for a 2 year old (the small double red slide) . On the back side of the structure it has two open panels, one with a ladder at 5 feet and one with red disks that swirl at 3 feet, where a toddler could walk off or fall. Because of these areas it may not be suitable for younger kids without adult supervision. But this playground does not have a fireman's pole and the tube slide is enclosed. 

The walking park at the top of the hill is pretty popular in the evenings and people walk their dogs in the park too. When I went on a Wednesday evening around 6:00pm there was a boys league football team practicing on the field. Both the huge parking lot and the walking path would be a good place for younger kids to ride bikes at during the less busy times during the day. Note that because of the location of the track at the top of the hill there is no line of sight from the track to the playground if you wanted to run and keep an eye on kids at the playground. Next time I am at this park I will try to get pictures of the track and add them to the review.

Pros:

- nice walking/running track

-restrooms available

-covered pavilion

-lots of parking in lot

-clean but older faded playground rated for the 2-12 yr age group.

Cons:

-no line of sight between track and playground

-no swings

-not handicapped accessible

Aerial photographs of park supplied by North Ogden Resident Chad Roylance.