This park is…wow. It is ginormous and has so much to offer. I think we may have found the best park in Johnson County, but our tour isn’t over yet so I will reserve judgement until the end of the summer! Because this park is so huge I’m going to write this up a little differently than usual so I can cover it all!
Blackhoof Park at Lake Lenexa
9053 Monticello Road, Lenexa, KS
What we love about Blackhoof Park:
The Little Playground: This playground is perfect for the preschool set. Lots of fun activities like slides, a narrow stationary bridge, and my daughter’s favorite: a steering wheel. There are also monkey bars and their own set of rings to hang from that aren’t too high off the ground. This structure also has these hybrid-slides/climbers that are great for kids that want a slide climbing like activity when mom doesn’t actually want them climbing the slides 😉 (recently learned slide climbing is a super hot topic among park moms, lol). The bathrooms are right next to this little playground, perfect for the frequent potty breaks that 3 year olds need!
The Medium Playground: This playground is not far from the little playground and features 4 baby swings, a sand pit, and another fun play structure. Here you’ll find your average height slides and climbing structures as well as a cool climbing wall. The sand area is devoid of any diggers or toys so make sure to bring a sand bucket and a shovel for your kids to play here.
The Big Playground: This playground is at the top of the hill and nearest to the parking lot. There are 4 big kid swings here. The slides on this structure reach heights not often seen at parks these days! Gretchen went down one and was wide eyed at how fast she went. I asked if she wanted to go again and she politely said “no thank you!” I really like when big structures have normal stairs for the little kids to climb since many enjoy the thrill of the tall slides but can’t manage rock walls or tall ladders. This one had a great variety of ways kids could explore and climb to the top. For bigger kids that may feel they’ve outgrown the typical playground, this one has a ton to offer that should still excite them.
The Nature Playground: Like Franklin Park and Gezer Park there is a man-made “creek” here for the kids to play in. Unfortunately we went right before Memorial Day so it was not yet turned on. We’ll go back in July to check out that feature when it’s nice and hot out! Even without that feature there is plenty to do over here. Logs and stumps for the kids to walk on and large rock formations perfect for climbing. This is a shady and cool area of the park to retreat to in the middle of the day. Water fountains and the trail connecting to the rest of the walking paths at Lake Lenexa can be found down here.
Other things to know about Blackhoof Park:
– Lake Lenexa is 35 acres and open to non-motorized boats as well as fishing. They is a really cool damn that you can explore.
– There is another small playground right by the boat ramp that is on the lake. The large playground that I featured above is just up the road at the north end of the park.
– There are lots of paved trails here perfect for walking, running, and bike riding. Lots of wildlife to see as well!
Pugs Not Drugs 