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George Upton All Access Playground at Carl Thornton Park in Santa Ana

George Upton All Access Playground at Carl Thornton Park in Santa Ana

George Upton All Access Playground in Santa Ana was formerly called Kiwanis Barrier Free Playground. I believe it was one of the earliest accessible playgrounds in Orange County based on the list I’ve been keeping since 2008.

What you might not realize is that this playground is inside the expansive 30+ acre Carl Thornton Park in Santa Ana which is quite the destination close to South Coast Plaza and worth visiting in its own right for its lake and wildlife trail!

There is a parking area for Carl Thornton Park at 1801 West Segerstrom near the major cross-street of Bristol and Segerstrom. When you park at Carl Thornton off Segerstrom, you are close to the lake, a stream, a fitness court, softball fields, and a separate but sizable playground.

Directions to the George Upton All Access Playground Parking: For the closest lot to the accessible playground, you’ll want to park in a lot off West Adams Street instead! You will know you are in the right place if you see a tall blue fence. (If you find yourself parking at the lake, you will need to either walk over to the All Access Playground or get back in your car and relocate to the lot off Adams.) Now that we have that straight, the playground is in between 2 schools on Adams. McFadden Intermediate is at the corner of Raitt and Adams. Jefferson Elementary is past the playground on Adams. You will turn from Raitt to Adams and then make a right on South Linda Way to dead end in to the parking lot. Parking Lot Address: Enter the address for Jefferson Elementary (1522 West Adams Street, Santa Ana) and then find South Linda Way for the playground. MAP TO GEORGE UPTON ALL ACCESS PLAYGROUND PARKING

Park Highlights

You know I have scouted out well over 350 parks in Orange County. This one REALLY impressed me. It’s huge, it’s mostly enclosed, and all the theming gives kids and their imaginations lots of stimulation!

Blue Fenced Enclosure

Let’s start with the blue fencing. It surrounds the entire park/playground area. Here is what the entrance gate looks like from the parking lot.

Just know that there is another gate on the opposite side of the playground that leads out to the massive Carl Thornton Park and paths to another playground and the lake. This is what that gate looks like from the outside (they were actively working on landscaping on my Monday morning visit).

Castle Playground (5-12 year olds)

Castle themes are always popular and I love the touches on this one! Plus it’s just HUGE. It’s hard to convey the scale of how big this playground feels.

There are so many directions to go once you get up on the ramps. And there are lots of climbing opportunities from below. There are cute little window boxes on the towers. And this slide that is heading off to the right is really wide at the bottom with a curve! I wanted to try, but it was still wet from the dew.

There is even a roller slide on this structure to engage child tactile systems — and lots of bridges and arches to cross.

Those who were fond of the old grey fortress . . . they kept the old castle formation above the new structure. Now it has slides going down the hills — all reachable by paved paths.

And here is the view from up at the castle on the hill! Can you see the blue telescopes mounted on the gray fence?

Pirate Ship

The pirate ship is a little closer to the ground than the big castle structure. It has some smaller slides and lots of pretend play elements. In the photo below, you can see that the accessible part of the structure is on the right from this view. Then there are steps leading to the left side of the structure. You can enter the equipment from the front via the steps.

Or you can go on the path around back and reach it on a flat surface in a more accessible entrance. See the cannons and sails?

Garden and Nature Themed Playground (2-5 year olds)

Of course your kids will probably want to play everywhere, but this is the equipment that’s rated for preschoolers. Opposite from the castle and pirate ship sits the swing set, a 4-person teeter-totter, stand alone playground activity panels with fine motor play that encourages cognitive development and works for little ones + are also at wheelchair height. Those are all near this little playground with toadstool steps.

It’s actually nice to have this litte area away from the big kid equipment.

And the swing set is awesome! There is one Friendship Swing with two seats which is good for siblings, friends, and even caregivers + children. It’s good for co-regulation. Then one molded bucket seat swing for 2-5 year olds. One bench swing. 2 traditional baby swings.

Finally, there’s a green OmniSpin Spinner near here, too.

In Between Blue Playgrounds Under the Flower Shades

In between the Castle and Pirate Ship, there are is a We-Go-Round, a blue Roller Table and some other spinner equipment that offers vestibular sensory stimulation.

This is the We-Go-Round!

I believe this park and the new Universally Accessible Playground in Fountain Valley are the only places I have seen this piece of equipment and some caregivers aren’t quite sure how it works (the kids figure it out!). But thought you might appreciate a quick video about the Roller Table for some play inspiration.

The Rest of the Fenced Park Area

There is a restroom building on location.

You’ll also find one covered picnic shelter with a blue roof set far away from the playground at the back of the park (visible in the photo below). Reservations get priority over first-come, first-serve. I put a link to reservation info in a link at the bottom of the page.

There are two campfire for group gatherings in small amphitheaters (requires reservations).

There are lovely large trees and a grassy area for shade or on-the-ground picnics.

There is a full-court basketball court lit up at night inside the gates.

Carl Thornton Park

The park is just huge! I parked in the lot of Segerstrom and walked in so I got to see a lot of the birds and wildlife that like to congregate near the lake. There are interpretive signs along the trails.

This is the OTHER playground nearest to the lake. It’s pretty big, too!

There is also a manmade stream near this playground leading into the lake. I loved hearing the sound of running water. The Fitness Court with outdoor exercise equipment is also close to the lake.

Be Aware

  • This park is especially BUSY right now because it is new. If crowds are overwhelming to you or your kids, try to come early or late (lights are on until 10pm). Avoid weekends midday.
  • Don’t count on the fences to keep your kids inside the enclosed area. Remember, there’s the gate you enter AND another gate on the other side of the playground.
  • There are obviously drop points on the taller equipment. So you will definitely need to be up there if you let your little one play up high.
  • The sidewalk through the George Upton All Access Playground is part of a walking loop route through Carl Thornton Park, so you will have walkers and joggers coming through one gate to exit out another gate.
  • Trails stay wet for a while after a rain, so try to avoid making footprints in the mud and respect closed trail signs.
  • You may want to avoid Adams Street during school drop-off in the morning and pick up around the 3 o’clock hour
  • This park has 24 hour security shared with all the Santa Ana parks along with a friendly on-site park host (Katie!) who I had the pleasure to meet with and must thank for sharing great info on the park during my visit!
Look for critters on the rock faces of the castle structure! See how many you can find!

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Parks Nearby & Park Lists