Canyon Rim Park in Anaheim Hills is right next door to Canyon Rim Elementary School and the playground got a full renovation and opened up in Spring 2025. It's also very close to the Walnut Canyon Reservoir.
Directions to Canyon Rim Park in Anaheim Hills: This is one of those parks where the map will take you to the wrong spot! Even my marker on the map looks like it's outside the park, but it is directly on the playground area if you look on satellite view. We took the 91 Freeway to the Weir Canyon Road exit and then headed towards Anaheim Hills. Go uphill a bit and take a right onto the main road running through this area of town: S. Serrano Avenue and head up that hill towards Walnut Canyon Reservoir. Turn right onto East Highcrest to enter the neighborhood. Then at the T-intersection take a quick left onto The Highlands. For the park address, use the Canyon Rim Elementary School address: 1090 S. The Highlands Drive, Anaheim. MAP TO CANYON RIM PARK IN ANAHEIM HILLS
This is what the walk-in entrance to the park looks like from the elementary school parking lot. You can't even really see the playground from here, but you can see the cut in the curb, park signage, the basketball hoop backboard, and a bit of one of the green shade covers peeking out.
The 2-5 year old playground is nicely separated from the 5-12 year old playground, but as a parent/caregiver you can see both sides.
Highlights:
My absolute favorite part of this new playground is bright and colorful yellow, green and orange toddler size picnic tables and benches on the walkways surrounding the 2-5 year old playground. They are the perfect size and so special! I have never seen them at any other park in OC.
That smaller kid playground also has musical instruments which make it lots of fun. There are also drums and more musical options over on the big kid equipment. Kids and adults of all ages played beautiful music with it when we visited. I loved hearing the giggles and sounds.
There are baby swings on the smaller playground, along with spinners and a springy teeter-totter. You can also see that there is a grouping of adult picnic tables on the basketball court side of the smaller playground where adults can sit to supervise.
The big kid 5-12 year old structure is basically two towers with 3 slides and lots of horizontal climbing opportunities like ropes and a tunnel between towers.
You get to the top of the towers by spiraling up rubber mats with rope handholds at the side.
There is a swingset with 2 bench swings and one "Friendship Swing" from Landscape Structures. I have a whole post of 15+ Parks with Swing-with-Me Swings.
There are some fun interpretive panels! We liked the gears and the rainbow colors spinner. There are balancing opportunities which make for some fun "hot lava" style games. And there is also a merry-go-round.
Finally, on clear days, there is a view from along the fence line.
Be Aware:
- This is a public park directly adjacent to an elementary school. You might want to choose to go during non-school hours and over the summer months when school is out of session? We tend to go on weekend mornings before 9am. It's cooler then and the sports practices haven't started yet. There are usually just walkers and dog walkers.
- Finding the park is hard because the official address is on Canyon Rim Road, however there is no parking there. You'll need to be up on The Highlands Drive where the Canyon Rim Elementary School parking lot is located.
- Parking will probably be your biggest issue here, so time your visit wisely outside of school hours.
- Signs posted say dogs must be on leash. However, just a note that since it's a neighborhood park and there is often no one around dogs haven't always been on leash when we visit.
- It can get very hot here in the summer. You are way inland in Orange County up in Anaheim Hills on the opposite side of the 91 Freeway from Yorba Linda. There is only a small shade cover over the smaller playground and some nice trees providing shade on the edges of the playgrounds, but I would suggest going early or late on the hotter days.
- The main picnic area is on a raised concrete area above the playgrounds, they've painted the edges of the steps in a bright yellow caution color to remind you that you will have to step down or take the ramps.
- The slides on the 5-12 year old structure are VERY high off the ground. The tallest of the three has very shallow sides.
Checklist:
- Restroom building near picnic area and playground
- Playground surface: Wood chips
- Limited free parking in elementary school parking lot outside of school hours
- Full basketball court
- Large and small picnic areas spread around the park
- Some charcoal barbecues
- Benches around the play areas and along the walking paths
- Official City of Anaheim information for Canyon Rim Park
- Official City of Anaheim Park Rules
Nearby Parks and Nature Center:
- Sycamore Park in Anaheim
- Ronald Reagan Park in Anaheim
- Fred Barrera Park in Orange
- Oak Canyon Nature Center
Photo Archive of Previous Canyon Rim Park Playground:
