The biggest parks in Meridian

Meridian's biggest and newest regional park, and the one that stretches furthest across ages: a toddler structure and mild splash pad at one end, zip lines and a climbing wall in the middle, then a skatepark, sand volleyball and a WiFi shelter aimed at teenagers. A separate sand-and-water area lets kids dig and work hand pumps, so pack a change of clothes. The bike park, pump track and skatepark all close when the weather turns wet.

• Playground
• Splash pad
• Restrooms
• 3 shelters
• Off-leash dogs

The strongest all-round pick in Meridian for little kids: tot lots and bucket swings next to a structure built for two- to five-year-olds, a splash pad, and stocked ponds with a dock built for wheelchair access. Nine parking areas and five shelters mean it absorbs a crowd, and the bandshell carries summer concerts.

• Playground
• Splash pad
• Restrooms
• 5 shelters
• Fishing

The city calls this playground universally accessible and backs it up with ramps onto the main structure plus a separate castle sized for two- to five-year-olds. The splash pad is deliberately mild, using ground-level jets rather than the tipping buckets that startle younger kids. Ballfields and courts fill with league play on summer evenings, so mornings are the calmer window with a toddler.

• Playground
• Splash pad
• Restrooms
• 3 shelters
• Fishing

Thirty acres built around a tribute theme, with a stocked pond, five multi-use fields and a playground that has its own small first-come shelter beside it. Worth knowing before you drive out: the water feature here is ornamental, so it is no substitute for the splash pads at Settlers or Kleiner.

• Playground
• Decorative water feature
• Restrooms
• 2 shelters
• Fishing

One of the older parks in town and the leafiest of these ten, with mature cottonwoods shading much of the ground and a pond at the centre. Three youth baseball diamonds, four shelters and a restroom fill out the rest.

• Playground
• Restrooms
• 4 shelters
• Fishing

A dependable neighbourhood park in southwest Meridian: playground, restroom, ballfields and one large shelter seating around a hundred. It changes character in the off-season, when a free nine-hole disc golf course runs from roughly October into the middle of March.

• Playground
• Restrooms
• 1 shelter

Two playgrounds sit alongside a skatepark covered in hand-painted murals, which makes this an easy call when one child wants swings and an older one wants a board. A full-size basketball court and an outdoor gym round it out along Linder Road.

• Playground
• Restrooms
• 2 shelters

Meridian's oldest park, and the only one here with a public pool on site; the pool keeps its own season and admission. The blue shelter sits right beside the playground, the Bark Park next door handles the dog, and downtown Meridian is a short walk away.

• Playground
• Restrooms
• 2 shelters
• Off-leash dogs
• Pool

Eleven acres tucked behind Mountain View High School, covering what a short outing needs: playground, restroom, shelter and a lot to park in. The pond is ornamental rather than stocked, so leave the rods at home.

• Playground
• Restrooms
• 1 shelter

A farming theme runs through this one, from the tractor-shaped playground to benches built to look like hay bales, on land donated from the family farm that once occupied the site. A small water-wickets feature stands in for a splash pad. One catch worth planning around: it doubles as the playground for the elementary school next door during school hours.

• Playground
• Water wickets play feature
• Restrooms
• 2 shelters