boiseparks

Shadiest Boise parks

Boise summers run hot and most playground equipment sits in full sun. These 46 parks are rated leafy — dense mature tree cover, measured from the city's tree inventory as trunk diameter per acre. 34 of them have a playground, and a handful pair that shade with a splash pad or pool.
46 parks rated leafy 34 with a playground Splash pads

Shady parks with a playground (34)

Dense mature tree cover with a playground under it — the ones worth driving to on a 95° afternoon. Ranked by Parent Score.

# Park Area Restrooms Score
1 Terry Day Park Central Bench Year-round 9.3
2 Camel's Back Park North River Year-round 9
3 Cassia Park Central Bench Seasonal + portable 9
4 Castle Hills Park North River Seasonal + portable 9
5 Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park North River Year-round 8.8
6 Phillippi Park Central Bench Seasonal only 8.8
7 Ivywild Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8.5
8 Julia Davis Park North River Year-round 8.5
9 Owyhee Park Central Bench Seasonal + portable 8.5
10 Peppermint Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 8.5
11 Baggley Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8.3
12 Catalpa Park North River Seasonal + portable 8
13 Eagle Rock Park North River Seasonal + portable 8
14 Manitou Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8
15 Shoshone Park Central Bench Seasonal + portable 8
16 Sunset Park North River Seasonal + portable 8
17 Williams Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8
18 Winstead Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 8
19 Bowden Park Central Bench Seasonal only 7.8
20 Cypress Park Southeast Seasonal only 7.8
21 Elm Grove Park North River Seasonal + portable 7.8
22 Willow Lane Park North River Seasonal + portable 7.8
23 Fairview Park North River Seasonal only 7.5
24 Florence Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 7.5
25 Jullion Park West Bench Seasonal only 7.5
26 Morris Hill Park Central Bench Year-round 7.5
27 Sycamore Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 7.5
28 Memorial Park North River Seasonal only 7.3
29 Fairmont Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 7
30 Skyline Park West Bench None 7
31 Comba Park West Bench None 6.3
32 Nottingham Park West Bench None 5.3
33 Gordon S. Bowen Park North River None 5
34 Kroeger Park Southeast None 5

Shade and water in the same park (5)

Leafy shade plus a splash pad, fountain or pool — the best combination on the hottest days.

Park Area Restrooms Score
Ivywild Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8.5
Fairview Park North River Seasonal only 7.5
Fairmont Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 7
Comba Park West Bench None 6.3
Grove Plaza (no playground) Downtown None 3

All 46 leafy parks

Every park rated leafy, whether or not it has a playground.

Park Area Restrooms Score
Terry Day Park Central Bench Year-round 9.3
Camel's Back Park North River Year-round 9
Cassia Park Central Bench Seasonal + portable 9
Castle Hills Park North River Seasonal + portable 9
Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park North River Year-round 8.8
Phillippi Park Central Bench Seasonal only 8.8
Ivywild Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8.5
Julia Davis Park North River Year-round 8.5
Owyhee Park Central Bench Seasonal + portable 8.5
Peppermint Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 8.5
Baggley Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8.3
Catalpa Park North River Seasonal + portable 8
Eagle Rock Park North River Seasonal + portable 8
Manitou Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8
Shoshone Park Central Bench Seasonal + portable 8
Sunset Park North River Seasonal + portable 8
Williams Park Southeast Seasonal + portable 8
Winstead Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 8
Bowden Park Central Bench Seasonal only 7.8
Cypress Park Southeast Seasonal only 7.8
Elm Grove Park North River Seasonal + portable 7.8
Willow Lane Park North River Seasonal + portable 7.8
Fairview Park North River Seasonal only 7.5
Florence Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 7.5
Jullion Park West Bench Seasonal only 7.5
Morris Hill Park Central Bench Year-round 7.5
Sycamore Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 7.5
Memorial Park North River Seasonal only 7.3
Fairmont Park West Bench Seasonal + portable 7
Skyline Park West Bench None 7
Comba Park West Bench None 6.3
Nottingham Park West Bench None 5.3
Gordon S. Bowen Park North River None 5
Kroeger Park Southeast None 5
Shoreline Park (no playground) North River Year-round 4.3
Aldape Park (no playground) North River None 4
C.W. Moore Park (no playground) North River Year-round 4
Cherie Buckner-Webb Park (no playground) Downtown Year-round 4
Idaho Fallen Firefighter Memorial (no playground) North River Seasonal only 3.5
Grove Plaza (no playground) Downtown None 3
Cecil D. Andrus Park (no playground) North River None 2.5
Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial (no playground) North River None 2.5
McAuley Park (no playground) North River None 2.5
Owens Park (no playground) North River None 2.5
Platt Gardens (no playground) Central Bench None 2.5
Rotary Park on the Greenbelt (no playground) Central Bench None 2.5

Common questions

Which Boise parks have the most shade?

46 parks are rated leafy for dense mature tree cover. The top shady parks with a playground are Terry Day Park, Camel's Back Park, Cassia Park, Castle Hills Park, Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park. The full list is above.

How is the shade rating measured?

Shade is calculated from the City of Boise tree inventory as total trunk diameter per acre. Leafy means dense mature canopy; some shade means a mix of trees and lawn; full sun means little tree cover. It is a proxy for canopy, not a promise of shade over a specific bench.

Which shady parks also have a splash pad?

Ivywild Park, Fairview Park, Fairmont Park, Comba Park, Grove Plaza — these pair leafy shade with a water feature or pool.

What are the best Boise parks for a hot day?

A leafy park with a playground and a restroom, ideally with water nearby. The lists above rank exactly those, and the homepage "right now" tool factors in the live temperature and time of day.

Guides

Events at parks Concerts, movies & festivals Playgrounds ranked All 57, ranked Best for toddlers 52 for ages 2–5 Splash pads & fountains 8 water features Park restrooms 24 open year-round Dog off-leash areas 18 parks Picnic shelters 14 reservable Sport courts 42 parks Fishing spots 13 parks Greenbelt access 11 parks

Parks by area

North & NW Boise 46 parks Downtown Boise 3 parks Central Bench 12 parks West Boise 21 parks Southeast Boise 12 parks

All 94 parks on the map

Built from City of Boise open data and Boise Parks and Recreation pages. boiseparks.com is not affiliated with the City of Boise. Amenities change; check the park's official city page before relying on a specific one.