We often visited Westhill Park when we lived in Port Moody, so when I suggested we head back for a morning play, we figured it would be like revisiting an old friend. But when we arrived, we were in for a very exciting surprise!

It turns out that Westhill Park’s brand-new playground just opened at the beginning of July 2023. After consultation with the community, this fun new playground is well-suited for toddlers and school-aged kids. The updated playground has a toddler climber complete with a tiny seat and covered play area that my kids immediately started serving wood-chip “food” out of to any adults passing by. The toddler climber has a good balance of lower levels for little ones who need more support, and older toddlers who are keen to climb and fly down slides.

The larger play structure looked so fun that even I wanted to get up there and play! Despite being a warm day, the structure had some coverage from the covered panels at the top. The rope climber was a big hit, as were the spinning components. We have never seen leaf-shaped steps on a climber and this proved an exciting and challenging component as she figured out how to position her hands and feet to get to the top. I appreciate playgrounds such as this because I can see her problem-solving right before my eyes! Every time an element is unexpected or different than what she has experienced, she needs to find a new method of interacting with the play structure. This was especially evident in the biggest slide, a wider structure than she was used to and one that required a bit of skill to ensure she didn’t go too far on either side.

In addition to the swings, which are always a hit with my kids, the main attraction was the zipline. It was low enough for my 4-year-old to manage it on her own, but I saw some older kids get a bit more speed by pushing off faster. I love when a playground is accessible to a variety of ages!

If you want to make a day out of it, there is also a great outdoor pool at Westhill Park, public washrooms, and plenty of parking. Habitat Systems Inc are the makers behind this playground, which makes sense because many of our favourite parks are ones they have made! Check out some of their other great playgrounds here: Seriously WOW Playgrounds.

Westhill Park:

Address: 203 Westhill Place, Port Moody
Website: www.portmoody.ca