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Irvine, CA

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Northwood Community Park

4.6 (35 reviews)
Closed • 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

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Lizelle P.

Now this is the mother of all parks! Nicknamed Castle Park, my kids can spend hours here pretending to be royalty! The castle is huge with a rocky moat. It's harder to keep an eye on them due to the size of the castle so be prepared to be on your feet and get some steps in. There is lots of sand. Play structures, swings and rocking horses too. There's a picnic table and ample parking. Enjoy!

Castle Northwood Part 1
Caitlin V.

Northwood Community Park is clean and you can easily find parking onsite. My 2-year old loved Castle Northwood. She especially loved the swings and slides. She has to be on the swing for a minimum of thirty minutes or else she throws a tantrum. After an hour at the park, she cried when we left. That usually happens, so it wasn't a surprise. I like that there are so many themed parks in the OC area. We try to go to a different park every weekend. Please let me know if you have any recommendations for me.

Sharon H.

This park is really nice (minus the sand - hence the 4 stars). It's big, relatively clean, nicely spaced out, ample rocking horses and swings. Nice grass fields, handball and b-ball half court. A plus about this park is that parents actually watch their kids, rather than bring their kids to the park so that can play on their phones. Smh. Anyway, I recommend this park to others.

The Bridge of Doom. I've seen way too many kids slip and fall here. Please add traction!
Nicole S.

We love Castle Park! There is so much to do here -- it's difficult to get kids to leave. Not only is the park and playground great, but there is a nice little walking track that goes around the baseball/soccer field. Everything at this park is what you'd expect from an Irvine park: clean, fun and family-friendly. The only downside is that there isn't enough shade around the playground equipment. Mid-day can be especially brutal as the hot sun bears down. We resort to playing for a while, then taking a break to sit underneath one of the many trees around the outside of the playground. ETA: Actually, there is a part of the park to be aware of, which I like to call the Bridge of Doom. It's really slippery, and always has sand on it, which makes it extra slippery. I've seen many kids and adults slip and fall straight on their behinds on the bridge, especially if they walk on it slowly. I really hope the parks department puts some traction down or something to prevent people from slipping!

Castle fun!!!!
Jennifer F.

Behold in all it's vast glory: the Northwood Community Park It's other moniker is being known as Castle Park. The most epic of epic playgrounds. The castle wraps around the play jungle gym area. A rocky moat encompasses the castle's walls. If you have little ones around 1-3 I would keep your eyes glued and your hands ready. The rocks are extremely craggy and appear extremely dangerous if a kid were to misstep, the child would undoubtedly bash their head against said rock. So please be alert, don't let your monkeys run amuck. I would not let your kiddos run around with out their shoes, although the park is immaculate and the layout exceptional, I had some issues running around with out my shoes on. Just a warning. Otherwise this park is full of goodies! If you want your family to feel enchanted and like royalty then bounce on over to Castle Park, have your child be the hero and save the princess from the tallest tower. Two play areas are present, this playground is more for the 5-12 age group. Their is a long firefighter sliding pole that serves as an exit route for those who are 'trapped' in the tallest tower of the castle.

Northwood Castle
Chris C.

Known by the locals as Castle Park, this is the perfect local neighborhood park with everything you could need: -- Playground with multiple play structures, slides, and swings. -- Northwood Castle is great for pretend play. -- Two tennis courts. -- Two full sized soccer fields. -- A baseball field. -- Benches and areas to picnic. -- A permanent memorial for locals who have lost their lives in the recent wars.

Boys having fun on the castle forts!
Grace L.

This park is perfect! Very clean! Small shaded area. I recommend putting on sunscreen! The castle is neat... it has a manly touch to it! My son loves the castle. It offers both sand and foam pads. There are picnic tables and trees. What a beautiful park! And the bathroom is very clean! Kudos to that!!! ;)

Castle Northwood

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13 years ago

Good playground but adults beware: Accidents can happen. I fractured my pinkie on a fall.., cinco de mayo.

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11 years ago

Great little gem. There are so many nice parks in Irvine but this one is my kids favorite. Lot's of little play areas.

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Ask the Community - Northwood Community Park

Are there reservations or park permits for childrens' birthday parties?

Hi Rainelee, Northwood Community Park has the following amenities available for reservation: Multipurpose Room… 

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Review Highlights - Northwood Community Park

“Behold in all it's vast glory: the Northwood Community Park It's other moniker is being known as Castle Park.”

Mentioned in 7 reviews

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3.5 mi•Westpark

Hands down one of the cleanest, most convenient parks in the Irvine area!…read more There are several baseball fields, tons of gated tennis courts, playgrounds for the kids, countless picnic areas that are numbered for parties and gatherings. I think what makes this park stand out is the crowd. Any park can be beautiful but, without the proper maintenance from the park crew (and most importantly the park goers) it doesn't stand a chance. You see tons of regulars here with their dogs, families, kids. Everyone is friendly and respectful of one another. The dog crowd at this park is also one of the best I've seen. Although the park is not off leash, there's wide open areas for you to allow your fur family to play catch, run around, and have a bit of freedom! They do have a couple of posts that have doggie bags however, they run out quick so please do come prepared with your own poop bags just in case! There are plenty of water fountains throughout with water filling stations attached, so don't forget a bowl for your fur family!!

Okay, Derek W, this one's for YOU - although not as thoroughly documented. You win THAT hands down!…read more What a LOVELY Memorial community park! This park epitomizes Irvine's commitment to family spaces and community celebrations. Just the weekend before was the large, annual Memorial Day celebration and service for those who served in the US military. Some areas were still marked off, so we could see how large that event is and judging by the size of this park, it could well handle all who attended. On this day, there were many families enjoying the kid friendly play areas, a church group holding services under one of the many picnic shelters, another small group enjoying Tai Chi, a couple taking - I'll assume - engagement photos in the Formal Garden and fountain area, as well as others relaxing under trees and jogging along the winding paths. There are 3 massive fields conformed for baseball as well as soccer, and a forth, the Deanna Manning Stadium softball field, which is even larger than any of the other 3 fields and has it's own designated entry. Even batting cage areas! 6 courts - I'll presume for either tennis or pickle ball, the current rage, and plans for a future gymnasium, and community center. Additionally, there are open play areas, "informal gardens" and rock + water feature. The park runs along the San Diego Creek Channel with TONS of parking and so much to see and do! We pulled in looking for a restroom - lots of those too! - and stayed longer, exploring just the elevated Memorial Wall, Amphitheater, Formal Garden and 2 kid play areas. What can I say, I'm a sucker for elevated walkways and splash pads - don't judge! Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park is an OUTSTANDING example of community pride, civic responsibility to honors those who have served, and positively the best use of park land I have seen in Southern California! A BIG CHEERS! "CC"

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"Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them." --Thom Jones

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Heritage Community Park is a nice place to come. I happened to be here on a mid Saturday in…read moreSeptember 2026. It was an unexpected stop, but it was nice to just chill out and enjoy the Irvine community. I was here at Heritage Community Park for about 2 1/2 hours. After having brunch with my family at the Broken Yolk Café - Irvine after taking the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from LAX, we ended up here after swinging by the house and picking up their tennis gear and headed here for warm ups and tennis matches. It was nice to just sit here and watching my nephew play tennis and remind myself that I used to play tennis, but never got any good because I never really was good to begin with lol. I just loved to serve hard. In any case, I spent a large chunk of my time here at Heritage Park watching him play 3 matches over the course of 2 1/2 hours. The day got warm, so I found some shade near the tennis courts. I managed to nod off for 10 minutes while cooling off. It was cool to see the park and all the families that was here that morning and me being a tourist. It reminds me that I could still pick up tennis if I wanted to, hopefully I can find my tennis racquet somewhere in storage. It was also nice that there is restroom facilities here at Heritage Community Park too. The overall experience here at the Heritage Community Park here in Irvine, California was good and very nice after a day of travel from Honolulu to Los Angeles, and then a short trip to Irvine. The park itself isn't that large, but it does have a lot of tennis courts. My sister said Irvine community has a big tennis engagement thing and it shows that young people embrace it wholeheartedly. I thought that was pretty cool. The park itself is well maintained by the city of Irvine and there's a lot of trees everywhere to shield anyone and everyone from the heat during summer time and maybe the wind sheer during the winter months. From where I was, there wa at least 4 full sized tennis courts here and I was situated next to the parking lot. There wasn't much sitting areas to view, but I got lucky with a wall and shade from the trees. For the most part though, I ended up drifting off to sleep a few times, because I was jetlagged, but I was awake for most of the matches my nephew was in. Heritage Community Park is located in the heart of Irvine, California. There's also a spot for barbecues and soccer fields too. This park is particularly massive and I just stayed for the tennis matches. It's located in the heart of Irvine, California at 14301 Yale Avenue. Like all municipal parks, there's no admission fee to enter the park. Although there is rental fees associated with some on site equipment and things, majority of the park is free to enjoy with friends and family. As far as parking goes, there's a large and generous parking area for anyone and everyone who wishes to park here. And if you like public transportation, choose the routes that's best for you to get here to Heritage Community Park in Irvine. Never thought I'd be here to see people play tennis while on vacation, but here I was. It was cool and a nice change of pace when I am traveling. If you need that downtime and in Irvine, consider coming here to Heritage Community Park. Definitely will lift your spirits for a day or two. I'm happy that I saw my nephew play tennis. Hoping he'll make it to the pros someday. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! A+

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Heritage Community Park - Community Center

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Northwood Community Park - parks - Updated November 2026

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