At 21 acres, Paradise Park is one of the oldest parks in Las Vegas. It was built in 1964 and expanded in 1977. It is a 21 acre island in a sea of rooftops and parking lots. Located between Harrison and McLeod Drive north of Tropicana Avenue, it is a green island that is off the coast of the Tropicana at McLeod Walmart asphalt sea. To make a long story short, Paradise Park is a decent spot to take a breather or exercise in a busy part of the Las Vegas valley.
Although I have lived in the Las Vegas valley since 2004, last Tuesday was my first time here. I had passed by it several times on McLeod. From the time that I spent here my impression was that it is a decent park. As far as maintaining the park, I give the Clark County Parks Department kudos for keeping it relatively clear of graffiti and vandalism. However, there is room for improvement on the grass. Instead of the golf course green grass prevalent at the parks throughout the valley, the grass here could use some watering.
From my observation, the elongated parking lot seemed to divide the park into two quadrants. The south quadrant featured the Community Center, lighted basketball hoops, softball fields, a seasonal water park, and an abundance of shaded picnic tables. The north quadrant featured a playground, restrooms, and an attractive paved red trail that encircled it. The red trail included a fitness station that seemed to be vandalism free.
Being a hiker, my favorite part of the park was the attractive red trail. Walking on it kind of felt like walking on a red version of the Yellow Brick Road. I think that the red trail created a nice color pattern with the green grass and bordering mature trees. Considering that this park dates back to 1964, I would like to think that a few of the trees must be as old as Beatlemania. The focal point of the red trail was the playground on the mound. Although this was a very short trail, I mentally connected me to the far longer nearby hiking trails that have added miles to my life.
At the time of my visit in the late morning, I felt safer in the north quadrant. In the southwest part of the park there were far less people. With safety on my mind, I passed over venturing too close to the baseball fields and basketball fields, to find out if all the men hanging out there were homeless. On the other hand, at the north quadrant of the park, there were plenty of people which created a sense of safety. I observed senior citizens and younger people bonding with their dogs. There were plenty of joggers on the attractive red trail. And families made use of the playground. Me: I walked around and took pictures. If I didn't feel safe, I would have kept my phone in the pocket and returned to my car. An additional observation I made about safety is that there were a sufficient amount of light poles including the street lights along the red trail.
As far as connectivity, it doesn't link up to trails that lead to other parks. However, when it comes to connectivity, it is easily accessible to the surrounding community and the recreation center. There is an abundance of frontage at the east periphery alongside McLeod Drive and sufficient frontage at the west border alongside Harrison. These two streets connect the park to several houses, apartments, and businesses. These nearby businesses include Dutch Brothers Coffee, Walmart, McDonald's, restaurants, and more. Being in close proximity to so many businesses and homes, this park is a convenient place for a picnic.
When all is said and done, although Paradise Park falls short of paradise, it is a good park in Paradise Township. The County has obviously put some money into the park. This includes the red trail that encircles the northern quadrant. I rate Paradise Park Three Stars meaning "It is a solid park." read more