Las Lomas Park doesn't look like much from the street. There's a parking lot, restrooms, a…read moreplayground, some picnic tables, and some workout stations. But looks can be deceiving, because while the park takes up just a tiny bit of Euclid Street, it extends far into the neighborhood, so it's many times as long as it is wide.
The park is just north of Las Lomas Elementary School's field, and there's a (locked) gate from school property right into the park. In fact, many of the houses whose backyards abut the park have gates leading to the park, so living nearby might have its privileges.
I came on a mission at night. My main goal was to find an open, safe bathroom to use, because I get tired of trying to sneak into fast-food place's bathrooms sometimes when I'm out on the go and absolutely need to go. The bathroom is the lowlight of the park. It's dirty, dilapidated, and gross. I thought I was going to need to use my phone's flashlight, but there are motion-activated lights in both restrooms, which is good, I guess. I kept thinking someone would emerge from the women's room as I walked past it, because those lights kept coming on, but no one was around.
There's also a Little Free Library that I didn't have time to check out properly. The dirt walking path really is the star of the show, not because it's some wonderful thing but because it's just so unexpected. One lap is one-quarter of a mile, but keep in mind that the oval path isn't technically a loop, because the end and beginning are separated by some sidewalk, so if you walk four laps, you're actually walking a little bit more than a mile, since the gap between end and beginning isn't included in the quarter-mile measurement.
There are two separate workout stations, but they're really close to each other, as are most of the picnic tables. There are also two grills. The western end of the park comprises the majority of the walking path and a bonus, hidden entrance from Durham Street, although I don't know whether this is a real entrance or forces one to trespass on private property between homes. There are signs facing that "entrance," so I assume the entire path from the street is a legitimate way to enter the park.
I spent about forty-five minutes here on a Wednesday night. There were a couple of cars in the parking lot when I arrived, but they soon left. This could be a very shady park if it were in a worse neighborhood, but I think it's fine. But don't take my word for it--everything spooks me, so I've learned to ignore my own internal warning bells, because they're always crying wolf.
I love random parks like this. How have I never noticed it before? Its low rating comes mainly from its awful bathrooms.
