Arrow Park - Springfield's Newest Bike-Tastic Park

2500 Otto Street Springfield, Oregon

Park Visit: Monday, May 5th, 2025 @ 10 AM - 11:45AM

Arrow Park is always one that people mention as a favorite! It's pretty rad! And it's Springfield's newest park, #47, dedicated in 2022. There were 300 names submitted by the community with Arrow Park being chosen to represent "forward movement and activity" (KEZI Article) The new park is sandwiched between the new build community of Marcola Meadows and an established Hayden Bridge neighborhood . It backs up to Briggs Middle School and the 2.7 mile multi use EWEB path that runs from Pioneer Parkway to 35th St., runs through it.

I've visited this park a few times with my kiddos and had mostly great experiences. I've always been taken by GPS into the new Marcola Meadows neighborhood for access via W St. and the EWEB Path. This neighborhood is TIGHT. The street parking feels...almost rude. But, sadly, there is no designated parking for this awesome park....or a bathroom! 😭 This last visit, probably our most fun, led us in through the Otto St. access where the main park entrance sign sits. I find this neighborhood to be a way better vibe and I felt parking and unloading here was much less awkward. Although, the cul-de-sac is yellow so you can't park directly in front of the park access for some reason. Because there are so many access points for this park there are actually 6 viable parking options. So far, the Otto St. entrance has the best and most welcoming vibe to me.

Park Site map

Zoomed Out Park Site Map - Parking Options

Otto St./Main Entrance and EWEB Path/Secondary Entrance

Walking in from Otto St. you're at the far West end and the entire park unfolds before you. This park is very linear with a paved path circling the entire park plus a gravel path circling the entire bike course. This is a GREAT park for walking and seems pretty accessible in terms of wheel chairs, strollers and any kind of mobility issues. I could see this being ideal if you had older kids who want to ride. You could really get a nice work out in here and still mostly be in eye sight of the kids. The large grassy area leads up to the play grounds. You'll find an access gate to Briggs Middle School on the North side and the 26th Lp/Fenya St. access path on the South side.

The play grounds are impressive! They look and feel new and are really fun, bright colors. The first thing I noticed coming up to the big play structure is how awesome this massive tunnel slide is! I love a park with

astroturf under the play structures as it makes

for less opportunities for my tot to put things

in his mouth and it's great for crawlers too!

There's a big kid structure and a tot structure - another great feature of a well designed park, although they are kind of far apart. The "secondary entrance", with park sign, is between the two play structures and accessed via the EWEB path. The park is separated from the EWEB path by landscaping and decorative fencing. The large pergola shaded picnic area houses three metal tables, two of which are handicap accessible and drinking fountains near by. There are multiple benches, trash cans and bike lock stations through out the park plus, multiple locations with doggy bag dispensers. The bicycle playground sits parallel to the picnic spot which sits parallel with the tot playground and just past all this is a pump track. Never heard of a pump track?! Yeah, me neither!!! Keep reading to find out how the heck to use this thing! After the pump track you come to the full size basketball court with a NON-adjustable double hoop set up. And then...and then you come to a full on bike course! This park has some pretty kick ass features you won't find anywhere else in town!

Covered Picnic Area, Full Size Basketball Court, Pump Track and Bike Playground, Bike Course - Pictured W/My Sons Cutest Little Light Up Balance Bike (It Comes in Pink Too!)

Double playgrounds, a big and little, have their pros and cons. As a mom to two littles it's less desirable at this stage for me, but I know soon enough it will be a huge pro. I could see this being especially true for larger families. This tot structure is a big hit with my girl! She absolutely loves the "play house" space. Apparently, it is just one giant bathroom. A table and chairs? No. That's the toilet and sink. 🤣 Say whaaat?!

I apologize in advance if you see her there telling you and everyone else to come in and go potty! Waving her finger at you while she's at it! 🫠 The "play house" also has a little "store front", an interactive clock face and the alphabet shown in American Sign Language. The tot area has a 2-in-1 swing where a big kid or adult can swing with a baby that's swinging in a baby swing. I LOVE these!!! It's such a cool and different view to get of your babe enjoying swinging! There's also a regular baby swing. The tot play structure has three plastic slides, stairs, two different climbers and two steering wheels. I appreciate that there are two steering wheels side by side. This structure is marked for ages 2-5. I wish they'd make the stairs on these tot structures more enclosed! What's up with that?

The big kid play structure is pretty epic! It's tall and has a variety of crazy climbers that kids can get to the platforms from. It's got the longest tunnel slide I've ever seen at a park! Plus, a curly slide too. There are "telephones", a steering wheel and play panels. There's a large spinner that fits like 6+ kids. It's super fun and all the kids seem to really like it plus, it's a great opportunity for the kids and parents to actually meet each other. There's a cool smaller spinner too. The large disc swing is also a favorite for my kids. But it only swings back and forth. One thing that's missing from this park are monkey bars or a zip line thing would have been a neat addition. There's two high back swings and two regular swings in this area also.

The MAIN attraction at this park is how epic it is for wheels! They call the first little bike area a "bicycle playground" and I think that's pretty fitting. This is where you see the huge iconic (can we call it iconic yet? 🤣) painted pipe that's so fun for the kids to ride through! The path is gravel and there is a wooden bridge to ride over. There's five massive red arches to ride under and three giant orange traffic "cones" to zig zag around. It's a blast!!!

I have to admit, I had no idea what the pump track was, or how to us it. It's an oval with about a 3' wide, smooth, painted, cement track that bobs up and down and curves sharp. My girl likes to try and run around it, albeit not very gracefully - especially in the rain! 🤣 Googles AI overview told me, "A pump track is a circuit of rollers, banked turns, and other features designed to be ridden by generating and maintaining speed through "pumping" – using body movements to propel forward instead of pedaling or pushing. These tracks are accessible to riders of all skill levels, from beginners to experts, and can be enjoyed on various wheeled vehicles like bikes, scooters, and skateboards." This one seems a bit on the small side but, crazy fun I am sure! I wana do it! Apparently, it's the only pump track in the area. Except for a pretty massive one at Emerald Valley BMX, which requires a membership to ride. Have any of your kiddos tried it out? Let me know in the comments or better yet, show us a video! I'd love to see this thing in action!

The bike skills course is also pretty one of a kind for our area! It's a lot bigger than the pump track! My littles and their friends had so much fun on it!!! My daughter had JUST got her new Strider Balance Bike a couple of days before we went. I waited and waited to get this thing for her. I was scouring market place and hmming and hawing over the cost of a brand new one. I saw it go on sale at Walmart and hopped on the deal. We got her LIME GREEN! It's so COOL! She LOVES it so much and took to it immediately! She's not the most coordinated so I was worried, but she really took off right away and it's helped her coordination and confidence quite a bit. I can't wait to see how much more fun she has the next time we visit with her increasing skill! These are really great bikes! They are super easy to adjust. The Strider website has a really nice "size and fit" section detailing which model is best for your kid. The two in one comes with a rocking base for teeny tots, the 14X has a pedal kit option and the 20X is an inclusive 8+ balance to pedal bike. My tiny tot practice his balance bike skills too! He rode his adorable tiny tot balance bike which has a super fun light up back wheels. Of course safety first! They both have great helmets that have the adjustable back strap so they stay secure on their precious little noggins. My girls is a fun vintage style in pink and his is a more modern speed racer red. haha Too cute!!!

My Tot on His Super Cool Light Up Balance Bike-Wearing His Red Helmet and Black Rain Jacket, My Girl Crusin' the Bike Playground on Her Strider, The Lime Green Strider and Pink Vintage Helmet

I could see this bike skills course feature being really rad for older kids and adults too. It's like a mountain bike training course. It's a gravel looped track with wooden bridges and corners, "rock gardens" and a huge ass wooden berm. One feature I thought was awesome, it has a gravel path looping the entire course. I could see a Mama of older kiddos being able to utilize this loop for a decent workout while her kids raced the course. This is really a great amenity to have in our community. It's nice to see a place carved out for older kids too.

Rock Garden, Wooden Bridge, Rock Garden, Giant Ass Berm

That being said, I have run into some trouble at this park in the past. And word on the playground is, it's no unordinary happenstance here. It didn't occur during this last visit, it was a time before. While this park is super awesome, brand new, clean, fun, and sporting unique features I must say, most of my visits have always felt a bit off, to be honest. The last visit was the first time I felt like I could put my guard down and really had a great time. It was also the only time we went with friends and ended up running into other friends. I am not sure if it's the weird parking vibes where I usually have been guided to park in Marcola Meadows or the fact that it's right on the EWEB path, maybe it makes me on guard that there's so many access points, or could just be that we've always visited on gloomy wintery days when visitors were sparse...

One time in particular we witnessed a large group of older kids being a complete nuisance, a mom calling the police after an obscenity filled argument and neighbors coming in to video the scene and add to the complete ridiculousness of the situation. 🙄 I've run into kids causing a ruckus at other parks but these kids were...angry! And the majority of them were not backing down or leaving. I felt trapped while this was going down and really uncomfortable. The neighbors that intervened seemed to know the kids, calling some of them out by name. I am always one to know my exits but, they stood in the path way we needed in order for us to leave, screaming and arguing with some of the kids. It was clear some of the kids lived in the Marcola Meadows neighborhood while others took off down the EWEB path towards 31st.

During our park adventures, I've learned that visiting parks after school time, particularly parks neighboring schools, is not something I'll be doing in the future. I was really sad and unsettled to see this kind of behavior happening in our communities' park and I felt so bad for the mom who took the brunt of it. I am so sorry that you and your kiddo had to experience that. It seems weird these kids felt the need to be right there, causing trouble in the midst of the littles playing, when they could have easily been hanging down by the bike course doing whatever the hell they wanted not bothering anyone. It's hard because I know older kids need space too. But, when you get larger groups of unaccompanied teens/preteens things can get out of hand quickly. Anyway, I was hesitant to visit again, actually. But, I am so glad we did. This really is a fun park! I hope the immediate community gets that particular situation figured out, it seems they are trying.

All in all we will continue to visit Arrow Park! Albeit, with a few things in mind...We'll be sure to adventure here during school hours, we'll go with friends and we'll always park on Otto St. from now on. Arrow park can be windy and cold so be sure to pack a sweater! My kids were sportin' their matching black Children's Place rain/wind jackets! These things are industructible! There are newly planted trees and landscaping that will eventually provide more shade and maybe some wind break too. We are lucky to have a park as spectacular as this in our community!

Otto St. access, W St. access, 26th Lp./Fenya St. access, Briggs Middle School gate

Photos From a Previous Visit: 2 in 1 Swing, Curly Slide- This is The First Time My Girl Went Down a Slide Again After Breaking her Leg on a Slide a YEAR Previously! Apparently, I am the Only Parent in the World Who Didn't Know You're Not Supposed to Slide Down Slides With Your Kids, The Disc Swing

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Let's do this thing together. 💚

Arrow Park is near the new Marcola Meadows community and Briggs Middle School. It sits between Marcola Rd and Yolanda Avenue, with 19th St to the West and N. 31st to the East. It has multiple access points through neighborhoods plus, the EWEB multi use path that runs from Pioneer Parkway to 35th St.

*This post contains affiliate links. #8 June 22, 2025