Rob Adams Park is uniquely shaped park that is located in the Mountain Gate area. It tends to be a peaceful park that people walk their dogs through, or take their kids to to play on the jungle gym. Due to it being a neighborhood park it does have fairly regular traffic, however not everyone goes through the park, instead favoring the sidewalk that circles the park.
The park itself is 6.5 acres, although at a first glance it really doesn’t look that large. This is because Rob Adams Park is very strangely shaped, round and dimple shaped at the large end, with a heavily wooded arm that reaches up the hill and back behind the neighborhood. The path that goes through the wooded area isn’t always maintained and can be quite overgrown, so use caution if visiting.
Park features
Amenities
- Paved path
- Small basketball area
- Picnic benches and sitting benches
- Play structure
- Lightly shaded areas with trees
- Poop bags
- Trash bins
- Curbside parking
- Handicap parking (2 spaces) and wheelchair access
This park DOES NOT HAVE:
- Restrooms
- Dedicated parking lot
- Dog park
- Covered shade structures
Rob Adams Park is a small neighborhood park with limited curbside parking. Simply park at the curb and walk in! The park is surrounded by a raised embankment that protects about a third or more of the park from the road as the road curves around it. A path goes at the top of this embankment letting you keep an eye on the entire park and also connecting back down to the sidewalk below.
The ground of the park varies. It is bowl shaped, and so there are sloped areas that go down to flat places. This can be a double edged sword if you have an environmentally sensitive dog who will react to triggers appearing at the rim of the park, however it is still a good place to train as you do have distance to play with and use to help your dog.
Rob Adams Park has two fields, one in the front by the parking area, and the other to the rear of the park. For reactive and sensitive dogs the better field to use is the one to the rear.
The park patrons are not always predictable here. Although people tend to keep to themselves, the bowl shape of the park does not always lend to a clean getaway. You don’t know what triggers might be at the other side of the rim and you must walk the length of the park to get to your vehicle. If you stay on the path the entire way (which I recommend) there can be a bottle neck over at the parking area, so use your better judgement. Sometimes it’s ok to put your dog in a bit of a holding pattern to wait for things to calm down!
This is an on leash park, so obey leash laws while at the park. It is a dog friendly park and many of the people in the surrounding neighborhood walk their dogs around and through the park. During the rainy season, prepare to get a little damp! The shape of Rob Adams Park does make it get a little bit squishy with all the extra water since it’s essentially a dimple at the base of a hill. But frankly I think that can describe many places here in Oregon when it rains!
Rob Adams Park is not really used for large gatherings frequently. There is no shade, no group of picnic tables, so you’re mostly safe from crowds gathering here. The peaceful nature of this park does make it one that I frequent quite often when I’m out training dogs.
This park poses unique challenges when working with a dog who is reactive or sensitive to triggers. There are many places where triggers can just sort of appear, and while there is space to move away, there may not always be a clear shot to your vehicle should you need to abandon ship. Use caution on your visits if you have a dog who needs support while out in the world!
Explore before you go! Take a look at my recent visit to this park.
Where is it?
Rob Adams Park is in the Mountain Gate Area. From the Bob Straub Hwy, turn onto S 57th, then onto S 58th which will transform into Mountaingate Dr. It’s a hop skip and a jump away, so keep on the lookout as you drive past!
Here is the address : 890 Mountaingate Dr, Springfield, OR 97478
