Thurston Park is a great neighborhood park that also acts as a short cut to get from E st to 64th, without having to walk through the neighborhood itself. Because of its many entrances from different parts of the neighborhood, it is very easily accessible and offers a change of scenery when you’re out for a walk.
The park is roughly L shaped and 5 acres in total, which is plenty of space to work with a reactive dog and still have your own area. As the name suggests it is a Springfield park that is located in Thurston.
Park features
Amenities
- Paved walking paths – potentially wheelchair accessible
- Basketball court
- Benches
- Play structure
- Shaded areas with trees
- Trash bins
- Curbside parking
- Open fields
This park DOES NOT HAVE:
- Restrooms
- Drinking fountain
- Dedicated parking lot
- Dog park
- Covered shade structures
Thurston park is a free park in a quiet neighborhood setting. The park is a park with a fair amount of predictability to its patrons. It is split into roughly two sides, the shorter part of the L shape, and the longer portion. At both ends of the park there is curbside parking, and the park begins right off the sidewalk. Additionally there are several entrances that lead to other parts of the neighborhood, making it very accessible to local park users.
The longer portion is a gentle walk into the park and the main feature here is the paths that meander through. The paths are paved and although not completely level, are still a very easy and gentle walk with no real sloping. The paths have lighting, so an evening stroll isn’t out of the question. In my experience people tend to stay on the paths, which means that the surrounding fields are a good place to work with your dog.
The shorter portion of the L is where the play structure, and basketball court is. People in this section are generally going to be using one of those areas, which once again lends to them being fairly predictable and thus useful when exposing your dog to these types of environments.
This park isn’t without pitfalls though. Due to its accessibility it has several paths that come into the park in addition to the entrances at both ends of the park. This means that there is a potential for people or dogs to appear from these places, luckily not all at once! Be aware of where these entrances are and you’ll be golden as there is plenty of area and space to work your dog in and around.
Overall this is a great place to take a dog who may have some issues. It is a very easy park to scout beforehand, and although you can’t see through the entire park from all points in the park, there are pretty clear sightlines in the park so you can manage, train, and prepare as necessary with your dog. Be warned that there is the potential to have blocked sightlines at the neighborhood entrances (not the curbside ones) and this is simply due to the paths being narrow and fenced on the sides.
I rate this park as being a dog friendly park and a good one to do more than just walk in! With the amount of open space, it’s a great setting to play, train, and up your dog skills.
Explore before you go! Take a look at my recent visit to this park.
Where is it?
Thurston Park is near several schools and close to Thurston road. The easiest way to get there is to drive on Thurston road, and then turn onto 64th st. Either way you go on 64th, you will hit an edge of Thurston Park.
Here is the address : 747 64th St, Springfield, OR 97478
