Flood Park's Playground Waited Out the Summer Heat. Its Shade Plan Rests on New Trees.

According to San Mateo County Parks, the metal slide at the new Flood Park playground went past 130 degrees at peak hours this summer. That reading held back a $4.1 million play area for most of a year. The Almanac reported that the department was watching equipment temperatures and looking for ways to shield parts of the structure from direct sun. Officials were counting on cooler weather and a lower autumn sun to let them open by November.

The playground opened on October 27. That was three weeks after the county announced the heat delay. The county's guidance for warm days is a hand test families do themselves, and its hope for shade rests on trees planted for the project.

A schedule that kept moving

The opening date moved several times between the contract and the gates opening:

The same Almanac report quoted county parks spokesperson Jeneane Crawford: the slide's temperature "largely depends on the angle of the sun," and the slide can be safe even on otherwise hot days. By that account, the slide's temperature depends on the hour and the season more than on the day's air temperature.

The five-second test is the official guidance

Crawford gave families a simple check, as The Almanac reported. If you can comfortably hold your hand on the slide for five seconds, it is safe to use. The readings that delayed the opening came in summer, so the test matters most in the warm months.

Crawford also said the department hopes newly planted trees may shade the play structure. That plan goes back to the design itself. The Board of Supervisors memo approving the contract said trees would be kept and planted around the playground for shade. The county's Realize Flood Park FAQ says the overall plan keeps 92 percent of the park's trees and all of its heritage trees, and replaces every removed tree with at least one new one.

What the playground actually includes

The play area is bigger than "a new playground" suggests. Under the design the Board approved, it has:

• Two play towers connected by a 15-foot bridge
• Four slides
• A two-bay zipline
• Four swings and a set of spinners
• A nature-play area
• A separate play area for children ages 2 to 5

According to the county's opening announcement, the playground was built in collaboration with children and adults from the community. Crawford's own summary, as quoted by The Almanac before the opening: "It's really a wonderful playground, and we can't wait to see kids enjoying it."

The playground joins a park that was already rebuilt

The playground is the newest piece of a much larger overhaul. Flood Park opened in 1937. In 2014 the county decided it needed a comprehensive renovation. The first round of construction opened in 2025 at an estimated cost of $11.5 million, The Almanac reported. Funding came mainly from Measure K, the county's half-cent sales tax, along with county general revenues and a $1.3 million grant from Santa Clara County. That work delivered basketball, sand volleyball, and tennis and pickleball courts, plus a bike pump track and renovated picnic areas. Then-Parks Director Nicholas Calderon called it the largest known and most comprehensive renovation of a county park.

The playground was held up by heat, so it opened about a year and a half after the courts and pump track. For a family arriving now, all of the finished pieces are open at the same time for the first time. The county's Flood Park page lists basketball, the bicycle pump track, drop-in family picnic sites, reservable picnic sites, a picnic shelter, tennis and pickleball, and volleyball.

Booking the picnic sites near the new playground

The group picnic areas came out of the same renovation. According to the county, they hold groups of 40 to 200 and have adjustable-height grills, pull-down faucets and USB outlets. Each site is named for a tree:

1. Pine, up to 40 people
2. Fir, up to 50
3. Redwood, up to 50
4. Madrone, up to 100
5. Maple, up to 100
6. Bay, up to 150
7. Oak Premium, up to 200

The county's fee schedule prices picnic sites by size. Small sites for up to 50 people cost $75, medium sites for up to 100 cost $120, large sites for up to 150 cost $200, and premium sites for 151 or more cost $300. Groups of people with disabilities get 50 percent off year-round. Senior groups age 62 and older get the same discount Monday through Friday on non-holidays.

Reservations can be made online or by phone at 650-363-4021, up to six months ahead. The phone desk is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Fridays. A booking made in late November can reach into May, and the hand test applies to any warm-weather date near the playground.

The big fields are still fenced off

One large piece of the park is still unfinished. In a November 3 notice, the county said the first phase of Realize Flood Park is complete and the playground is open. The area set aside for a future baseball diamond and a large multi-use sports field remains closed for construction. The county's park page describes both as planned. The county's FAQ lists funding sources for the overall project, including the County General Fund, Measure K, grants, and support from the Parks Foundation and other community nonprofits.

The playground had a contract, a cost and a construction estimate, and it still slipped from spring to late October. The fields come next. The county's Realize Flood Park e-newsletter is where it posts project news.

Practical details for a visit

• Address: 215 Bay Road, Menlo Park.
• Hours: The park opens daily at 8 a.m. Closing time changes with the season and is set before sunset, so in late November it comes early.
• Entry: Vehicle entry has been free at Flood Park since 2019. Picnic reservations and special events can still carry fees.
• Dogs: Leashed dogs are welcome in the park. The county's rules for dogs in parks allow no more than three dogs per person, require leashes of six feet or less near other people, and keep dogs out of playgrounds.
• Phone: The park line is 650-363-4022.

Flood Park is known for its large native oak and bay trees. The playground's design called for keeping existing trees and planting new ones around it for shade.

Flood Park has been rebuilt one section at a time, with courts in 2025, the playground this fall, and the fields still under construction. If you would like to know how the Flood Park renovation figures into your own home's value, Kathleen Pasin is glad to talk it through with you. Request a complimentary home valuation, and she will bring local, block-level knowledge of the area to the conversation.