Family Fun at Deer Lakes Park: Splash, Play, Explore

The temperature is rising and my kids are looking for things to do. We’re looking for ways to stay busy and keep cool, and Deer Lakes Park is the place to go!

Deer Lakes Park, which is one of the many Allegheny County Parks, sits on 1,180 acres in West Deer and Frazer townships. It is open daily from 8 AM until sunset. On the grounds, you will find something for everybody in the family!

Although my family visits Deer Lakes Park to take advantage of the awesome spray park and the newly remodeled playground, there is so much more to do! Features at this park include an expansive playground, a (free) spray park, three fishing lakes, a disc golf course, an observatory, fields, trails and shelters!

Here’s what Deer Lakes Park has to offer:

SPRAY PARK

Spray Park at Deer Lakes Park

The spray park is the most popular attraction at Deer Lakes Park during the Summer months, and the best part is that it’s completely FREE! It’s located alongside the amazing new playground, so the kids can run back and forth all day, while staying in your line of vision!

Parking spots are abundant at the spray park/playground location, even on the busiest of days. There’s even a convenient changing area next to the spray park so the kids don’t have to ride home in wet suits!

Although there was plenty of space to lay out a blanket in the grass prior to the remodel, now there’s even more places to sit. Instead of just hills, there are several flat lawns, picnic tables and a new picnic shelter that overlooks the entire play area!

My family still prefers to bring picnic blankets and camp out in the grass for the afternoon, but it’s definitely nice to have more options. And if you’re lucky, you just might get a prime spot in the shade of the trees!

My favorite tips for rocking the spray park with kids is to bring a picnic basket full of drinks and snacks, and buckets for playing in the water. It’s also more fun to go with friends! And don’t forget to apply sunscreen!

We have been going to the Deer Lakes spray park with our friends since my 5 year old was a baby, so we have many happy memories of playing there in the Summer. My kids- and my family – grew over the many Summers we spent splashing at the spray park.  It is one of our favorite places to go!

Deer Lakes spray park

Deer Lakes Spray Park

Deer Lakes Spray Park

FISHING

Deer Lakes Park has three lakes on the property for fishing! The lakes are spring fed and stocked with bluegill, crappy, perch, sunfish, trout, some catfish and a few bass. There are even wheelchair accessible piers on the upper lake!

Don’t forget to get your fishing license before you go!

WAGMAN OBSERVATORY

Wagman Observatory at Deer Lakes Park

The Wagman Observatory is owned by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh. It’s the first amateur astronomical observatory in western Pennsylvania for public education and enjoyment of astronomy.

Find more information here

 

DISC GOLF 

Disc Golf at Deer Lakes Park

Want to try something new with your kids? The 18 hole Disc Golf course is free and open to the public daily, except during tournaments. Visit here to find out more information about this fun course!

TRAILS

If your family is active, you will love the trails at Deer Lakes Park! Take a nature hike and explore the woods, or walk or jog on the trails. This park even features a paved trail that is perfect for people who are in wheelchairs!

 

PLAYGROUND

This year, the playground at Deer Lakes Park got a MAJOR makeover! My kids were shocked when we arrived at the park for the first time this year. The playground is expansive, the equipment is new and modern, and there is something for kids of all ages to safely enjoy!

There are multiple play areas alongside the spray park now. Kids can spend the entire day playing on the equipment, and cooling off at the spray park! I was truly impressed by how much there was to do at the playground. My kids had so much fun on the new equipment and spent more time on the playground than playing in the water!

The new playground area is so beautiful and family friendly. The play equipment encourages kids to play, explore and stay active! It’s a safe area for kids of all ages and abilities, but most important, it’s FUN!

Deer Lakes Park

Deer Lakes Park

There are now two play areas with swings. One area is for the younger crowd, and it has traditional baby/toddler swings and chair swings that are perfect for kids with special needs.

Deer Lakes Spray Park

The second area includes a long section of traditional swings, and a fun new saucer swing that every child wants to try! There is always a line for that one!

Deer Lakes Park

The most popular feature at the new playground are the elevators that automatically go up and down. There are two: one for the smaller kids and one for the bigger kids. They are a HUGE hit with all of the kids!

Deer Lakes Park

There is a smaller piece of equipment for younger kids, but the main piece of equipment is definitely the coolest! It has tons of things to climb: rock walls, ropes, beams, bridges, nets, and more! My tweens, who often feel too big for the playground, LOVED playing here!

Deer Lakes Park

Deer Lakes Park

There was a fun climber for my toddler…

Deer Lakes Park

…a fun web to bounce and climb on…

Deer Lakes Park

…a fun bouncing saucer that was a hit with all the kids…

Deer Lakes Park

…a natural climbing area with fake rocks, trees and ropes…

Deer Lakes Park

…and a fun rock climbing arch that was safe for even the youngest climbers!

Deer Lakes Park

Going to this awesome playground is a MUST if you live in the Pittsburgh area. It is one of the coolest playgrounds my kids have ever played at. My kids can’t wait to go back again!

One of the things I love most about Deer Lakes Park is that it is accessible for people of all abilities! As a special needs mom, I truly appreciate places that go above and beyond to accommodate everybody. Every human being should be able to appreciate having fun outdoors in a safe place, and Allegheny County Parks works hard to make this possible!

 

Visit Deer Lakes Park:

1090 Bailey Run Rd, Tarentum, PA 15084

My family will be taking advantage of all the fun things there are to see and do at Deer Lakes Park over the Summer! We hope to see you there!

You may also want to check out the other Allegheny County parks that Pittsburgh Moms Blog has reviewed here:

A Family Outing at White Oak Park

A Family Day on the Farm at Round Hill Park

A Perfect Family Outing at South Park

North Park: Family Fun for All Ages

A Family Day at Harrison Hills Park

A Family Day at Harrison Hills Park

Pittsburgh Moms Blog has partnered with Allegheny County Parks to bring you this series of articles on family outings in the parks, but all opinions expressed are my own.
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Stefanie Settlemire
Stefanie is a wife and SAHM to 4 children, living in Mars. Stefanie and her husband refer to their children as Phase One (Dylan-Age 13 and Alexandria-Age 10) and Phase Two (Liliana-Age 6 and Liam-Age 4). Phase Three is out of the question! Stefanie’s family became a family blessed with Down syndrome when her youngest child had a surprise diagnosis after his birth. Although the family’s initial reaction was shock and fear, they quickly learned to embrace this beautiful journey and they now realize what the term “The Lucky Few” really means. Stefanie spends her days wrangling chaos. In addition to four kids, her family has 4 large pet rabbits...the more the merrier! In her spare time she loves to embarrass her children by singing show tunes from her musical theater days, come up with messy projects to keep her children busy, chase her children around with her camera, read, volunteer for the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network, blog at http://www.lexieloolilyliamdylantoo.com and post daily on Instagram (www.instagram.com/lexieloolilyliamdylantoo). Sleep is just a distant memory!