Timber Grove natural playgound is in the master-planned community of Elyson in Katy, Texas. The playground theme is ‘Living Water’ and the playground site is adjacent to a retention pond. A large cistern is the beacon for the development’s green space site and acts as a fountain at the main entrance. That cistern is mirrored in the playground design, creating a secondary anchor point for the green space. The Low-Impact-Development community has been developed by Newland and the playground was designed in collaboration with SWA Group (Houston).
The central playground tower has three routes of access from ground level. It has an interior climbing net and a flexform chimney system that leads children to climb up to a 10 foot open slide with views to the pond. The playground colour palette is custom matched to the cistern and concrete patterns. Natural wood playground elements complement the tower and add to the nature play and living water themes.
The site includes two different log jams, log steppers, boulders, and a rope challenge course with trapeze rings. A 6 foot high embankment slide is positioned to face the tower slide and also offers great views to the pond. Children can face each other on the two slides (tower slide and hill slide) and race each other to the bottom!
A sense of discovery and connection to nature is one of the cornerstones of the vision for Elyson, which will eventually include more than 750 acres of parks, trails, amenities and natural open spaces. “Kids of my generation used to roam and play freely in nature, and we want to offer our Elyson families the same kinds of opportunities today,” said Rainer Ficken, vice president of operations for Newland, Elyson’s developer. Their choice of an Earthscape playground design fit seamlessly with their vision for the community.
Nearby Earthscape playgrounds include Bridgeland Dragonfly Park, Amira Arabian Horse playground and the timber towers of Pine Cove.