With Queen Elizabeth Park just across the street, it’s easy for Riley Park to get lost in its shadows. But the truth is, this smaller family park is nearly as good.

A lot of that is owed to the modern renovation done about five years ago — what was once some baseball diamonds next to aging play equipment is now a modern, multi-use park, with much more space due to the community centre moving across the street to Hillcrest. 

There’s a small forest, giant climbing rock (possibly the best in the city), and two separate play areas for kids, each with a different theme (one a big sandy pit, the other a more basic play structure, but with a zip line). And there’s still enough room for a couple community gardens and ample parking space.  

The baseball field is pleasant, the field house well used by a number of groups in pre-pandemic times, and outside of game days at the baseball stadium, the traffic is fairly minimal. There’s energy and variety to Riley, but enough quiet nooks as well.

And then there’s the added bonus of a farmer’s market — one of the best in the city, right in the park, creating a dynamic atmosphere on Saturdays,. 

Yes, you’ll take the visiting relatives to Queen Elizabeth, but this is the type of excellent, self-contained community park that you’ll keep coming back to long after they head back east.