Crawford Park, a not-so-well-known park maintained by the City of Downey, is worth a visit if you…read moreare already in the area. Otherwise, there are better parks within short driving distances. The City of Downey must not think much of the park even though there is loads of potential... I found it referenced only once on their website whereas other larger parks are mentioned several times. It's tucked away in a mostly decent neighborhood near Firestone Blvd and Old River School Rd. During my walk to this small public park, I found some of the larger homes and Ranch-style homes with obvious recent renovations to be really interesting and eye-pleasing (3/29/22). This is of course beyond some smaller unkempt homes and apartments. Note also that in typical Downey fashion there aren't many sidewalks in this area. CONS - The enormous power lines that tower high above might be a deterrent for frequent visitors. - Supposedly there is nearby access to Rio Hondo River Trail from this park, but I didn't see it since I avoided many areas due to standing water and mud from a rare thunderstorm the day before. PROS + There is free street parking. One very small lot. + Half basketball court + A small playground for little kids + Plenty of grass to toss a softball, play soccer, and/or play frisbee with the canines + Picnic tables + BBQ grills + A couple of random cement pads + Shade trees As previously stated, the potential is there, but it seems as though the city would rather spend money on other projects.

The park is generally safe and family-oriented. Sometimes…read morethere are questionable characters idling around. Watch out for doggy doody on the grass and paths. Some people don't clean up after their dogs. I would not go to this park after dark.

Great to see the upgrade to the park with the workout playground for adults .... Enjoy life get off…read moreyour phones and go outside and play

Park is clean and the playground has lots of things for your littles to do here. It's usually not…read morebusy so that's very nice aswell. (:

This is a very nice well kept park in a very hard to find parking neighborhood. We arrived in my…read moretruck with our bicycles so we could ride the Los Angeles River trail to Long Beach. There's very limited parking spaces available at this long narrow park but luckily some people were leaving just as I arrived. Unfortunately the gate was locked to access the trail and we had to ride north to Rosecrans to enter the trail.

Came to check out the new dog park since they recently had their grand opening. I also decided to…read moregive it a try because our usual spot, Home Run Dog Park in Lakewood, is currently closed for maintenance. The dog park is located toward the corner end of the park near the end of the parking lot and is split into two sections, one for small dogs and one for larger dogs. There is not too much to boast about, but they do provide a water fountain for dogs and doggy bags for cleanup, which is nice. The area itself is fairly small, with only one bench and one tree that provides little to no shade. I do like that it has grass, but even though it is still a new dog park, there are already patches where the soil is showing through. Overall, it is a decent spot for a quick visit or short play session, but I personally would not choose it for a longer stay with my dog. We will definitely be returning to Home Run Dog Park once it reopens.

Went to Ruth R. Caruthers Park mainly for the skate park on (7/16/22)…read more My 7 and 9-year-olds ended up wanting to take their scooters around the park for a lap. There's a lot of sidewalk & other concrete areas for that. Then we noticed that the splash pad was on... I didn't even know that there was one at this park. Lol. It's kiddie size, but on a hot July day, kids don't care! While there is definitely room for improvement and maintenance could be better, this is still a good place to let off some steam. The adults at the skate park were very patient & helpful with my 9-year-old on her skateboard. The bowl was on the tough side for her, a beginner. Thanks crew! Plenty of free parking lot and on the nearby streets.

I grew up around this park and have had several friend gatherings and birthday/family parties here!…read moreI've created many memories at this park. There's places to sit and eat, open grass are to have picnics, work out, let our dog run around, and even a play ground for kids to enjoy along with a full size basketball court with the floor smooth enough to bring your roller skates! I highly recommend to bring your family here for some fresh out door activities. Only giving 4 stars cause I'd prefer a better restroom but for a park it's not bad I'm just picky lol

First let me start off by saying this park does not have a parking lot. That is the biggest…read moredownfall of coming here. The awning does not provide much shade. Most of the people wound up on the grass to have lunch. I didn't move fast enough and was all sunburned going home. On some Saturdays during the summer they have games, crafts, and activities. That was a pleasant surprise. The park itself and bathrooms were pretty clean. You might want to bring your own grill cleaner and table cloths.

My grandkids are different ages. They have things for all ages, I liked the outdoor exercise…read moreequipment......fun for all ages

Rented the pool for a birthday party and it was a fabulous time! Safe for kids, lifeguards rotating…read morethe entire time and fantastic staff!

I don't find parks particularly easy to review, but my Yelp friend, Lilah J, continues to encourage…read moreme to score the (prestigious?) honor of First To Review (FTR) on this review platform. So here goes... Parks aren't aplenty in the City of Hawaiian Gardens, which shouldn't be surprising given that it is the smallest city in Los Angeles County. There are only three parks in the city, and Lee Ware is one of them. Lee Ware Park is on Wardham Ave between Brittain and 222nd. It's literally on the eastern edge of the county that if you jump to take a peek at the mobile homes on the other side of Coyote Creek, you would be looking at Orange County! The park is isolated from the two remaining parks in Hawaiian Gardens: Clarkdale and Pioneer. Those two are much closer to the 605 freeway, and to give you a better idea of proximity, I was able to walk from one of those parks to the other in 90-degree weather without much of a problem. However, unlike those two parks, Lee Ware does have a parking lot! Actually, it's split into two smaller lots with one lot holding 8 cars and the other holding 14. In between the two small lots is a half basketball court and a racquetball court. The fence by the sidewalk prevents errant balls from striking vehicles or pedestrians passing by. The basketball court has seen better days, and you can tell from the net that looks like it's been yanked on by players attempting slam dunks. And did I mention that it's only a half court? Don't be surprised if you arrive at the park with a basketball only to find the court already in use. You may have better luck at Clarkdale Park, which has a full court with both baskets facing one another. There is a gated picnic shelter, and what really irks me about this is that the rules and regulations sign is posted at the rear of the shelter, like on the Coyote Creek side of the park. This makes reading that sign quite a challenge for the visually impaired. Even when I tried to take a photo from outside the gate, a trick I like to do at restaurants when I can't read the menu from afar, I found it's still difficult to make out each of the 7 rules/regulations while looking at the photo on my phone. Wish they would move that sign closer to the street or add another one. To the north of the park is the Hawaiian Gardens Health Center, abbreviated FHCCGLA for Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles. In between the health center and the park is a swimming pool enclosed within a gate, and this got me confused as I was walking by. I couldn't tell if the pool was a part of the park or a part of the health center. Logically speaking, it would make more sense if the pool was part of the park like at Mayfair or Bolivar Parks in Lakewood. Where the pools are located in their respective parks, it's easy to tell it's part of the park and not of some other neighboring business. Here, there wasn't sufficient signage for me to tell. I (likely erroneously) deduced that the pool was a part of the health care center since I saw the entrance to the pool on the north side of the gate, much closer to the health care center, and I also assumed the pool was accessible from inside the health center. However, it's pretty clear that the playground, which is adjacent to the pool, is a part of the park. It's a pretty small playground though, like the size of one you'd typically see at a neighborhood parkette e.g. Pioneer Park. If you're looking for a playground, Clarkdale would be a *much* better choice because they also have a splash pad! Perfect for those hot SoCal summers! Overall, Lee Ware Park is not a bad park to go to, but it wouldn't be worth walking to the other side of town for if you're in Hawaiian Gardens and want to visit a park. Worth stopping by if you live within walking distance, though!

There are dog shit everywhere. Would be a nice park if it was well maintained…read more Don't recommend if you have children, unless you want your car to be smelling like shit.

I love this small park.... It is between the cities of…read moreArtesia, Cerritos and Lakewood.... I love that it's a walk thru from one side to the other.... I love that others walk their dogs thru here as well and we walk and talk to one another.... What I don't love is that peeps come here to smoke pot all the time.... Can't they just do that in their cars or at home!?!??! Seriously it stinks! They have 2 playgrounds recently renovated and they have a basketball court....