Mitchell Park and Magical Bridge Playground

Mitchell Park is where south Palo Alto goes to play. On a Saturday morning the playground is full, the tennis and pickleball courts are full, dogs are racing laps in the fenced run and the library next door is busy with families. It is a big, practical neighborhood park rather than a scenic one. It also holds the Magical Bridge Playground, which draws visitors from far beyond Palo Alto.

The park covers 21.4 acres along East Meadow Drive and Middlefield Road. The city calls it a district park, meaning it serves a much wider area than the streets around it. This guide covers the playground, the library and community center, the dog park, the courts and the small creek that runs past it all.

A park with a reputation since 1957

Mitchell Park opened in 1957. The city says it drew national and international acclaim when it opened, at a time when south Palo Alto was filling with new houses and young families. It is named for J. Pearce Mitchell. He was born in Rhode Island in 1880, moved to California as a teenager and earned his degrees at Stanford. He served on the Palo Alto City Council for 31 years and was mayor for two terms.

The park has been rebuilt in pieces since then. The biggest changes came in the 2010s, with a new library and community center that opened in December 2014 and the Magical Bridge Playground a few months later.

Magical Bridge Playground

Magical Bridge opened in April 2015. The city calls it the nation's most innovative and inclusive playground. Its purpose is simple: children and adults of every ability should be able to play in the same place at the same time. That includes kids who use wheelchairs or walkers, kids with autism or sensory processing differences and grandparents with bad knees.

The project was started by Palo Alto parent Olenka Villarreal, who founded the group Friends of the Magical Bridge Playground. It took about seven years of planning and fundraising. The finished playground cost $3.8 million. Two donors gave $2 million and community donations covered the rest. In 2025 the city celebrated the playground's 10th anniversary.

What is in it

• A two-story playhouse built by designer Barbara Butler. It is wheelchair accessible on both levels.
• A music zone with interactive instruments, including a laser harp by artist Jen Lewin.
• Slides, swings and merry-go-rounds designed so children of different abilities can use them side by side.
• A tot zone for the youngest visitors.
• Retreat spaces where a child who feels overwhelmed can step away from the noise.
• A community stage and a kindness corner meant to teach kids that bullying has no place there.

Even for families with no disability in the picture, it is one of the most enjoyable playgrounds in the Bay Area. The idea spread: the Magical Bridge Foundation has since helped build similar playgrounds in other cities.

Visiting with a disability

Magical Bridge was built for exactly this. Paths are wide and ramps reach both levels of the playhouse, so a child or a grandparent in a wheelchair can go almost everywhere other visitors can. The retreat areas give a break from the noise when needed. The library and community center next door adds accessible indoor restrooms and a cool, quiet place to rest. In the spring of 2025 the city marked the playground's 10th anniversary with a community celebration, a concert at the playground and an all-ability artist performance at Lytton Plaza downtown. Similar events come up from time to time, so check the city's event listings or our events guide.

Mitchell Park Library and Community Center

The Mitchell Park Library and Community Center sits at 3700 Middlefield Road, on the park's western edge. The building opened in December 2014. Besides the library it holds community center rooms used for city classes, meetings and events.

For visitors it is useful in practical ways. It has public restrooms, a quiet place to sit on a hot or rainy day and a large parking lot. Hours vary by day. Check the city library's hours page before you plan around it.

The dog park

Mitchell Park has one of four fenced dog parks run by the city. The others are at Peers, Greer and Hoover parks. The city lists the Mitchell run at 0.56 acres with grass and decomposed granite surfaces. The city expanded it to about 0.82 acres with a separate small dog area. The larger run opened on January 28, 2025. Check the city's dog park page for the current layout.

The rules are the same at every city dog park:

• Open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Dogs must be licensed, vaccinated and wearing a collar with ID and license tag.
• No more than three dogs per person.
• Owners stay inside the fence, watch their dogs and pick up after them.
• No food or alcohol and children must be closely supervised.

Outside the fence, dogs must be on a leash everywhere in the park. For more options see our dog parks guide.

Courts, lawns and picnics

The city highlights Mitchell Park's tennis and pickleball courts among its main features. Pickleball in particular is popular and courts can be busy in the morning. Open lawns, shaded paths and picnic tables fill the rest of the park. Group picnic areas in city parks can be reserved through the city's picnic reservation system, which is worth doing for a birthday on a weekend.

Because it is a district park, Mitchell gets used hard. Expect plenty of company on weekends, especially near the playground. Weekday mornings are calmer, though the playground is rarely empty.

Adobe Creek

Adobe Creek runs past the park near the Magical Bridge Playground. It is a flood control channel through much of south Palo Alto, but it still carries water in winter and draws birds. The creek continues northeast toward Highway 101 and the bay. Near the freeway, the Highway 101 bicycle and pedestrian bridge opened in November 2021, giving people in south Palo Alto a year-round crossing to the Baylands and the Bay Trail.

The local water district clears sediment from the creek from time to time. Parts of the adjacent paths close while that work happens. Detours are signed.

Getting there

The park sits at the corner of Middlefield Road and East Meadow Drive in south Palo Alto. From downtown it is about a 10-minute drive straight down Middlefield. By bike, the Bryant Street bike boulevard runs south from downtown to East Meadow Drive and the park is a few blocks east from there. Our biking guide has the route. For transit options see getting around Palo Alto.

Parking is in the library lot and along nearby streets. On weekend mornings it is often full by mid-morning. If you are coming specifically for the playground, arrive early or come late in the afternoon.

Frequently asked questions