It's no secret that I love Palm Springs and lucky for me, my in-laws live there! We're there every few weeks so I've learned a lot about kid-friendly activities because as much as I love the pool, I also love getting out in the city and exploring. The desert has a unique set of park requirements so I'm here to break them down for you. The most important requirement is shade. It gets hot and not normal hot, but absolutely boiling, don't-want-the-sun-to-touch-any-part-of-our-body-hot, so that's the number one factor when considering Palm Springs park quality. Then there are the standard factors to consider (mulch vs. sand, playground equipment, etc).

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So here is my park breakdown for Palm Springs and surrounding areas. And keep in mind there are more parks, I'm just reviewing the ones I have personally been to but will continue to update the list as I visit more spots.

PALM SPRINGS PARKS

Ruth Hardy Playground - 700 Tamarisk Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Overview: Located in the beautiful Movie Colony neighborhood, this is a great, centrally located park. This one is my top pick in Palm Springs proper.

Pros: Easy parking, centrally located, plenty of swings, slides and play structures. Lots of room to play in the surrounding fields and basketball courts.

Cons: Very little shade. I prefer this park during winter months or early in the day.

Will I return? Yes! During cooler months, mornings and when it's not too scorching hot out.

Demuth Park - 4200 E Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs, CA 92264

Overview: Not the best but a totally fine option if you're in the area. I have only been to the park once, but when I was there someone drove their car down the walking path around the playground. I would like to assume this isn't a standard practice, but it was enough to turn me off from a second visit because there are other great parks in the area.

Pros: Small climbing wall, little kids and big kid play structures, swings, path around playground to bike/scooter.

Cons: No shade.

Will I return? Probably not.

Victoria Park - 2744 N Vía Miraleste, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Overview: Even though it's lacking in the shade department, this is a solid option in the Racquet Club neighborhood.

Pros: Large park with wide open fields, little kid and big kid play structures, little house structure, swings and slides.

Cons: No shade structures, dogs running around off leash (it's a very popular dog walking location), lots of sand (a con for some people).

Will I return? Sure! Ruth Hardy is still my top pick but I would go back here, especially since it's been a while (and then I can update with some pictures too).

RANCHO MIRAGE PARKS

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Rancho Mirage Community Park - 71560 San Jacinto Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

Overview: This is a really awesome park and one that we frequent most often when visiting Palm Springs.

Pros: Tons of different play structures for big and little kids, climbing areas, little house structure, giant fire truck, lots of walking/scooting/biking paths, down the street from the library, almost completely shaded.

Cons: Maybe that it's such a good park it gets crowded sometimes?

Will I return? HECK YES I WILL!

PALM DESERT PARKS

Palm Desert Civic Center Park - 43900 San Pablo Ave, Palm Desert, CA 92260

Overview: This is in my top two picks for the desert city parks (along with Rancho Mirage). The grounds are huge with tons of different areas for exploring. We spent just as much time walking around as we did on the actual playground.

Pros - So many! There is a pond where you can feed ducks, tons of rolling fields for picnicking or running around, play structures for little and big kids, swings, slides, shade and more.

Cons - None!

Will I return? Absolutely! First park stop on my next visit.