Squirrel Lake Park — Attraction in Matthews

This park has a little bit of everything for everyone. It has nice trails for the tiny adventurer and family pet. The park features a small seemingly man made pond with fish and geese. It has a fountain in the center and a pier with the occasional family teaching little ones how to fish. Squirrel park has various structures for kids to climb on and enough variety for kids of all ages, even the ones barely old enough to walk. Their are a few trails that are stroller/wheel chair accessible. There is a fair amount of parking far from the road and handicap spots. I've always been able to find a spot even on the busiest of days. They park seems like a hidden neighborhood treasure, it isn't too crowded yet there always seems to be someone for my son to play with. This park has plenty of shady spots to sit, including a few different pavilions.

The jungle gym features various slides, types of ladders, tunnels, see saws, jumping stools, rock wall for all ages, and is very safe. It's the perfect combination of activities ranging for new babies, to the gracefully aging amatuer explorer. The pond always has a flock of geese, they have never been too aggressive and their is usually a bread already out there for feeding the ducks. It is big enough to find privacy but small enough to enjoy and explore the entire park in...

I would give this park 5 stars except EVERY weekend it doesn't open until after 8 am. This wouldn't be a problem except Google lists the opening at 6 am. And i enjoy going as the sun rises to walk the greenway. This is hard to do when the gate is locked. I know there are other entrances to the freeway but I don't feel comfortable parking my car it the other places. When I called the parks and rec department they told me that the park opening is the responsibility of the Matthews police department on the weekends. The opening is dependent on when an officer can get around to opening the gate, 2 hours after it should be open. The only time the park should definitely be open early is the weekend! Matthews Parks and Rec needs to find,a better solution for opening. They also a fried with me about opening at 6 am, maybe they should update the Google search page if they have no intention of opening when it...

Nice local park close to downtown Matthews. There's a playground for the kids, two sheltered picnic areas (and scattered uncovered picnic areas), a small pond for fishing, disc golf course, and walking trails. This park is also is an access point to Four Mile Creek greenway (not connected to Four Mile Creek greenway in south Charlotte). There is also a +/-.25 mile loop trail around the pond. It's mostly parents with children in the park, so days when the weather is nice and kids are out of school, parking can be tight. Plus, sheltered areas can be reserved for private groups, which can lead to parking issues. A word of warning to anyone with a fear of birds, this park is home to a number of Canadian geese and even a crane can be spotted around the...