Here's what you need to know:
Parking: Lot
Age range (playground): 1+
Sidewalks: Paved to and around park grounds
Seating: Benches around play area
Bathrooms: In building by Shelter 1 (largest shelter)
Picnic tables: Several in picnic shelters and throughout park
Grills: Several in picnic shelters
Sports field: Off-shore fishing, dock, and boat launch; sand volleyball; open fields
Because it's a county park, Island Lake has a lot of amenities city parks don't. Namely, there are several picnic shelters with huge grills and plenty of picnic tables. There are also several picnic tables scattered throughout the grounds. Picnic tables are situated so that guests have some privacy from one another.
Island Lake County Park is a long park that runs along the edge of Island Lake. At one end is the large picnic shelter, bathrooms, and playground. At the other end is the boat launch and dock. In between are smaller picnic areas and the other shelters. Trails weave throughout the park.
We fished off-shore for sunnies (those trusty boogers will always bite) and our kids had a blast. Where we were (not by the boat launch or dock), off the shore and for a few yards the water is shallow and clear. We were able to see the fish swimming around and trying out our bait. This made fishing even more fun for our kids.
After fishing for a while, we made our way to the play area. There's a lot of space to play: one continuous strip of playground on one side of the park and one big swing set on the other. A double seater spring rider sits in the middle.
The playground has sections to accommodate new walkers and seasoned climbers. Zoey (17 months) enjoyed both the tunnel and small slides made for little tots and the bridges and big slides made for older children. Aside from the occasional boost, she was able to make her way all around the playground on her own.
Titus (3) and Madeline (4.5) had a blast on the gross motor skills obstacles (ladders of all sorts, overhead glider, tunnels, horizontal bars). They also liked the variety of slides available (steep, short, covered, open).
The double rider takes the shape of an alligator (or other reptilian) and easily seats up to four kiddos (we took a picture with the three eldest kids and my husband on it). Next to it, the swing set generously offers regular and baby swings.
We visited Island Lake during the evening. It was incredibly shady, which is a nice change compared to most parks. There was little traffic despite it being a county park located off of a major highway. The grounds, including the picnic shelters, are clean and well-kept.
If you take your kiddos fishing here, be wary of the drop from some the off-shore spots. While the water isn't deep, the distance from where you're standing and where the water is can be at least a yard.
What may also make fishing off-shore a challenge are the brambles sticking out of the ground. Since there's a drop from where you stand to where the water is, plenty of roots poke out. Our lines got tangled more than once. Although they weren't hard to untangle, we did catch our kiddos trying to it it on their own. This was a safety issue considering how easy it would have been for them to fall in.
A final con is the wear and tear of the playground equipment. The park has been loved and well-used over the years, reflective in the appearance of...
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