Bowler Park, southeast Boise’s newest community park, features a variety of amenities for families, pet owners, and athletes of all ages.
Mayor Lauren McLean, members of the Boise City Council, the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, and the Bowler family gathered at the park off Surprise Way today (July 13, 2021) for a dedication and ribbon cutting. The approximately 25-acre park includes six developed acres of recreational amenities and community gathering spaces.
“This community park is a great example of how we can build incredible recreational amenities while preserving natural habitat in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor McLean. “It’s wonderful to see so many different interests and activities included in this new park and I know residents will enjoy it for generations to come.”
Unlike any other park in Boise, Bowler Park features a skateboard/scooter plaza with rails, ramps and other features for users to improve their skills. Nearby is an outdoor gym and several bocce ball courts. The park also features a playground with accessible features for children of all ages and abilities to enjoy, mister poles to cool down park visitors on hot days, and large and small shade structures to serve as community gathering places. Contractors are putting the finishing touches on rubber surfacing at the playground and outdoor gym to be completed in the coming days. The surfacing is accessible for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
Boise is a dog-friendly city and Bowler Park features the City of Boise’s newest dog park. The dog park is fully fenced and covers about 1.25 acres, including a separate area for shy dogs. One of Boise Parks and Recreation’s most popular amenities, a watering station complete with a dog bowl, is also included on site.
“Our planning and design team did a fantastic job incorporating a variety of uses into this unique space,” said Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway. “They also worked closely with our Community Forestry unit to create opportunities for shade, and 40 trees have been planted across the park including honey locust, scotch pine and tulip trees that will continue to grow and flourish.”
About 19 acres of the park will remain undeveloped in order to preserve the sage brush stands on site. Protection of natural sagebrush habitat directly supports the City of Boise’s goals for the America the Beautiful Campaign.
The City of Boise purchased the Bowler Park property from Beth and Bruce Bowler in 1995.
You can learn more about Bowler Park on the City of Boise’s website.