Kat H.
Yelp
Beautiful, spacious park. The scenic loop is a genius design. Feels like you would get lost if it weren't for the simple, circuitous design with plenty of exits spoking outward, so it's never a question of which direction takes you where. I'm happy that the park is accessible to all again, not just those fortunate to be able-bodied enough to walk, bike, jog through the vast park. In March 2020, the mayor imposed a park-wide ban on cars, blocking drivers from even entering to access a parking lot. His intention was to restrict the number of visitors in effort to slow the spread of COVID. But what I and many others had issue with was the fact that this restriction forced the exclusion of those with disabilities or health conditions that hinder their ability to walk long distances, as well as many elderly people and families with small children. So able-bodied people had a grand time exercising in the park and loudly rejoicing the lack of vehicles, while the rest of us had nowhere to go to enjoy nature, get fresh air, relax, etc. I had gained weight after a year of staying at home due to COVID, and desperately wanted somewhere scenic and safe to exercise outdoors. But it was impossible for me to enjoy the park due to the fact that I could only access the park by driving there, finding street parking, then walking who knows how long to an entrance. I'd be lucky if I still had energy by the time I got inside the park enough to have the nice walk I came there for. The mayor's ban lasted for a year and a half, long after we knew that COVID was extremely less likely to spread out in the open air. I can't believe the Olmstead Parks Conservancy even tried to permanently block vehicle access. I watched their livestream discussion about it, in which they mentioned being avid cyclists, rubbing elbows with other cyclists hating on drivers, highlighting the benefits they enjoyed during the ban, overlooking the underlying ableism in their perspectives, and I felt disgusted by their obvious cronyism. Luckily the Metro Council put a stop to that and now everyone can enjoy the park again, as it should and was meant to be!