Carmel Live

About

West Park is a 120-acre Carmel Clay Parks property on 116th Street, on the city's west side. It has a playground, a splash pad, more than two miles of paved and soft-surface trails, fishing, picnic shelters with electricity, grills, bike racks and year-round restrooms. In winter it is also a place to go sledding.

The middle of the park, with the playground, splash pad and picnic area, is named Jim Engledow Commons after a former park board president. It was dedicated in August 2023.

The Groves is the western section of the park, about 40 acres. It has the Jill Perelman Pavilion, a nature playground, soft-surface trails, restrooms and drinking fountains. The pavilion hosts Carmel Clay Parks' summer camps and other programs, and those camp listings use the address 3000 West 116th Street.

History

The city's timeline lists West Park as open in 2002. A 2016 master plan split the park into four areas: The Groves, The Core, The Headwaters and the 116th Street Corridor. The first phase of The Groves was finished in 2019. Rebuilding the center of the park closed part of it starting in 2020, and it was partly open again by October 2022.

When to go

Carmel Clay Parks properties are open sunrise to sunset every day. The splash pad runs from Memorial Day through September 30, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., so it is off in the colder months. The trails and restrooms stay open through the year.

Check today's hours →

Good to know

The park's address is 2700 West 116th Street. If you want camp pick-up or The Groves pavilion, use the camp listing's address instead. Park board minutes from May 2026 mention a possible playground expansion, which was still a grant application at that point.

Price

Carmel Clay Parks lists no entry fee for West Park. Camps and shelter rentals are priced separately, so check with the department.

Prices checked November 2026 on the website of Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation. They can change, so check before you go.

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