Oct 08, 2025

Playground for the People is open. Come play!

Pagosa Peak Open School is excited to announce the grand opening of the Playground for the People — Uptown Pagosa’s first public, multi-tiered play space designed to spark curiosity, movement, and community connection.

We’re thrilled to share that Pagosa Peak Open School’s (PPOS) community playground, the Playground for the People, is now officially open to the public outside school hours, on weekends and during school breaks. With the help of students and many others, we designed the playground to be a welcoming, adventure-forward space for all. We hope you’ll wander in, meet up with friends and enjoy time outdoors together.

What makes this playground special? It’s Pagosa’s only multi-tiered play space — and Uptown’s only public playground — built to spark curiosity, movement and imaginative play for a wide range of ages and abilities. You’ll find hills and multiple levels, embankment slides, boulders for climbing, a sand play area and a cliff rider. Instead of a flat, traditional layout, the design invites kids to explore varied terrain, offering different kinds of challenges and experiences. Whether you’re stopping by for a quick energy break or planning a full afternoon of play, there’s something here for everyone.

This project reflects the belief that healthy communities are built in shared spaces.

We’re grateful to the Colorado Health Foundation for their generous $680,000 grant and to the Archuleta County Commissioners for approving nearly $70,000 to bring this vision to life. We’d also like to thank the volunteer leaders who championed the effort — Cady Allione and Elly Osmera — and to our partners at King Studios, Urban Play Studios, Davis Engineering and PSA Consulting for turning thoughtful design into reality.

Experience the Playground and Keep it Welcoming for All

The playground is free and open to the public outside school hours, on weekends and during school breaks. School-day access is reserved for PPOS students.
Be courteous to others, follow any posted guidelines and pack out what you bring in.
Share the fun — please snap a photo of your favorite feature and tag Pagosa Peak Open School so we can celebrate with you.

From the start, our goal has been to create a place where families, neighbors and visitors can connect, move and play — right in the heart of Pagosa’s Uptown neighborhood. Seeing kids race down embankment slides, scramble over boulders and discover new paths across the hills brings that vision to life. We hope the Playground for the People becomes a regular stop for community members and visitors, a go-to spot for playdates and a source of community pride.