Russian Jack Springs Park

Russian Jack Springs Park is a 319-acre park in northeast Anchorage. The park’s northern end was rough and needed improvements to benefit the surrounding community. We provided extensive public engagement and planning services to the Anchorage Park Foundation to develop a master plan for this part of the park. This process culminated in conceptual phase 1 improvement for the area, including a lit trail loop, a parking lot constructed to Low Impact Development standards, and the provision of a community use area centered around an iconic new playground. The playground exists in a multi-cultural area of town, and the theme played off the modes of transportation we all use to live, work, and play in Alaska and two iconic animals to the north: raven and polar bear. Central to the playground is a large polar bear play structure with a sculpted head and paws. The polar bear sticks out its dark blue tongue to provide a slide for kids. Radiating out from the polar bear, play activities connect through a kittiwake cliff to a fishing net and boat; out to a small airport and bush plane; to a snowcat with a climbing wall trail of snow behind it; and its neighbor raven’s play structure. This project is very special and exemplifies the effort and thought put into our play design.

Location: Anchorage

Client: Anchorage Park Foundation

Components: Master Planning, Playground Design, Site Design, Public Engagement