The Mountain Lake Park Playground might just sound like four locations listed back to back, but the playscape is far more than the sum of its parts. In a valley full of mature evergreen trees in San Francisco's Richmond District, the playground is a popular, colorful space for kids to play and explore in a safe environment while still experiencing the feel of nature.

The playground is divided into several different terraces, each of which contains different elements. Those terraces are divided by color, making them visually distinct from one another while also adding some playful pop to the outdoor space. The centerpiece of the Mountain Lake Park Playground is a concrete slide that separates the terraces down the middle — that slide is the only remnant of the original park, which was overhauled by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, a local architecture firm.