Redesigning Possibilities: How Butterfield Crossing Park Became a New Benchmark for Inclusive Play

What Inclusivity Looks Like: Possibilities Playground

Is your community playground truly for everyone?

Inclusion isn’t a feature at Possibilities Playground, it’s the foundation.

When the Town of Castle Rock reimagined Butterfield Crossing Park, the goal wasn’t just to build a new playground. It was to create a place of belonging, where people of all abilities could play side-by-side in ways that are joyful, empowering, and shared. With over $1 million in community-raised funds and deep input from adaptive recreation advocates, the result is one of the most inclusive play destinations along Colorado’s Front Range.

Families walk beneath the “Possibilities Playground” arch at the entrance to the inclusive play area.

Inclusive Play, Designed with Intention

Designing inclusively means offering multiple ways to participate, engage, and connect, regardless of age, ability, or background.

A Playground Without Barriers - Physical or Social

Accessibility is essential, but true inclusion goes further. At Possibilities Playground, every design choice, from layout to surfacing to equipment selection was made to ensure everyone can truly play together.

Child climbs out of a tunnel slide next to a colorful roller table and inclusive playground elements.
A child spins a friend on the at grade carousel

A Diversity of Experiences

The playground is organized into a series of rooms, each with a unique identity and sensory experience. This allows users to choose their pace and path, which is especially important for those with sensory sensitivities. A high overlook deck gives kids the chance to rise above the space and enjoy a view, while musical instruments, tactile textures, and quiet corners invite exploration on their own terms.

  • The Music Room uses resonant materials so vibrations can be felt, not just heard.

  • The Swing Room includes roll-on wheelchair swings and multi-user designs for face-to-face swinging.

  • The Sensory Wall invites touch, visual discovery, and even communication through built-in ASL sign language etchings that allow children to practice or learn finger spelling through play.

  • The Barefoot Walk offers a multi-textured path that invites users to explore with their feet the stones, tiles, and natural materials underfoot.

  • The Kindness Rock Garden brings social-emotional learning into the space, encouraging personal reflection and community care.

Child plays with outdoor musical instruments on a colorful plaza.
Girl walks barefoot across textured surfacing in a sensory path area of the playground.
Detail view of Sensory Wall with tactile panels and ASL finger-spelling features.
Child holds a painted kindness rock at inclusive playground.
Colorful textured wall with varied shapes and openings.

Designed for Whole Families

Even seating, signage, and circulation were designed for all users, making it easier for caregivers with mobility devices or visual impairments to navigate and participate. Braille translations incorporated into wayfinding signs are integrated throughout the playground, helping visitors orient themselves and explore the space with confidence.

Older and younger people playing on table top game in a playground

A Community Vision, Realized

Possibilities Playground is not just a destination, it’s a reflection of the Castle Rock community’s values. Over 1,000 residents participated in planning and outreach. Partnerships with local nonprofits, donors, and the Parks and Trails Foundation helped make the project possible. The space demonstrates what’s achievable when a community commits to inclusion, not just as a design goal, but as a shared ethic.

In 2024, the project received a GOCO Starburst Award in recognition of its design excellence and inclusive impact, but the daily moments of shared laughter and discovery remain its true reward.

Decorative butterfly shaped sign with names listed at inclusive playground.
A large slide empties into a playground with a concrete slide in the background surrounded by accessible surfacing and a colorful wall.

Designing What’s Possible

Possibilities Playground proves that play can be a powerful equalizer when design is led by empathy, creativity, and collaboration. At Design Concepts, we believe every park and every playground is an opportunity to build connection, confidence, and community.

This is not just a playground. It’s a space where possibilities are real, and everyone belongs.

Family sits on bench near native grasses at playground.
Two people sliding down a wide embankment slide together with their arms in the air celebrating.
A child with prosthetic legs smiling riding a zipline play
Child uses an inclusive swing in a playground designed for children with disabilities.
Group of people standing and waving at the overlook platform of Possibilities Playground.

Design Concepts is an M/WBE, SBE Landscape Architecture design firm with the City and County of Denver and a DBE under the US Department of Transportation’s Colorado Unified Certification Program (UCP).