Situated at 8,821 feet above sea level, Idlewild Park in Winter Park combines historical commemoration with modern inclusivity for a truly remarkable play experience. ECI completed Idlewild Park in October 2025 in partnership with Koelbel & Co., with Vogel and Associates serving as the project’s landscape architect.

Idlewild Park, built at the base of the Rendezvous community, boasts the first all-inclusive playground in Grand County. It features ADA picnic tables, play elements such as the “We-Go-Swing,” accessible pathways, learning braille play panel, and sensory play panels. ECI overcame challenges to successfully complete this project, including poor soil quality that was discovered onsite from previous site usage early in project mobilization, which was promptly resolved.

The project location has a rich history, which was incorporated into the park design. The area served as a hunting ground for the Ute and Arapaho tribes in the early 1800s, and by the late 1800s and early 1900s, the logging and mining industries emerged in Grand County thanks to the completion of Grand County’s first railroad. Following World War II, tourism boomed and the ground below the park became the prominent ski community, Ski Idlewild, until its closing in 1986.

Several unique elements reflect the history of the park, including a custom wigwam structure with spiral stairs, a legacy wall that pays tribute to the previous ski lodge, and refurbished chairlift benches from the original chairlifts of the ski lodge. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring such a unique space to Grand County.