Allen J. Martin Park, West Puente Valley, CA

What it is

Allen J. Martin Park is a 6.8 acre county park at 14830 E. Giordano Street in La Puente. It is open every day from 6:30 AM to 9 PM, and it is free.

The splash pads are the reason most people come

They run from May 1 through September 30, 11 AM to 7 PM. Outside those dates they are off, which is worth checking before you load the car in April.

There is no lake here and no fishing. If someone told you otherwise, they were thinking of a different park.

Everything else on the grounds

  • Baseball and softball fields

  • Basketball courts

  • A Fitness Zone, which is outdoor gym equipment, free to use

  • Playground, barbecues, picnic tables and group shelters

  • A community center with a computer lab, and a concession stand

  • Restrooms, open 7 AM to 8:30 PM, which is earlier than the park closes

If you are here for a whole afternoon

Splash pad days are standing days. Parents spend four hours upright on hot concrete in flip-flops, which is a specific kind of tired that has nothing to do with exercise. The arches flatten out, the heels take the impact with no cushion, and it shows up that evening.

A foot session is the direct answer to that. Warm soak first, then pressure through the arch and the reflex points, fully clothed, at a curtained station in the Reflex Lounge.

Serenity Zen has two studios in the San Gabriel Valley, West Covina and Diamond Bar. Open daily, 10 AM to 9 PM.