Thunder Junction All Abilities Park
City parks
Thunder Junction is St. George's free, fully inclusive all-abilities park featuring a dinosaur-themed accessible playground, a splash pad, and a quarter-scale ride-on train.
The park
Thunder Junction All Abilities Park is a City of St. George park built to be fully inclusive for children and visitors of all abilities, rather than a conventional playground with accessible equipment added afterwards. The city began the process in 2013 and opened it in October 2016.
What 'all abilities' means in practice
The distinction matters. An accessible playground meets a standard; an all-abilities playground is designed so that children with and without disabilities can play in the same place at the same time. That shapes everything — ground surfaces firm enough for wheelchairs, ramped rather than stepped access to raised structures, equipment usable from a seated position, and sightlines that let a carer keep watch. The dinosaur-themed playground includes wheelchair-accessible equipment, a climbing wall and a volcano structure.
The practical test is whether a family with a wheelchair user in it can arrive and simply play, without a conversation about which parts are usable. Here they can, and it is why families drive from across the county rather than using something closer.
The train
The park's best-known feature is a quarter-scale C.P. Huntington train that runs on a roughly 2,700-foot loop through a constructed sandstone tunnel, over an overpass and under an underpass. It runs on a seasonal schedule and is subject to weather and maintenance closures.
Also here
A splash pad, covered pavilions, picnic tables, drinking fountains and restrooms. Pavilions are first-come, first-served rather than reservable.
Worth knowing
Park entry is free. The splash pad and the train are strongly seasonal, so a winter visit is a playground visit rather than a full day — check the city's current schedule before traveling specifically for the train.
The park also hosts the city's Halloween Spook-track-ular over four evenings in late October, when the train runs after dark and the accessibility carries over to the event.
Related: what to do with children in St. George.
Frequently asked questions
What is the train, exactly?
A quarter-scale replica of a real locomotive design, running a loop of roughly 2,700 feet through a tunnel, over an overpass and under an underpass. The model has been built for park railroads for decades and traces its name back to an 1863 Central Pacific engine — a piece of railroad history nobody in the line mentions.
Is it worth visiting in winter?
As a playground, yes — that part runs year-round and the climate here makes a January afternoon outdoors perfectly reasonable. The splash pad and the train are the seasonal elements, so a winter trip built around either can disappoint. Check the city schedule first.
Can I book a pavilion for a party?
No — the covered pavilions here are first-come, first-served rather than bookable, which catches out anyone planning a birthday around one. Arrive early on a warm weekend if you need the shade.
When was Thunder Junction built?
The city began the process in 2013 and opened it in October 2016. It was designed to this brief from the outset rather than converted from an older playground, which is why the accessibility runs deeper here than at parks that added it later.
Does it cost anything to visit?
Walking in is free, every day of the week. The only thing you pay for is the quarter-scale train, which runs seasonally and can be closed by weather or maintenance — so a winter trip made specifically for the train may not get one.
What makes the park all-abilities rather than just accessible?
The order things were done in. Retrofitting a standard playground gets you compliance; designing for it from the outset gets you a place where nobody has to ask which parts they can use. Firm ground instead of bark, ramps instead of steps, structures that work from a seated position.
Are pets allowed?
Only service animals are permitted; other pets are prohibited.
Address
1851 S Dixie DrSt. George, UT 84770
Contact
- Website: https://sgcityutah.gov/business_detail_T18_R97.php
- Work Phone: 435-627-4575