Bud Cleary Park Mississauga
John “Bud” Cleary Park is an urban park in Mississauga, Ontario. It’s not one of the top 20 parks in the city by any stretch, but it’s important because of where it is located.
Contents
This park is a relatively modest neighbourhood urban park that opened in the early 1990’s.
It features a walking trail, a fairly elaborate children’s playground area, expansive open green spaces, and a soccer field.
What makes this public space special is that it is in the heart of the Square One City Centre area of Mississauga.
Bud Cleary Park is situated on the western edge of the forest of highrise condominium towers that have sprung up in MCC (Mississauga City Centre).
It is also directly across the street from the massive M City development, which will eventually have eight highrise towers as tall as 80 storeys.
There are tens of thousands of people living in these towers, many of whom are young families with children. On any summer weekend, this park is packed with people. It’s because of this, that I am including John “Bud” Cleary Park as an honourable mention to the top 20 list.
This park is similar to nearby Zonta Meadows Park, and lovely Kariya Park, in that it serves the booming Square One City Centre area of Mississauga.
This is one of the more densely populated areas in the Greater Toronto Area.
Why Parks are Important in Urban Areas
We often take parks such as Bud Cleary Park for granted in urban areas like Mississauga, but they play a critical role in our lives.
Recreational areas such as parks provide a much-needed escape from the stress of urban life. This is especially true for condo dwellers.
Parks in urban areas present opportunities for both physical activity and recreation, and they promote community engagement and social interaction.
Public spaces such as Bud Cleary Park provide visitors with an important connection to nature, as well as a decent array of recreational features.
Where is Bud Cleary Park?
As shown in the map above, Bud Cleary Park is located in the heart of Mississauga. It’s about a half hour drive from downtown Toronto.
Municipal address for Bud Cleary Park is 450 Webb Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5B 3W1.
This urban park is located just a few blocks west of the Square One Shopping Centre, and it occupies a space on the south side of Webb Dr., between Confederation Parkway and Grand Park Drive.
The nearest major intersection is Burnhamthorpe Road W. and Confederation Parkway.
Bud Cleary Park is directly across the street from the new zigzag M1 and M2 towers of Rogers M City.
The park is easily reachable by car, and by public transit. There are plenty of buses on both Webb Drive, and Confederation Parkway. Bus service on Burnhamthorpe Road W. includes express buses from the Kipling Subway station in Toronto.
The new Hurontario LRT, when it opens in 2024, will have a stop at the Mississauga (MiWay) City Centre Transit Terminal about a 20 minute walk from the park entrance.
The nearest commuter rail and bus station is the Cooksville GO Station on the Milton Line.
Related posts:
Inside the Park
The park is one of about 500 parks administered by the City of Mississauga. It is open year round, although the best times to visit are definitely in the spring, summer, and fall.
As with all parks in Mississauga, there is no fee for admission.
Bud Cleary Park Features
The park has a handful of features:
- walking path
- open green spaces for team sports
- designated soccer field
- fully accessible children’s playground
Walking Path
There is a simple paved walking path that runs from north to south, along the park’s eastern edge. It follows a small creek that eventually runs into Lake Ontario. You will see plenty of people walking and roller blading here, and the walking path also serves as a biking trail. There are a couple of benches for seating.
The walking trail passes directly by open green areas, and the childrens’ playground.
Sports Fields
This park has large open spaces for soccer and other team sports. The grass is mostly well maintained, and there are goalposts for the soccer field.
Children’s Playground
The children’s playground area is actually quite good. The playground has a woodchip mulch type of ground cover, which provides a safe, soft surface for small children to play. There are monkey bars, climbing features, slides, and swings. All areas are wheelchair and stroller accessible.
Future Plans
Here is where it gets interesting. As the massive M City development progresses – at the time of writing, the sixty storey M1 building is partially occupied, and the sixty storey M2 building is nearly ready to begin occupancy – population density in the area is surging.
The master plan for M City includes eight highrise towers, plus a new city park. That park will be directly across the street from the current Bud Cleary Park, so it will be, in effect, an extension of it.
The City of Mississauga is studying how to integrate the two parks.
The current proposal is to relocate the children’s play area to the newer park, on the north side of Webb Drive.
The existing park on the south side of Webb Drive would get some new features:
- a grove of cherry blossom trees
- tennis or pickleball courts
- a community garden
- a leash free area for dogs
The new park on the north side of Webb Drive would have two children’s playgrounds including a splash pad, as well as a public art area, an event space, and a fitness area.
So you can see that there are major changes coming soon. It’s not clear whether the new park area will simply be an extension of Bud Cleary Park, or whether it will have a different name, such as M City Park.
Please note that these diagrams are concept plans only, and are subject to change.
Plan Your Visit
The current park is open daily from 7:00am to 11:00pm (or until dusk in winter).
Free Parking
There is some limited metered parking along Webb Drive near the north end of the park. There is also free street parking along multiple nearby residential streets, as well as at nearby commercial areas.
Online reviews of the park are positive, currently ranking 4.6 out of 5 on Google, with lots of reviews posted.
Dog walking is encouraged! Dogs on a leash are permitted in the park.
Entrance to the park is free.
Conclusion
Bud Cleary Park provides an essential service for tens of thousands of condo residents in the Square One City Centre area of Mississauga. It also serves many people living in single family residences in the surrounding streets.
Although it can be characterized as a basic neighbourhood park, you will find a range of facilities here for people of all ages, including the playground area and the open sports fields.
Parks such as Bud Cleary are important, as they not only help Mississaugans to maintain good health but also provide a much-needed escape from the increasingly chaotic urban environment. This can help anyone in reducing stress levels and improving mental health.
John “Bud” Cleary Park, with its critical city centre location and its decent array of attractions including walking path, sports and playground facilities, is one of the modest but attractive urban parks that can be found throughout Mississauga. That’s why we are giving it an honourable mention on our list of Mississauga parks.
It’s worth checking out if you are in the area.
next: Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens
back to Mississauga real estate
categories: bud cleary park, mississauga, soccer field, football field, parks, best parks in mississauga, mississauga park, best mississauga parks, toronto, ontario, canada, public spaces, urban parks, mississauga playgrounds, playgrounds in mississauga, playground near me, bud cleary park reviews, parks near square one, playgrounds mississauga, mississauga playgrounds, walking paths
