Burnham Park Complete Guide

Background

Burnham Park is one of the notable urban parks in the Philippines. It is situated at the heart of Baguio City in the province of Benguet. Burnham Park has a size of 33 hectares or 330000 square meters. Its main feature is the alluring Burnham Lake which is a centennial-old artificial lake that has an average depth of 10 feet or 3 meters. In addition, Burnham Park is showcasing diverse flower beds, hollyhocks, daisies, marigolds, and roses across the garden which is very attractive to all visitors.

Burnham Park comprises 12 sections. First is Burnham Lake, second is the children’s playground, third is Sunshine Park, fourth is the Rose Garden, the fifth is the Japanese Peace Tower, sixth is the pine trees of the world, seventh is the Picnic Grove where tourists can have an enjoyable picnics, eighth is the Melvin Jones Grandstand where major events take place, ninth is the Orchidarium, the tenth is the Igorot Garden where locals can play chess, the eleventh is the Athletic Bowl which is track and field sporting amenity and the twelve and the last is the skating rink.

According to its history, Burnham Park was once known as Baguio Meadow. Burnham Park was conceptualized and designed by American architect Daniel Hudson Burnham in the year 1905 during the American colonial period in the Philippines. According to him, the park was the main component of a greater plan in Baguio City to have a recreational center for the United States Armed Forces. Also, the park was deliberately arranged as a much-needed wide-open green space in order to give the emerging Baguio City a serene environment. For this reason, he makes a dazzling geometric pattern in the middle of curve roads and rolling hills. Subsequently, he explains and clarifies the plan to William Parsons.

Fast forward the park was named Burnham Park as a tribute to Daniel Burnham who past away in the year 1912. As the years passed by Daniel Burnham’s contribution to founding the park is recognized by a bust sculpture displaying his similarity and a plaque situated at one end of the park. Fast forward to the year 1981, Melvin Jones Grandstand and its vast open field inside Burnham Park hosted a very significant mass led by the former Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Philippines. It was attended by many Filipino Catholic priests and devotees.

From 1989 up to 1994, the park was administered by the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) agency. In the year 1990, Burnham Park played a very outstanding role since it was one of the main refugee camps for the displaced people during the powerful and devastating earthquake in Northern Luzon which killed more than two thousand people. In January 2008, the Baguio City local government unit was given the power to administer Burnham Park through executive order number 695 which was signed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Presently, Burnham Park contains thousands of trees, flower beds, and flora and it is visited by thousands of tourists every week. In addition, the well-known Panagbenga Festival, or the annual flower festival in Baguio City is held at Melvin Jones Grandstand. For this reason, it attracts many local visitors to come to this month-long celebration during the month of February. So if you haven’t seen this outstanding park before then include it in your next trip.

Name: Burnham Park
Address: Jose Abad Santos Drive, Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines
Features: Burnham Lake, Melvin Jones Grandstand, children’s playground, athletic bowl, Igorot Garden, Japanese Peace Tower, Picnic Grove, Pine Trees of the World, Rose Garden, Orchidarium, Sunshine Park, and skating rink

My trip to Burnham Park

In the past weeks, I’m planning to have a long weekend. So one day I filed a two-day vacation leave in my office at Mandaluyong City and my team leader immediately accepted my proposed leave. For this reason, I joined an overnight tour going to Baguio City. It was Thursday afternoon when our group arrived at Burnham Park as part of the overnight tour package. While walking around I noticed that the park is jam-packed even though it’s on weekdays.

We see a lot of tourists and local residents biking and enjoying the moment in a clean and spacious park. We also spotted groups that do clean-ups and maintenance of the park. Also, there are collective wooden benches where tourists can have a nice rest after touring around. In my opinion, Burnham Park is a very nice place for jogging and biking because of its cold temperature and lush greenery.

Then as we continue walking, I fell in love with the different kinds of plants in the garden such as purple-pink orchids and roses. Also, I can see the SM City Baguio from distance. For this reason, I said to myself that Burnham Park is surrounded by lots of well-known places such as Session Road and Baguio Night Market.

A few moments later, we saw the man-made Burnham Lake which is surrounded by sidewalks and rows of grass and trees. I’m in awe. Then I think the artificial lake is the most welcoming attraction at the park. We saw many tourists riding a swan boat so many of the members of the group are jealous. For this reason, we divide the fee among the group members and we ride a swan boat. I feel the pleasant weather of Baguio City while we enjoy the boat ride. We have an amazing view of the park and we take lots of pictures.

Even so, the tour coordinator told us that Burnham Park would be so much better if the water was clean and clear. Anyway, the boat ride lasts for thirty minutes. In my opinion, visiting Baguio City is not complete without having a swan boat ride because it is so refreshing and enjoyable. Also, it is a memorable experience as we can see many families doing dry picnics, bonding moments, and children eating cotton cadies while sitting on the bench and appreciating a wonderful life. Without a doubt, this is definitely the people’s park.

Afterward, our group have a nice walking tour inside the Rose Garden which is located in the northern section of Burnham Park. From here we can see the dancing fountain and amphitheater together with many full bloom roses and ornamental plants. Also, we spotted the bust of Daniel Burnham and we can see lots of dispersed local vendors and small eateries selling different kinds of snacks, cold drinks, and memorabilia. Later, we buy a delicious strawberry Taho, avocado ice cream, and strawberry ice cream. Then I have a short conversation with one of the group members named Raymond.

He told me that most people think that being rich is all about living an extravagant and fancy life. Because that’s what everyone portrays on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram and I’m personally guilty of that. But the truth is, being rich is all about living a very simple life. A contended life that you won’t worry about how you will eat next week. A simple life that you won’t stress about the bills next month. A plain and simple life that you don’t have to save and budget every day. A simple life where you can travel anytime you want. A simple life where you don’t have to work every day.

Then he added that when you are rich, life is simpler. You want to get rich not because you want all the luxuries in the world but because you want all the comfort in life. Afterward, I agree with him and I replied to him that being rich is all about being contended with what you have in life. A few moments later, our group explored other recreational areas inside the wide Burnham Park. We have a nice sightseeing of the football open field, children’s playground, and skating rink. We also noticed that many restrooms were located around the park.

Then our group decided to eat some street foods from nearby food stalls to satisfy our cravings. After that, we rent and ride a cart and bike to enjoy the perfect cold weather and drive around the huge park full of plants and trees. From my perspective, Burnham Park is a lively and lovable place as there are many activities to choose from. Also, the park was like an amusement park because of sports and gaming areas with lots of eateries. Before we leave the park I buy some green mangoes and guava. I told myself that one day I will go back to this amazing park. Without a doubt, Burnham Park is a sentimental place and it’s an impressive tourist attraction. I will recommend this park to everyone.

Things to bring on your visit to Burnham Park:

Pocket money
Smartphone
Jacket
Umbrella
Snacks
Bottled water

How to Go to Burnham Park

By commute

From Victory Liner Pasay Terminal, ride a regular aircon bus bound for Baguio City.
Then from Baguio City, ride a taxi or jeep going to Burnham Park.

Reminders and Tips:

Burnham Park has no entrance fee and it’s free for all tourists coming to Baguio City.

Boat rentals for local and international tourists are available inside Burnham Lake. The swan boat ride or manual rowing in Burnham Park cost 200 pesos for a thirty-minute ride. Take note that you can add 50 pesos if you want someone to do the rowing.

Biking around Burnham Park is generally safe because the park road is exclusively used for pedestrians and bikes only. Tourists can rent bicycles which cost 50 pesos up to 150 pesos for a thirty-minute ride. Meanwhile, Go kart ride cost 50 pesos to 75 pesos for a thirty-minute ride.

The best time to visit Burnham Park is in the early morning around 5:30 am so you can do a lot of activities such as biking, jogging, skating, walking, strolling, boating, Zumba, and aerobics. Meanwhile, the best month to visit Burnham Park is from December to April.

There are paid parking spaces around the park but be early as you can.

There are numerous garbage cans that can be found at the park so make sure you put your garbage in a designated garbage can. Remember clean as you go.

Destroying plants and flowers is strictly prohibited in Burnham Park. In addition, spitting, littering, smoking, and drinking alcoholic beverages are not allowed inside the park.

If you’re alone at the park and you want somebody to take pictures of you in Igorot costume then you can hire a traditional photographer inside the park. They will charge you 75 pesos for each 5R picture size and they will send a soft copy of the pictures on Facebook.

Last but not least, after exploring Burnham Park, you can go to other beautiful tourist attractions in Baguio City such as Mines View Observation Deck, Wright Park, Baguio Botanical Garden, and Igorot Stone Kingdom.

There you have it, tripper. I hope you’re doing well. Appreciate and enjoy the little things because they make life beautiful. For the most part, I aim that this Burnham Park blog has been useful to you and made you think to visit this wonderful place in the near future.