ADA COUNTY, Idaho — The future Park at Expo Idaho is already earning international recognition before it opens to the public.
The 50-acre park received the Award of Excellence in the Concept/Public Space Design category from the World Landscape Architecture Awards. More than 275 projects from around the world were submitted to the awards program, which recognizes landscape architecture projects and designs.
WATCH | Expo Idaho project earns international recognition
Ada County Commissioner Rod Beck said the recognition highlights years of work by the project’s designers, contractors and subcontractors.
“This is going to be a generational park,” Beck said. “This is going to be something that’s going to be here for years and it’s going to be something that the entire community can enjoy.”
The project has been in development for more than five years. Beck said county leaders wanted to create more than a traditional park, designing a space with features for children, teenagers, seniors and other community members.
“It’s a park for everybody,” Beck said.
The park will include a nature-inspired playground, a two-acre skate park, walking trails, restored waterways and other recreational spaces.
READ MORE | New Expo Idaho park to bring wetlands, skate features and future footbridge near 52nd street
Ada County Parks Senior Project Manager Josh Brown said the skate park was designed to blend into the surrounding landscape. The skate area will cover two acres within five acres of property and will eventually be surrounded by trees.
“It’s cut through the landscape, so if you visit the pump track over there, there’s trees wrapped all around you, so it’s like skating through the forest,” Brown said. “It’s just different.”
Brown said the skate park will be the only one located directly along the Boise River Greenbelt, allowing visitors to walk, bike or ride to the park without needing to drive.
The playground also draws inspiration from Idaho’s rugged terrain. Brown said the design focuses on nature-based play, with climbing structures, elevated features and challenges intended to encourage children to build confidence.
“We want people to overcome those challenges,” Brown said. “We want the kids to feel like they’re conquering something when they come out here.”
Officials said the project will provide new recreational opportunities for the community without using local property tax dollars for construction.
The Park at Expo Idaho is scheduled to celebrate its grand opening on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026.
