Built for Wonder. Rooted in Nature.
We construct immersive, nature-based play environments using sustainably sourced timber, stone, cork surfacing, and permeable systems — built to endure, built to inspire.
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CSLB Licensed
Contractor Lic. #1067489
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40+ Years
Division of CK Landscape
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CPSI Certified
Playground Safety Inspector on Staff
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Bay Area & Northern CA
Dedicated Nature Play Specialists
School Playground Builder California
CK Nature Play is a natural playground construction and installation company in California dedicated to building natural play environments that feel real — not manufactured.
We specialize in natural log play structures, boulder terrain, Corkeen safety surfacing, Addaset/Addapave permeable systems, water play features, outdoor classrooms, ADA-accessible pathways, shade structures, and full landscape construction.
We build for every child — incorporating ADA-accessible pathways, ground-level play features, and inclusive terrain that welcome children of all abilities into every project we deliver.
While we collaborate closely with architects and landscape architects, our core role is construction — translating thoughtful designs into safe, durable, and deeply engaging environments for children.
Play Construction Company with a Clear Purpose
CK Nature Play is first and foremost a construction and installation firm — a dedicated division of CK Landscape, the company Gary Cartwright founded over 40 years ago and that his son Alex has grown up in, worked in, and now carries forward.
We build structural timber elements, boulder groupings, engineered surfacing systems, water play features, outdoor learning environments, and ADA-accessible site features. We understand soils, foundations, drainage, anchoring, and durability — and we build environments that last.
Alex Cartwright grew up in the landscape business — and in the redwoods. His father, Gary Cartwright, founded CK Landscape over 40 years ago and built it into one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most respected landscape construction firms. Every summer, Gary brought Alex and the family to the Santa Cruz Mountains, passing down not just a trade but a love of the natural world — the uneven ground, the filtered light through the canopy, the feeling that a landscape could shape how you move through life. Gary passed away a few years ago. His name is in the company, and his spirit is in every project his son builds.
Alex grew up working in the business, learning construction from the ground up — and now has young children of his own, whom he takes to those same Santa Cruz redwoods every chance he gets. CK Nature Play is his most personal project: a chance to design and create the way his own small children experience the world, to think about what they reach for and what stops them in their tracks, and to emulate those cherished landscapes for kids who may never otherwise have access to them. Building these environments is not just work. It is a way of honoring his father, sharing what was given to him, and passing it forward to the next generation.
Alex is personally involved in every CK Nature Play project — from initial site review through post-installation inspection.
Alex Cartwright — Founder, CK Nature Play
We build with materials that belong in nature — because that's where they'll live.
Our timber is sourced from sustainably managed forests. Our boulders are locally quarried where possible. Corkeen safety surfacing is made from renewable cork — a natural, rapidly regenerating resource. Addaset and Addapave permeable resin systems are engineered for longevity, reducing the frequency of replacement and the resources consumed over the life of a project.
We build things that last — because durability is its own form of sustainability.
Our Play Materials & Sustainability
FAQ
CK Nature Play provides complete construction and installation services for natural play environments. We work from architect and landscape architect plans, or alongside design teams from early in the process.
Outdoor Classrooms & Learning Environments
Seating circles, teaching walls, planting beds, chalkboard surfaces, and structured gathering spaces that extend learning into the natural environment.
We work with school planners and landscape architects to build outdoor classrooms that are durable, weather-appropriate, and educationally functional — on school construction timelines.
Site Preparation & Grading
Full site preparation including clearing, grading, drainage installation, and sub-base preparation for play surfaces and structural elements.
With 40+ years of landscape construction experience, CK brings the heavy-equipment capability and soil knowledge to prepare even challenging Bay Area sites — clay soils, steep grades, and drainage-sensitive ground included.
Natural Timber Play Elements
Log scrambles, climbable timber forms, balance beams, natural slides, and structurally anchored features — each selected and installed with long-term durability and ASTM F1487 safety compliance in mind.
All timber elements are anchored with engineered footings appropriate to site soils and load requirements. We use sustainably sourced hardwoods and redwood where specified.
Boulder Play & Stone Terrain
Boulder scrambles, climbable stone clusters, retaining systems, and playable grade transitions — encouraging strength, balance, and spatial awareness.
We source locally quarried stone where possible and work with geotechnical requirements on engineered sites. Boulder groupings are set and anchored for permanent stability.
Handcrafted. Site-Specific. Rooted in Nature.
Serving the Bay Area and Northern California
There’s something different about a willow structure. It bends. It grows. It weathers into the landscape in a way no manufactured product ever will — and children are drawn to it instinctively.
CK Nature Play designs and installs custom willow play structures, living willow features, woven fences, tunnels, arches, dens, and bespoke nature play environments built from natural and living willow materials. Each feature is crafted to blend beautifully into its surroundings while inviting children into the kind of open-ended, imaginative play that only a natural environment can offer.
Whether you’re envisioning a willow hideaway for a school garden, a woven boundary fence for a preschool yard, or a full sensory nature play landscape, we design and install features tailored to your site, your community, and your vision.
Custom Willow Play Structures and Natural Features
Let's Build Something That Matters.
If you're developing a park, school campus, or civic space and seeking an experienced natural play construction partner, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate.
