Party on June 3 kicks off summer trails challenge
Sonoma County Regional Parks is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. They’ve been kicking up their hiking boots all year with special events and a new series of guided hikes for families and dog owners. This week they’re having a 50th anniversary party at Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol and launching a new Summer Trails Challenge.
Normally the park’s annual Trail Challenge invites park goers to hike five trails between June and September — and that challenge is still on offer — but they’ve added a more ambitious one as well, inviting people to “Hike 50 for the 50th.”
“We have some new trails that we’re highlighting this year and, if people feel up to it, we’re encouraging them to hike every trail that we feature in the trails guidebook,” said Meda Freeman, Communications Manager for Sonoma County Regional Parks. “If they do so, they will have hiked more than 50 miles, and we’re going to give out special prizes for people who do that.”
In a way, this newest trail challenge is a measure of how much the park district has grown over the years. When the Sonoma County Regional Parks District was founded on January 30, 1967, it had just one park (Doran Beach in Bodega Bay) and one employee — Joe Rodota, who was also the district’s first director and the man the bike trail from Santa Rosa to Sebastopol is named after. Today, Sonoma County Regional Parks operates 56 parks, beaches and trails throughout Sonoma County, overseeing more than 11,000 acres.
How did the park district amass all that that land? In some cases, like Hood Mountain and Helen Putnam Parks, the district purchased land directly from owners. In other cases, such as Gualala Point and Foothill parks, individuals or developers donated land to the park district. Recently, the park district has acquired several large pieces of land through the voter-funded Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District — these include Taylor Mountain, North Sonoma Mountain and Tolay Lake. Finally, those 11,000 acres include land owned by other organization such as the Water Agency, but managed by the park district, such as Spring Lake and Riverfront parks.
“We have parks, beaches, or trails in or around every city in Sonoma County,” said Freeman. “People may be familiar with a few of the more well-known and popular parks like Doran Beach and Spring Lake, but there are parks everywhere throughout the County.”
The last six years have been a period of rapid expansion for the park district. It opened four major parks and trails — Taylor Mountain, North Sonoma Mountain, the Laguna de Santa Rosa Trail, and the Coastal Prairie Trail — and added additional acreage to parks like Hood Mountain, Sonoma Valley and Tolay Lake.
The district expects to open another park at the end of this year — Andy’s Park in east Santa Rosa, named after Andy Lopez, the 13-year-old who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in 2013.
“We’ll be breaking ground in the next couple of weeks and the goal is to have that park constructed and open to the public by the late fall,” Freeman said. “We are really pleased to be moving forward with that; it’s been a long time coming for that community. We hope to wrap up our anniversary this fall by celebrating the opening of Andy’s Park.”
Adding acreage isn’t the only measure of how the park system has expanded over the years. The parks now see over 5 million visitors a year, and nearly 30,000 people buy yearly park passes. And the park is continually doing outreach to bring in more visitors. This year, that includes a special program aimed at the families of fourth graders.
“We’ve sent information to all the fourth grade classrooms in Sonoma County letting those parents know that they can get a free parking pass for the month of June. Research has shown that children at that developmental age are particularly receptive to connecting with nature. So the thought is if we can make it easier for those families to get out and discover their park system that that will make some lasting impressions and connections for those kids and their families.”
The Park’s 50th Anniversary Party, which will be held in Ragle Park in Sebastopol on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is also a decidedly family-friendly affair, featuring activities for all ages, including a fun run, guided hike, scavenger hunt, live music, crafts, games, barbecue, and cake.
Freeman hopes that people from all over the county who love the parks will show up for the party. “We are so lucky to have these parks — they’re an amazing resource — and really something to celebrate.”
The park’s new incoming director Bert Whitaker agrees. “Whether your interest is hiking, biking, running, camping, fishing, birding or kayaking or whether your favorite spot is the ocean, the river or the valley, you’re not far from an adventure in a Regional Park.”
