Regional parks will remain open
People hoping to go to the beach to celebrate the Fourth of July should plan ahead before they make their way out to the coast this weekend. The parking lots along the Sonoma Coast are going to be hit and miss, as state beach parking lots will be closed to the public and county parking lots will be open.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation announced Wednesday that state beaches are closed to vehicular access throughout California, in an effort to reduce the amount of beach visitors over the Fourth of July weekend (July 3-5).
According to the state Department of Parks and Recreation, while beaches will remain open to local residents that are able to walk or bike into the beach, beachgoers won’t be able to enter parking lots and aren’t allowed to congregate.
The county’s regional parks will stay open for parking this weekend, however.
Fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins expressed frustration over the inconsistent closures Wednesday night, July 1, saying that as recently as Tuesday night, the county wasn’t aware that the state would be closing its beach park parking. She added that the state park closure was done without county consultation, and that it wasn’t recommended by the county’s health officer.
“Here in Sonoma County, we consider State Parks to be a very good partner. The county and state both manage public access points along our 55-mile Sonoma Coast. Regional Parks staff and leadership work very closely with State Parks to ensure that we are collaborating and coordinating in management, especially in the midst of the pandemic,” Hopkins said. “As recently as last night, Regional Parks leadership asked State Parks leadership whether there would be any change to management plans for the Fourth of July weekend. The answer was no.”
Since the closure of state beach parking was announced, Hopkins said that the county is concerned about the impact to highways and neighborhoods, where people may park instead of parking in a beach parking lot. She also voiced concern about the closure of beach parking lots leading instead to an increase in attendance at county parks and county park facilities.
Finally, the closure of the parking lots also mean the restroom facilities will be closed, potentially leading to people going to the bathroom “wherever.”
To figure out which coastal parks are regional parks, versus state ones, visit the Sonoma County Regional Parks park locator.
