60 Years of Monterey County Parks

14 hours ago

2 min read

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

This month is a time to reflect on the many recreational opportunities that those of us who live from Salinas north have. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Monterey County Parks and Royal Oaks Park. The Parks Department was established on April 1, 1966, and Royal Oaks Park opened Labor Day Weekend 1966. On September 12, this Saturday, Royal Oaks Park will hold a celebration to honor these anniversaries from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

The festivities start with a disk golf tournament. Royal Oaks has an excellent disk golf course, I am told, although I have never played the game myself. There will also be a cornhole setup and soccer nets. The long-established tennis, pickleball, basketball and horseshoe areas will be available. Opening after the celebration will be a rehabilitated softball field. It is expected that there will be 10-15 food trucks available throughout the day.

Monterey County was one of the last counties to establish a parks system when it acquired Royal Oaks Park. At that time, it was a former turkey farm. The owner sold it to Monterey County because she wanted to keep the park with its natural beauty with the oak-studded hills. Other buyers were interested in removing the oaks and growing strawberries.

After the purchase of Royal Oaks, the County acquired Toro Park, Jack’s Peak, San Lorenzo and Manzanita Park – all either purchased or opened in the 1970s. During that same time, the recreational facilities at Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs were developed.

There have been times when Monterey County Parks have fallen onto hard times with less use and dilapidated equipment. Fortunately, we are not at one of those times. Real efforts are being made to upgrade the parks, add new features and encourage their use. Parks enhance life and offer opportunities for friends and families to enjoy the outdoors. I remain a huge supporter of improving our parks.

Here in North County and Salinas, we are fortunate to have a great number of parks. Salinas offers several neighborhood parks. It also has the Salinas Sports Complex at the Rodeo Grounds and the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex near Creekbridge.

Besides the County’s Royal Oaks and Manzanita Parks, North County has several other parks and recreational facilities. North County Recreation and Parks District operates several facilities in the Castroville area. The Moss Landing Harbor District oversees Kirby Park along the Elkhorn Slough. The State has beaches open for the public at Zmudowski, Moss Landing and Salinas River State Parks. Pajaro Park is operated by Pajaro Sunny Mesa Community Special Services District. Aromas Community Center Foundation operates Aromas Community Park.

All these parks are free and available for everyone to use.

As always, don't hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance. You can reach us at 831-755-5022 or district2@countyofmonterey.gov.

Sincerely,