Monterey County Local News: Parks & Recreation

The sharp whacking sound of pickleballs ricocheting off of paddles became too much for neighbors surrounding Forest Hill Park’s four pickleball courts in Carmel.

The number of National Historic Landmarks in Monterey County just increased.

There’s a new requirement for anyone operating a motorized boat either on the bay, sea or lake starting Jan. 1, 2025: You must carry a California Boater Card.

For conservationists, the dream of preserving Ferrini Ranch, an approximately 870-acre property that straddles Toro Park along Highway 68, has been in the ether for decades, long before the County Board of Supervisors, in a 3-2 vote, approved a development on the property in 2014.

As of Monday, Dec. 9, when the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District’s board came out of closed session just before 11pm, General Manager Rafael Payan has been put on administrative leave.

When I, Pam Marino, lived in Santa Clara County, I’d sometimes look at maps to see just how possible it was to hike from my house over the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. It was totally doable, linking regional and state parks. I did it at least halfway with one of my sons, backpacking from the Saratoga Gap to where Big Basin State Park meets Highway 1.

For years, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve has been burdened by overtourism. The 150 parking spaces inside the reserve fill up quickly, and many drivers are turned away, so visitors try to find a place to park on Highway 1.

Seacliff State Beach was obliterated by storms in 2023. California State Parks is mobilizing the public to reimagine its future.

The internet site TheTravel.com has recognized King City, Calif., as one of the “Cutest Small Towns Near California National Parks.”

The San Jose Earthquakes and Chevron unveiled a new futsal court for the Central Coast community and hosted a free youth soccer clinic last Tuesday afternoon at Patriot Park in Greenfield.

It’s a mixed bag of results for the trio of property tax measures on the Nov. 5 ballot benefiting schools and parks in North County—while one appears on its way for approval, another is going in the opposite direction, and a third is too close to call.

An effort to remember and honor the Chinese immigrants who are a part of Pacific Grove’s history is gaining steam, with approximately $100,000 raised toward the construction of a pavilion, moon gate and garden in Elmarie Dyke Open Space next to the town’s historic Chautauqua Hall, to be completed by this time next year.

Long-empty train tracks west of Highway 1 offer a spectacular view of the dunes and the Monterey Bay. Since 2021, people who signed up for handcar rides have enjoyed it while feeling the breeze.

Voters in North Monterey County will decide on three property tax measures in the Nov. 5 election that benefit schools and parks.