Monterey County Parks & Recreation Articles

On April 22, Nikki Nedeff, a volunteer with the Monterey chapter of the California Native Plant Society, addressed the Del Rey Oaks City Council with a seemingly simple ask. She wanted the city to give her and other CNPS volunteers…

On file at the Monterey Public Library is an undated pamphlet from the Seaside Chamber of Commerce that appears to have been published in the 1950s or early ’60s. It’s titled, “Laguna Grande as a Recreation and Entertainment Project,” and…

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) launched a new “Elkhorn Forever” campaign with a kick-off celebration Tuesday, with the goal of raising $12 million.

Dan Haifley, a long-time ocean conservationist and former director of O'Neill's Sea Odyssey and Save Our Shores, gives us an update on the multiple threats to ocean ecosystems and marine sanctuaries posed by the cuts to federal staff and budgets …

In 2019, the Pebble Beach Company gave the City of Monterey the Old Capitol Site, a 135-acre property south of Highway 1 opposite the Del Monte Center. Subsequently, the city rezoned the land – a mostly pristine forest of Monterey…

Erik Chalhoub here, looking at a map of Fort Ord National Monument. I’ve explored nearly the entirety of the eastern portion of the park by bike, starting from the Creekside entrance just off of Reservation Road near Salinas. I’ve usually…

On a crisp and sunny afternoon in Pacific Grove Wednesday, Jan. 15 – a day similar to one John Steinbeck described in his novel Sweet Thursday – about 35 people and three dogs cluster at the corner of Eardley and…

A new disc golf course has opened in Royal Oaks Park, a project by the Monterey Parks and Lakes Department.

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. They pleaded with Carmel officials to do something to restore peace to the neighborhood. On Dec.…

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. If you don’t have the card while operating a boat when a…

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…

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. He will remain on leave until the board meets…

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…

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.

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

GREENFIELD — 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…

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…