Hiking trail closed amid safety and health concerns stemming from homeless encampment

A popular hiking trail leading into Manzanita Park has been closed amid safety and health concerns.

The park in Monterey County has seen an increase of trash, which officials say is coming from a nearby homeless encampment.

Prunedale resident, Estefania Chavez, says she drives by the area 3-4 times a week and notices the growing mess. “I probably drive by here three to four times a week and I have been for the past couple years. I can tell that it’s dirtier than it used to be.”

Rich Ponce, has lived in Prunedale for 18 years and says, “Trash has gotten progressively worse. I constantly have to go out and pick up trash. I think it’s just people don’t care.”

The Monterey County Resource Management Agency says the problem got so bad they had to shut down one of the trails leading into Manzanita Park.

Brett Fulgoni says so much trash was piling up it became a safety concern.

“There is a pretty significant amount of trash. It’s going to take a full crew, you know roughly 12 people, a couple of days of work to come in here and clean it up.”

The trash he says is mostly coming from the nearby homeless community. “We have a homeless encampment. There is inherent issues that go along with that, so again we just felt it was the right decision to restrict access to make sure that we are protecting health and safety for the public.”

Chavez says she used to run on the Manzanita park trails. “It used to be a safe place to go and workout so if it’s not anymore, than that’s a concern definitely.”

Fulgoni says the trail will most likely be closed through the end of the year.

He says the sheriff’s office will be evicting those living at the encampment, then Parks crews will go in to clean it up.