Toro Park reopens in Salinas after months of being closed

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Toro Park in Salinas reopened on Monday after being closed down to the public for months.

Around 2,000 to 3,000 people came out to Toro Park on Monday to finally be able to walk the trails and use their bikes. Some people came out for leisurely walks while others came out in whole biking groups like Oscar Montoya who volunteered his time to help clear out the park from the damage it attained due to the River Fire.

"I thought it was going to be more damaged. Some parts are damaged but the majority of the park looks fine," says Montoya.

Bryan Flores, the operations manager warns people to stay in the designated areas away from the River Fire burn scar. He says the area is still fragile and may take years until the vegetative cover and native plants grow back but the park is determined to help nature restore itself.

"We're in it for the long haul. It's a multiple year process recovering from a fire of this nature and so that's why it's really important that we stress to people to stay out of those areas because they are so fragile," says Flores.

Some hikers say that it's a great opportunity to see the rebirth of the park after the devastating fire.

"You can definitely can see the fire scars around and evidence of the fire. Nature is awesome and it regrows fast so it's awesome to see the regrowth happening," says the hiker.

Flores warns that there may be hazardous conditions natural conditions so use the areas with great caution and at your own risk.

All the trails are open except for Harper Canyon.