Monterey County parks open to the public for 4th of July weekend

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) A slew of Monterey County's scenic parks will welcome the public free of cost for the 4th of July Weekend. With several firework restrictions in place, fire danger, as well as enforcement, are notable concerns. In an attempt to keep the parks as safe as possible over the weekend, officials are ramping up enforcement. Park officers will be patrolling the area to make sure park-goers are safe, and will be looking out for fireworks of any kind.

Bryan Flores, Administrative Operations Manager for Monterey County Parks, says that there are absolutely no fireworks permitted in Monterey County parks. "Even if you're not shooting off fireworks, you can still get cited for just possessing those fireworks," Flores said. The strict regulations are valid, considering the River Fire that burned much of the Toro County Park last summer. According to Flores, much of the park has recovered, but danger is still present. In addition to hazards on Toro Park's trails including loose dirt and leftover rubble from the fire, Flores says that even blackened materials can still catch fire.

Campfires, on the other hand, will be welcomed as the majority of parks are fully booked with campers for the holiday weekend. Brent Marshall, the superintendent for the Monterey District of California State Parks says that this is nothing new. "Fourth of July Weekend is almost always sold out months in advance. And with the governor's returned to normal plan, we've had all of our campgrounds sold out for months," Marshall said. At both state and county parks, campers must pay to reserve a spot. As for daytime entry, state and county parks are slightly different. State parks charge per vehicle for daytime admissions, while many county parks are free to the public during the day.

As of the first of this month, Monterey County has elected to make day admission free at the following county parks:

• Royal Oaks Park
• Jacks Peak Park
• Toro Park
• San Lorenzo Park

Free park admission is a perk of the county's 2021/22 fiscal year budget that will be officially adopted on the 22nd of the month. Parks where admission remains in place are as follows:

• Lake Nacimiento Resort & Recreation Area
• North Shore Lake San Antonio
  • Los Robles Equestrian Center
• South Shore Lake San Antonio
• Laguna Seca Recreational Area

Park officials ask that attendees take good care of the parks and always leave them in better conditions than you found them.