A short, sunny stroll among flowers
Walking Skypark in Scotts Valley
Neil Wiley
If you are looking for a wilderness adventure, Skypark isn’t it. The
trail is paved. It’s flat. And there are no mysterious forests,
streams, or giant critters. But if you would like a close-by place
to stroll, perhaps over a lunch time or after dinner, for about a
mile through drought-tolerant landscaping, Skypark Nature Walk and
California Native Plant Garden is a pleasant place to walk.
It’s also a great place for dogs. Leashed dogs are permitted on the
trail, but even better, a fenced dog park is available to let your
dog run free, play fetch, or meet other dogs. If you are nervous
about your dog running with the big dogs, a second fenced area is
available for smaller canines. No, there are no areas for cats.
This is also a great place for kids. A big new skate board park is
open to the public. Just be sure you have a helmet, wrist pads, and
other optional padding. It wouldn’t hurt to have a good
hospitalization insurance policy, too. Yes, it looks dangerous; but
to many boys and some girls of a certain age, it’s just fun.
Children under ten must be accompanied by an adult.
For other games, Skypark provides a modern playground, soccer
fields, and four tennis courts. And if you like to eat, the picnic
areas come with shaded tables and bathrooms.
Are you on a water budget? Walking the nature trail takes you past
about eighty different plant species. Plant labels help you pick
some favorites for your own garden. Most are drought-tolerant and
deer-resistant.
In season, you can see scarlet-red California fuchsia, golden-yellow
sticky monkey flowers, green to tan ornamental grasses, tasty
holly-leaf cherries, blue ceanothus, or our favorite—Pacific Coast
irises.
Skypark gets its name from the airport built here in 1947, and
operated through 1982. Although close to Santa Cruz and our
mountains, many pilots considered it unforgiving because of the
short runway and high bluffs. So now it is home to a development of
small, but lovely, homes and a pleasant community park.
To reach the park, take Highway 17 south to Mt. Hermon Road. Turn
right on Kings Village Road (the second entrance to the Kings
Village Shopping Center), then left past the Scotts Valley Sports
Center to a parking area for the dog park and skateboard park. You
can travel further up the road to additional parking near the
playground. If tennis is your game, or you wish to avoid children,
continue on Mt. Hermon Road past Kings Village Road to Skypark Drive
and take it to the end, then right to the tennis courts.
For more information about recreation at the park, call
831-438-3251. For more information about the park’s drought-tolerant
landscaping, call Sheryl McEwan, 831-439-9158.
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