Parks and Recreation - Harvey West Park

AVAILABLE FACILITIES:
Harvey West Pool - Jim Booth Swim School is offering swim lessons this summer in the instructional pool. Call 831.722-3500 for information.
Harvey West Pool Picnic Areas - Closed pending new use agreements with service providers.
Harvey West Clubhouse/Scouthouse - To Reserve
Picnic Areas - To reserve group picnic areas
Ballfields - To reserve
Wagner Cottage and Kids Kottage
Playground equipment
Restroom, drinking fountain and phone

TRAILS: Trails are open to pedestrians only. Dogs must be on-leash at all times.

DOG REGULATIONS: Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Dogs are not allowed in the athletic fields, bleachers, play areas, picnic areas and public buildings. Owners must clean up after their dogs.

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES: Fires, camping, littering, wood gathering, collection of plants or animals, archery/hunting

Amplified music by permit only. Excessive noise prohibited.

Alcohol is permitted only in reservable picnic areas, the Clubhouse and Scouthouse.

PARKING/ENTRANCES: Parking available onsite at terminus of Evergreen Street. On-street parking available on Harvey West Blvd. Please park in a designated parking spot in park or on Harvey West Blvd. Due to emergency vehicle access and the safety of the children in our programs at Harvey West Park, all vehicles parked in the RED zone or driving "in" the "exit" will receive a citation. Speed limit 15 MPH within park boundaries.

Trail entrances:

Friendship Garden - Trail entrance to several trails, including Harvey West Trail connection to Pogonip (no dogs on Harvey West connector trail).

Wagner Grove - Trail entrance to upper park trails

Harvey West Panoramas
Click on images below to see 360* panoramas.

Harvey West Park Photo Gallery Page

Highlights

Harvey West Park is a 50-acre municipal park. Located just off the intersection of Highways 1, 9, and 17 and is truly Santa Cruz' most complete central park complex. The park includes hiking trails, swimming pools, ball fields, play equipment, clubhouses, barbecue pits, picnic areas and more. It's the perfect place for team sports, a Sunday picnic, an evening swim or just a walk on the trails.

Harvey West Park offers many features and services to the public. With six ball fields, the familiar crack of the bat and the finality of "You're OUT!" can be heard almost every evening. Plenty of barbecue pits and picnic areas make for lively family gatherings or relaxing, well-equipped picnics on any day. Kid's Kottage houses an excellent recreational preschool and summer day camp. The Clubhouse/Scouthouse is reservable for indoor activities.
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History
Harvey West Park was presented to the City of Santa Cruz by philanthropist Harvey West in 1955. Harvey West was born in Soquel in 1894. His Father, Ed West, was once a County supervisor, better known as the "Bull of the Woods" for his ownership of the Loma Prieta Lumber Company. Harvey worked for a time at F.A. Hihn's sawmill on Laurel Street, then in 1913 he went to work for Capitola Garage. He purchased the business in just four short years. On his return from World War I, Harvey transformed the garage business into one for hauling lumber. His success in the lumber business moved him to Calaveras County, then to El Dorado County where he started the Placerville Lumber Company in 1936.

Over the years, Harvey West made many contributions, both public and private, throughout the State of California. In 1955 he presented the City of Santa Cruz with the parcel of land we know as Harvey West Park and in 1958 he purchased Wagner Grove from Fred Wagner as an addition to the park.
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Friendship Garden
Friendship Garden is one of Harvey West Park's most unique features. Designed by landscape architect Edwin Wood, Friendship Garden was planned for the enjoyment of people with disabilities and the general public alike. Special care was taken with regards to wheelchair accessibility. Friendship Garden was sponsored by the Soroptimists of Santa Cruz with support from other community organizations and private businesses. It's one of Santa Cruz' special spots for a stroll or a quiet moment among the flowers.
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Evergreen Cemetery
Located adjacent to Harvey West Park is historic Evergreen Cemetery, one of the oldest Protestant grave sites in California. The first burial in 1850 was the infant Julia Arcan, child of Gold Rush pioneers who had crossed Death Valley. In 1858 the cemetery was officially established by a group of prominent pioneer citizens. The eight acre site was divided into 241 parcels which were all sold by the 1930s. A small extension was added in the 1940s and the additional plots were all sold by the 1950s.

In the 1920s, the plot owners formed the Evergreen Cemetery Association and hired a caretaker, but maintenance remained basic at best. In 1974 a new volunteer organization was formed, Help Evergreen Live Permanently (HELP). Then, in 1986 the ownership of Evergeen Cemetery was transferred to the Santa Cruz County Historical Trust, which now maintains the archives and grounds of Evergreen.

Walking through Evergreen is like taking a walk back through time. Don't forget to pay special attention to the trees and plants around the cemetery, many are indigenous (the Coast Redwoods, the California Bays, etc.) and quite a few trees and plants were imported and planted as memorials over a period of nearly 150 years (Japanese Cryptomeria, Arizona Cypress, Deodar Cedar native to the Himalayas, and Mock Orange).
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Report Website Problems ( Broken Links, Page Not Found, etc.)
To: parksandrec@ci.santa-cruz.ca.us

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