Open Space - Enjoy the Great Outdoors!
Click on the photo or link for more information about each park.
Quick Links:
Sycamore Grove Park Map (pdf)
Free Ranger-Led weekend programs
Natural and Cultural History Programs for School and Community Groups
Hoot Owl Night Hike for Scout and Community Groups
Guided Tours of Brushy Peak
Valley Wilds Newsletter
District Rules and Regulations
What is open space?
Open Space News
The parking fee at both entrances to Sycamore Grove Park is
$5 per day. Please remember to bring correct change for the machines!
2012 Annual Passes are now available!
If you come to Sycamore Grove once a month or more you may save money by purchasing an annual pass.
Click here for prices and an application form.
The 2012 Sycamore Grove Park Calendar is on sale now! Click here to see a preview of the calendar. |
Open space parklands provide places for people to experience the natural world. Escape the city, and come to LARPD open space parks to walk with your family, jog for exercise, ride a horse, ride a bike or enjoy a leisurely picnic. At the same time you can enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature. Colorful spring wildflowers, trees near a stream rustling in a breeze, birds singing or soaring high in the sky, deer grazing on grass, a lizard sunning on a log, or a butterfly drinking nectar from a flower are just a few of the experiences awaiting you.
What do rangers do?
The LARPD ranger staff work to help maintain open space parks and help visitors enjoy them. They wear many hats. If you have a question, ask a ranger. Rangers are there to help you learn what is special about each of the District’s open space parks. They offer programs for the public, community groups, and school classes on history and natural history topics. Rangers also do park maintenance and natural resource improvement tasks. For instance, they maintain trails, clean restrooms, remove weeds, plant oaks and native grasses. Rangers also work to keep parks safe by enforcing District rules and regulations and by providing first aid and other emergency services.
What is OK in the parks?
When you visit LARPD’s open space parks, you can help to take care of them. Being a good park visitor helps the plants and animals that live in the parks and the other people who are visiting. Some ways that you can help are:
- Leave all natural items that you find in the park near where you find them. (Even non-living things like rocks and dead branches can provide habitat for living creatures.)
- Keep your dog on a leash (this keeps wildlife from being frightened, keeps your dog safe from hazards such as rattlesnakes, and helps avoid conflicts with other park visitors or their pets).
- Share trails safely by knowing who has the right of way. Bikes and people yield to horses. People yield to bikes.
- Alert others when you are passing them on a trail.
- Carry out all pet waste and trash that you bring into the park.
For more information on the rules follow this link to LARPD's District Rules and Regulations.
Find out more
Follow the photo links at the top of the page for information on individual parks. For additional information on your open space parks and preserves, trails, nature activities, and outdoor recreation follow these links:
To learn how to support Open Space programs, visit the LARPD Foundation page
or view Donation Opportunities.
