Kip Tellez

Kip Tellez

Hike to the Garden of Eden Swimming Hole

01/01/19

Like Cin Dy, I want to warn all visitors to the Garden of Eden that dogs are strictly prohibited and the rangers will write tickets. The place is stunningly beautiful, and I hope all who visit will do their best to keep it that way. I live about a mile from the park and serve as a volunteer. Part of my work is picking up trash at Garden of Eden. Please, if you pack it in, pack it out. The state park does not provide any trash service here, so any trash left behind must be picked up by volunteers or the rangers. If you visit, consider bringing a trash bag and helping to haul out trash left by others. Lately, I've had to spend hours cleaning graffiti from rocks and trees. If you believe that spray painting your tag or some other design will impress other visitors, you are wrong. And if you are caught by the rangers defacing anything in the state parks, you will be cited. And if you have a warrant, they'll take you to jail. State park rangers have the same authority as county sheriffs. So think twice before carving your initials in a tree or painting your tag on a rock. And, again, I want to remind everyone that dogs are NOT allowed at Garden of Eden. There are many reasons for this rule (punishable by a $300-500 dollar ticket if the rangers catch you), but let me offer the one most people don't consider: Dogs are predators, of course, and their paws, when they come in contact with dirt or sand, leave a strong scent that tells many of our native animals to stay away. Many species native to the park can pick up the scent of dogs days or even weeks after they are gone, so even if you clean up after your dog defecates, you are likely preventing wildlife from traveling to water or needed food sources. Garden of Eden used to be a secret place that only locals knew about, and many wish we could return to the old days when San Lorenzo Valley folks like me had the place to ourselves. But that's not going to happen. Social media has spread the word, and thousands of visitors from "over the hill" come to enjoy the Garden. The state parks are public and open to all, but please don't come here thinking this is great place to drink beer, smoke weed, and party. It's just not set up for that. There are no bathrooms, no trash cans. It's remote and if accidents happen (most often because some idiot gets drunk and cracks his head on a rock), it's very expensive to send emergency crews. If you need to hauled out, it's going to cost you about $30,000. Not worth it. On summer weekends, the Garden gets very crowded, but if we all respect each other (no publicly heard music, no smoking of anything, no fires-duh!) and follow all the rules, this beautiful but fragile ecosystem will remain a jewel on the central coast. GoE is not a party place. It's peaceful place for reflection, respect, and reverence.

5.0