Castle Rock State Park Unveils Newly Renovated Facilities After $8.7M Overhaul

LOS GATOS (KPIX) - Castle Rock State Park unveiled its newly renovated $8.7-million dollar facilities designed to ease overcrowding at the increasingly popular venue.

"It's gotten really popular," said Boulder Creek resident and frequent park visitor Bruce Damer.

"People have to park along Skyline. And it's not really made for parking. And the rear ends of their cars were sticking out into Hwy 35," Damer said.

But the renovations should go a long way to fix that. The new parking is paved instead dirt and triple the size.

"The popularity of the park has been increasing. And the small parking lot that we originally had would fill up pretty early in the day," said State Parks District Superintendent Christopher Sprohrer.

And it's not just the parking lot that got a facelift. The new restrooms feature both running water and a toilet that flushes.

"Castle Rock prior to the Sempervirens Fund investment in the park had pretty rustic facilities. And we feared that was a barrier to people feeling comfortable visiting the park," said Sempervirens Fund Executive Director Sara Barth whose organization paid for the renovations with private donations.

Returning guests raved about the changes.

"Amazing park, amazing entrance and amenities. What they've done now, it's an upgrade—from amazing to spectacular," said Eli Berman who came to the park to hike with friends.