This little park at the north end of Cherry Valley is a great example of the county parks many people don’t even know exist. It has camping, hiking, fishing, and ample picnic ground, but I had never heard of it. I set out to explore it in my attempt to uncover the awesome places right in my backyard. Here is all the information.
Details
- 5 dollar day use (as of 2014)
- Lots of open space, parking, and restrooms
- Pets only on a leash
- Day use : 8am – sunset
When we entered the park and paid our fees on a spring Sunday morning, I anticipated there to be a lot of people using the space but found almost no one. I drove up to the day-use area first to see what was there and was shocked to find only one other car and no children on the playground. You would expect areas like this to have more use, especially on a nice weekend. Here is what the park had to offer though.
Fishing
Right in the middle, there is a small but nice lake for fishing. There were a couple of people there enjoying it, and it was a good place to relax without a lot of people. No one I talked to had any luck so far that day, but I was told they were fishing for trout.
Picnic Areas
The main area for day use at the park was the picnic area. There is a massive grass area with lots of picnic tables and space. It was a nice spot with lots of shade trees and a restroom. I imagine it being a great place to gather the family and spend some time outside.
Playground
The playground in the upper part of the picnic area was also pretty nice. It looked like it had been redone in the last couple of years and had a lot of things that made the child in me want to explore like a big slide and a small rock wall. I could see children and families enjoying this area for sure.
Campground
The campground had about 25 spots, and they all had a fire pit and a parking spot. The area is pretty with shade trees, and it overlooks the dry creek (thanks to the California drought).
Equestrian Campground
After the regular campground is a decent sized equestrian campground with lots of room for horses. I don’t do this myself, but I haven’t seen it much at other places I have visited so I imagine this could be a good draw for the park as there were a lot of nice places to ride.
Oak Nature Trail
This was the best part of the park for me. Right near the entrance is a small parking lot for a beautiful nature trail through some majestic oaks. It is a very short trail, but it is gorgeous.
There are some massive trees to see here, and in the warm summer months, it is a place with a lot of shade as well. I spent the most time here exploring and photographing the trees.
All in all, Bogart Park is a nice little park, I don’t see myself coming here to camp, but I know some families that would enjoy it, and I imagine the equestrian draw is probably pretty big as well. All of this to say, go see what is in your backyard, you never know, it could be awesome. Make sure to leave a comment letting me know if you have been.
