CA State/County/City Parks Policies

[lwarc]

The primary purpose of this thread is to avoid having park personnel get upset when they find people crawling within the park. We need to maintain a positive relationship with park personnel so we have places to crawl. Have you found a Crawler (un)Friendly Park and you want to share it with everyone? Maybe you like to crawl and you work for a State, County or City Park, you could post your policies here so that other crawlers will know how to crawl within park regulations.

[Brandon]

Great thread, with the size of the groups always increasing this is going to be an extremely important topic.

[lwarc]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...04141&t=h&z=18

The creek right down the middle of the map is the crawl spot.

Rangers here are crawler friendly but definitely pay the five bucks for parking or have a park pass(you will get a ticket). Also - some rangers know the difference between Lipo and Nimh batteries and don't like the fire danger involved with Lipo

[Gula]

I have been going to Rockville park in Fairfield quite frequently and have not had any problems. It's a big time mountain bike place, so as lond as you stay on the trail getting to a crawl spot your good.

[montereycrawler]

Good idea on the thread.

Bean Hollow State Beach

Several months ago Nor-Calrcrc had a comp at Bean Hollow. About mid way through the day a State Park Ranger aproached and was pretty worked up. Since I am in law enforcement I usually get nominated to be the spokesperson with Rangers, cops etc. I spoke with him and this is how it went.

He said that Bean Hollow was one of the State Parks in that area that was very sensitive and told me that they (the Park Service) were very concerned about errosion among other issues. Apparently his supervisor saw a large group of people and sent him to take care of the issue (any law enforcement agency is somewhat para-military and when asked to do something you do it to the best of your ability). I explained that we were keeping to the rocks and not impacting the fragile hillside or vegitation. I told him that we always pick up after ourselves and leave no trash. The Park Service is also concerned about the wildlife and tidepools in the area and I put his mind at ease by telling him that we avoid the water like the plague and all of our rigs were electric and very quiet. He told me that initially he was planning on shutting us down and sending us on our way but decided that we could finish our comp. He said that in the future we would need to contact them to obtain a permit because of the group size. I explained that we only had about 30 people attending (pretty conservative estimate) and he said that we would still need a permit for a group of that size. I asked what was required to obtain a permit and he said we would need to pay a fee, provide detailed info on the number of people attending, type of activity etc. and have insurance. Well, the last one ofcourse is a big one. I talked to him further but the end result was the same.

Nor-Calrcrc has had many comps at the Bean in the past. The group size was quite-a-bit smaller though. The past contacts with the rangers went better I think because of group size and because this time the ranger was sent by his supervisor.

At this point having small group GTG's at the Bean should not be an issue as long as everyone is careful about their impact on the environment.

[cruz*hotboxrc]

here in the city of santa ana it is ok ,parks and recreation love it...

[APESHAT]

Long time reader, 1st time Poster. . .
As a local Crawlclub member (TGRC-Fresno, CA.), we also had a run-in w/
Ca. State park officials the day before our comp on 1/18/09. It turns out that when you advertise/print flyers to promote your comp/gtg, you are inviting people to the park for a purpose. . .etc.= You must apply for a permit, no matter how many people you expect to host. Our comp was held @ Millerton State Rec. Park near Fresno. The Lt. was understanding to our plans and intentions, (it was our 3rd event @ site) but because we made flyers=it was an "Event" and thus REQUIRED a permit=$135 dollars later. . .the show must go on! Thx to the owner of Trail-Gear, our primary club sponser, fees were paid and we had a great turn-out. The park even supplied trash cans & Port-o-lets. . .Just goes to show if we had'nt printed fliers, or offered prizes, it would have been observed as a gtg. and no extra fees ($7 a car @gate) would have been due.

[towtruckmikey]

Being a employee of the city I know that you cannot have banners posted, or fliers also you must stay off the vegetation also (tread lightly)
There are no "park Rangers" just code enforcment, and the police dept.(there are cameras at this spot) I will try to find out more, but I dont wanna give away that we are doing this here.

Found out this past weekend that smoking is not permitted on the rocks either!

[Mad4Rnr]

Lots of great info in this thread already, Thank Iwac for posting this.

Note there is a similar thread already on this topic, I think it's titled "Park Ranger", I could'nt find the link right off, sorry.

[racenut123]

For larger events which a municipality or state park service may charge a event fee,would most be willing to pay a small fee per participant to have access to these areas for large event usage? 2-5 dollars a person is a small price to pay to use these types of places,if thats what the area is requiring.Any opinions on this?This may just be a way to get access to certain areas to allow larger events(30+ entrants)

[lwarc]

Thanks for the positive feedback everybody and here are links to the Crawl Spots mentioned on this thread so far. If you posted a spot please verify that these are correct:


SONOMA MOUNTAIN
Crane Creek Regional Park
The creek down the middle is the crawl spot.

FAIRFIELD(ROCKVILLE)
Rockville Hills Community Park:
Check out that big rock right next to the Lake!

PESCADERO
Bean Hollow State Beach

FRESNO
Millerton State Recreation Area

[montereycrawler]

Originally Posted by racenut123

For larger events which a municipality or state park service may charge a event fee,would most be willing to pay a small fee per participant to have access to these areas for large event usage? 2-5 dollars a person is a small price to pay to use these types of places,if thats what the area is requiring.Any opinions on this?This may just be a way to get access to certain areas to allow larger events(30+ entrants)

I agree. The problem we have with Bean Hollow is insurance. By the time we pay for the permit and then pay for insurance it will be getting pretty pricey for just a club comp. For Nationals and the like the entry fees are high enough to cover insurance.

Originally Posted by lwarc

Thanks for the positive feedback everybody and here are links to the Crawl Spots mentioned on this thread so far. If you posted a spot please verify that these are correct:

PESCADERO
Bean Hollow State Beach

The Bean is correct. Thanks.

[JPH Racing]

Originally Posted by lwarc

Thanks for the positive feedback everybody and here are links to the Crawl Spots mentioned on this thread so far. If you posted a spot please verify that these are correct:


SONOMA MOUNTAIN
Crane Creek Regional Park
The creek down the middle is the crawl spot.

FAIRFIELD(ROCKVILLE)
Rockville Hills Community Park:
Check out that big rock right next to the Lake!

PESCADERO
Bean Hollow State Beach

FRESNO
Millerton State Recreation Area

Would like to mention, Crane Creek is a local spot, we've run into problems with before. If you want to use it, PLEASE come with your rig and stuff in a backpack, pack it to the creek, and then have some fun. Be VERY polite to hikers and anyone asking questions, (the older crowd is very protective of the park and will call the rangers, or file a complaint).

Thanks!

Jake

[lwarc]

Quarry Park Rocklin

I don't know anything about this park - but it looks awesome from the satellite image. I am going to be up that way next weekend and I will check it out. Here is the original thread for this Play Day in Rocklin Meanwhile if anyone has any info please post it. Thanks!

[nismotech]

wow you guys run into problems with this? cant run full size any place now the mini electric crowd is getting shut out cause of erosion problems??? im sure im gonna get flamed here but id tell the ranger to >>>> off if you have a problem my 1:1 rig is just in parking and iid love to take it out. cali is in money crisis and rc crawlingis a concern ??? please the usa has gone to shit

[lwarc]

I don't think your approach is a good one nismotech . The State Park Rangers are also badge carrying police officers, If you follow nismotech's advice you will not being doing the hobby of R.C. Rock Crawling any favors - in fact you will likely ruin any chance for R.C. crawling at that park ever again. I simply emailed Sonoma Coast State Parks and received approval. If you want to crawl at a Sonoma Coast State Park then be sure to remember the name of the Officer/Ranger who has given us express permission - Officer T. Nealy

My Original Email:

Hello – my name is Thomas Fonseca I am a Radio Control Rock Crawler hobbyist and a member of the North Bay RC Crawlers (NBRCC) a club with approximately 100 members. I know the State Parks in Sonoma County well enough to understand that there are some fantastic spots for R.C. Rock Crawling but I don’t want to break any rules and I want to inform our club members of your policies regarding these devices.

These are 1/10 scale models of real trucks, the top speed on them is between 3 and 6 miles per hour, they run on electricity and are very quite(almost silent) and weigh around 5 pounds. They do not produce sparks or leave a fuel residue of any kind and don’t promote erosion with spinning tires. They have four soft rubber tires and clear plastic bodies that are painted from the inside so they do not leave a mark if they rub against a rock.

Sonoma Coast State Parks Response:

Dear Mr. Fonseca,

I received your email about Radio Control Rock Crawling at Sonoma Coast State Park. As long as other NBRCC member’s RCRC’s are similar to yours there is no problem with using them within the park. If the NBRCC club is going would like to have a large group use the park at the same time you would need to apply for a special event permit. The person to contact for that permit would be Liz Beale. Her email is lbeale@parks.ca.gov or you can call her at 707.865.2394.

Thank you for your detailed email and if you have any further questions please feel free to email me or call me at 707.875.3483 which is the phone number for the Salmon Creek Ranger Station in Sonoma Coast State Park.


T. Nealy
State Park Peace Officer
Sonoma Coast State Park

ph: 707.875.3483
fax: 707.875.3876
tnealy@parks.ca.gov

[brokennib]

That is AWESOME!

[lwarc]

So now that we have permission to crawl at:
Aerial photos of Bodega Head
Aerial photos of Goat Rock
Aerial photos of Duncan's Landing
Aerial photos of Portuguese Beach
Aerial photos of Schoolhouse Beach
Aerial photos of Salmon Creek Beach

If you have crawled at any of these beaches please post your experiences - If you ran into any problems just let them know that officer T. Nealy (I think the T is for Trish) has given us permission. All you need is internet access - you can show them this thread.

If all goes well we might be able to convince Sonoma County Regional Parks to give us permission as well - using Sonoma Coast State Beaches as a reference. I spoke to Regional Parks and they don't differentiate between gas powered, high speed R.C.'s and slow, quite, electric rock crawlers.

[brokennib]

Originally Posted by lwarc

So now that we have permission to crawl at:
Aerial photos of Bodega Head
Aerial photos of Goat RockAerial photos of Duncan's Landing
Aerial photos of Portuguese Beach
Aerial photos of Schoolhouse Beach
Aerial photos of Salmon Creek Beach

If you have crawled at any of these beaches please post your experiences - If you ran into any problems just let them know that officer T. Nealy (I think the T is for Trish) has given us permission. All you need is internet access - you can show them this thread.

If all goes well we might be able to convince Sonoma County Regional Parks to give us permission as well - using Sonoma Coast State Beaches as a reference. I spoke to Regional Parks and they don't differentiate between gas powered, high speed R.C.'s and slow, quite, electric rock crawlers.

This is great, and I really appreciate you taking the time to properly introduce our club and what we do to the powers that be out there.....
But what does it take to get a special events permit? I've personally never had any problems out there, but 45+ people at that location may change things.

[Robbs2001tj]

Originally Posted by lwarc

Quarry Park Rocklin

I don't know anything about this park - but it looks awesome from the satellite image. I am going to be up that way next weekend and I will check it out. Here is the original thread for this Play Day in Rocklin Meanwhile if anyone has any info please post it. Thanks!

This area is private property but anyone has access long as all trash is picked up and there is no driking allowed. This is per Rocklin PD. I spoke with an officer a while back about it. He said there would be no problems long as we followed those couple rules.